Fruited Chicken Salad

This is 'marinating' in the fridge as I type. It's so yummy! I'm serving this on whole-grain buns with lettuce. That wasn't my original intention, but since I chopped everything in my food processor it's the perfect consistency for a sandwich. I think it would be very nice served on a whole-grain focaccia with lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

For four people:

1 lb chicken cooked and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 of a large red onion diced
1 sweet apple peeled, cored and diced
1/3 c raisins soaked then drained (you don't need to soak them if you're going to let it set an hour before serving)
1/3 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 c light mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix everything together in a large bowl and serve! Using the food processor makes it quicker and less messy. I do chop each item separately so they retain their individual flavours.

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Carrot Slaw -- a sweet treat and tasty side dish!

Carrot slaw is my favourite. I have a sweet tooth and this slaw really hits the spot while providing lots of nutrients! I've doctored with recipes for this for years and currently this is how I'm preparing it:

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped fresh or canned and drained pineapple
  
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3c plain yogurt
• nutmeg to taste
• you may want to add some of the pineapple juice for added sweetness
  

Mix all together in a bowl and serve or refrigerate before serving. A variation would be to use light Miracle Whip in place of the yogurt. I prepare this using walnuts and yogurt to add protein because I often eat this for lunch. I made this Monday and have been having it since for my lunch or a snack. Today it's time to finish it off!

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Chicken with Rice

Often when chicken breasts are on the menu, I decide how I'll prepare them on that day. Today, I'll bake them in the oven with the rice at the same time. I'm the kind of cook who likes things simple and easy. You probably think cooking from scratch, ugh, that will take forever! But that's usually not the case. I don't care for labour-intensive cooking so I generally don't do it! Tonight's chicken and rice:

Spray 3 quart casserole dish (or 9 X 13 baking dish) with cooking spray. Add 2c hot water, 1T margarine, and 3 T dry Knorr soup mix (I'm using creamy vegetable tonight). Add 1 c parboiled rice and stir. Place four chicken breasts on top of this mixture and season as you like (I'll use lemon pepper tonight, some nights it's just parsley, salt and pepper) then cover with a lid or foil. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until chicken breast shows it is done on a meat thermometer. How hard is that?

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Broccoli Salad (no bacon!)

1 Large head fresh broccoli
3 large apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (reserve juice)
1/3 c chopped walnut (or sunflower seeds)
1/2 c light miracle whip
juice from mandarin oranges

Cut broccoli into small florets, combine with apples and oranges (don't discard stems of broccoli, it's full of nutrition! Cut into bite size pieces and steam it one day for lunch!) Add dressing and mix. Add the juice from the mandarins a small amount at a time, until the texture and flavour is just right. Sprinkle nuts or seeds over the top just before serving. If you chill this for a while before serving, the flavours will blend better.

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Mashed Potatoes and Kale

I got the recipe for this from this blogger. Her vegetarian meal plans are incredible! The pictures make my mouth water! I'm getting lots of ideas from her, and I think this is one blog to watch. Her instructions for her mashed potatoes and kale are at the link above, but I do it slightly different:

I clean the kale with warm water, trim the stems, cut the leaves with scissors so they're small peices. In a very large and deep skillet, I add some olive oil and a tablespoon of minced garlic along with a bit of water. I add the kale and stir with a large wooden spoon till the kale gets a bit soft and very bright green. I mix it into my homemade mashed potatoes. It's SO GOOD! And green leafies for everyone! (Except my seven-year-old who REFUSES to eat green things or potatoes!) From one bunch of kale, I will have 1/2 leftover. I cook it within days of buying it as this blogger explained it will get more bitter the longer it sits in your fridge uncooked. Of the remains, I'll use 1/2 in a salad this week and the other 1/2 will be pureed in the blender and added to the spaghetti sauce on Friday (I'll get those green leafies in that boy one way or another!)

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