lunch Archives - Page 10 of 11 - What the Forks for Dinner?

Roasted Peanut Kale Salad

Roasted Peanut Kale Salad

Kale is all the rage right now, and rightly so. It has crazy amounts of vitamins A, K, and C, and it’s packed with calcium. I must admit that I prefer spinach, and in a nutritional match up they are pretty equal. Although, spinach is a better source of iron, magnesium, and fiber. Be sure to buy either of these organic if possible. Leafy greens can be a sponge for any chemicals used in the growing process. Nutrition lesson over……..but look for our new page……coming soon, that will be all you wanted to know about nutrition, but were afraid to ask.

This recipe is hopefully….fingers crossed, just what my friend Michelle was looking for. She had a salad at a restaurant in Chicago and tried to replicate it but, wasn’t happy with the result. Now, Michelle is one of the best cooks I know, so if she couldn’t come up with it I wasn’t sure I could either. But, I was willing to give it a try.

Michelle described what was in the salad and the ingredients were fairly simple. Kale, cabbage, mint, cilantro, parsley, and a peanut dressing. As I said before, I am not a huge fan of kale, but I tried a baby kale which I found to be a better taste. I will try this again with spinach. The dressing is where Michelle was stuck, so I hope my version…….peanut oil, rice wine vinegar, etc…….see recipe…..is the taste she was looking for.

I added grilled chicken that I marinaded in the dressing for flavor, and and topped it with roasted peanuts. Both Tim and I really enjoyed it.

So, I hope my version of Roasted Peanut Kale Salad will be a close match for the restaurant salad……….let me know Michelle!

Roasted Peanut Kale Salad

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Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 2 1x
Category: Salad
Method: Saute
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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Salad
6 cups baby kale
2 cups prepackaged cole slaw mix
1/4 cup each fresh mint, cilantro, parsley chopped
2 green onions sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup peanuts, toasted and chopped
3/4 to 1 pound chicken tenders ( about 6 tenders)
Dressing
3/4 cup Peanut oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon honey
 1 teaspoon garlic pepper
 1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
 2 tablespoons soy sauce
 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic minced

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Instructions

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
Add 1/4 cup of the dressing to chicken tenders and marinade for 30 minutes (or more).
Combine all ingredients for the salad, except the peanuts and set aside.
Remove chicken from marinade, discarding any remaining marinade. Grill chicken tenders over medium high heat until cooked through. Remove from grill and cut into bite size chunks and let cool slightly.
Add chicken and dressing to the kale cabbage mixture. Toss to coat adding dressing as desired.
Plate and serve.
Top with chopped peanuts and serve.

Notes

This recipe serves 2-4.

Keywords: kale, chicken, cole slaw mix, peanuts, salad

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Cream of Asparagus Soup……….even the name sounds silky and elegant. That is just what this soup is, and it has no cream in it………What you say no cream?????

I know I was amazed too! I have made plenty of cream soup, but they have all got their creaminess from heavy cream. But heavy cream has a lot of calories, and a lot of fat so, what to do to reduce that??

I have seen recipes what have used instant potatoes to thicken soups, so I wondered if a regular potato would work. Low and behold it did! Adding some onion and garlic to the asparagus gave it just the right underlying taste. The only other thing it needed was salt and pepper.

Now, I have have one of those handy immersion blenders, and next to my Kitchen Aide stand mixer, it is one of the best gadgets I own. It works like a blender but with NO, I repeat, No big mess to cleanup after, just plug it in, stick it in your pan, and blend away. There are many versions on the market, do yourself a favor and get one…….. you won’t be sorry.

Now, I did want to add just a touch of cream with out using cream, so sour cream (low-fat) is a great substitute. You just need a small amount to make a big impact.

I garnished the soup with some beautiful reserved asparagus tips that I blanched until just tender crisp, and just a few slivers of parmesan cheese.

Serve it with a rustic loaf of French bread, and it’s a great light lunch or dinner.

Of course, as always if you have your own asparagus …………….Yum! I am still gushing over ours, it is fabulous!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

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Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Soup
Method: Cook
Cuisine: American

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Description

Cream Soup with out the cream!

Ingredients

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1 pound asparagus
2 teaspoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons low fat sour cream
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté on low for 3-4 minutes.
Trim asparagus, removing tough ends, and cut into 2 inch pieces, reserving the tips for garnish
Add diced potato and asparagus pieces to onion and garlic in the pot. Add chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until asparagus is very tender. While asparagus is cooking, blanch tips until tender crisp, cool under running water and set aside for garnish.
Remove from heat and using an immersion blender puree until smooth (alternately you can puree mixture in a regular blender in batches, then return to pot). Stir in sour cream until well blended.
Ladle into serving bowls, garnishing with asparagus tips and parmesan cheese.

Keywords: asparagus, soup, healthy,

Grilled Chicken Veggie Salad

Grilled Chicken Veggie Salad

I think Spring may finally be here to stay……….yeah!!!! So what better to fix than a salad loaded with spring veggies and grilled chicken……..Grilled Chicken Veggie Salad.

I have had many requests for salads and healthy fare. I have made several small attempts at healthier recipes, but when the weather is crappy I’m more inclined to comfort foods.

With the arrival of Spring and all things anew, this Grilled Chicken Veggie Salad is just the ticket. Mixed green topped with grilled chicken, red and yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, sweet snap peas and asparagus make for a crunchy, fresh salad.

For a dressing I went with an Asian flare………..Ginger Garlic Dressing. It’s tangy with rice wine vinegar, just a small amount of oil, ginger, garlic, soy and honey……..very yummy.

The best thing about this salad is you can make it in advance and assemble it when you are ready. All the components can keep for up to two days, isn’t that nice, you can make it when you have time and eat it when you don’t…………makes life so much easier to have a little something in reserve for the days you don’t have time to cook! Bonus………it’s HEALTHY!!!!

So, make up this salad today and enjoy it when you are done with all that Spring cleaning……….which reminds me, I best get busy!

Grilled Chicken Veggie Salad

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Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Salad
Method: No Cook
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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8 ounces chicken breast tenderloins, halved crosswise
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
8 ounces fresh asparagus, trimmed
8 ounces fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed
3 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 each medium yellow and red pepper cut into thin strips
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
1 Recipe Ginger Garlic Dressing

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Instructions

Directions
1. Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt and pepper. In a large skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Remove chicken from skillet. Place chicken on a plate and cover, chill at least 1 hour. You may also leave in refrigerator for up to two days.
2. In microwave cook asparagus and pea pods, covered, in a microwave safe dish for 1 to 2minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; place in an ice bath to cool. Drain well. Serve immediately or place in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
3. To serve, in a very large bowl toss together chilled chicken, asparagus, pea pods, watercress, sweet pepper, and tomatoes. Add Ginger Garlic Dressing; toss well.

Keywords: asparagus. grilled chicken, snap peas, mixed greens, sweet peppers, tomatoes, garlic ginger dressing, salad