"Thai" Chicken Salad

For me, moving to New York and falling in love with Thai food seemed to go hand in hand.  I quickly realized that this is one genre of food that had seriously been lacking in my California upbringing.  And while it pains me that I'll probably never find comparable Mexican food in my new hometown, I've realized that on the other hand I'll probably also never find comparable Thai food in California.  So to each its own.  Bring on the Thai, New York.  Although I don't really attempt to re-create many of the Thai dishes I've come to love (note the purposeful quotations in this recipe title), this salad is one item I've taken a stab at.  Traditional Thai Papaya Salad is prepared with green, unripened papaya, cucumbers, carrot, tomatoes, crushed peanuts and a slightly sweet and salty dressing.  It's simple, delicious, and the perfect compliment to any spicy Thai specialty- such as my favorite, lemongrass chicken.  So take a baby step into Thai cooking with my take on this salad.  I use a little green cabbage in place of the papaya (because I've yet to find an unripened papaya in regular grocery stores) and the addition of chicken makes it a little more substantial as a main course option.

Ingredients:
3 cups mixed greens
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (or more to taste!)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 chicken breasts, grilled or pan sauteed

Dressing:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
a pinch of salt

Begin by grilling or sauteing the chicken breasts, seasoning simply with salt and pepper on both sides.  While the chicken is cooking away, get your other salad fixings together.  Combine mixed greens and cabbage in a large bowl.  Shred the carrots (or buy them pre-shredded as I do), chop your tomatoes and cucumber and toss with lettuce.  When chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and allow to cool.  When the chicken is cooled, chop and combine in bowl.  Whisk together your dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over salad.  Top with cilantro and chopped peanuts and dig in!  Make sure to dress only half of the salad you've built if you plan on saving some for lunch!

Makes 2 large Thai-riffic salads :)

Lemon Cilantro Tilapia

Now, let me preface this recipe by saying: you will never see a Brown Bag Gourmet recipe that involves re-heating fish in your office microwave.  First of all, I find re-heating fish to be downright gross and second, "Eau de Fish" is not a friendly scent to send wafting through the halls and down to unsuspecting cubicle dwellers.  

However, I will occasionally suggest a fish dish that you can prepare for dinner and then throw into a salad or a pita sandwich for lunch the next day.  This lemon cilantro infused tilapia, for instance, was fabulous in a salad I enjoyed earlier this week along with mixed greens, shredded green cabage, tomato, cucumber and topped with a lemon vinaigrette.  Lunch vehicles such as this are 100% Brown Bag approved and since tilapia is such a mild, non-fishy smelling fish, this is a great recipe to start with.

Ingredients:
2 tilapia fillets, skin removed
Drizzle of olive oil
1 garlic clove, whole
1 lemon
3 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Begin by seasoning both sides of the tilapia with a good amount of salt and pepper and lightly drizzle each side with olive oil.  Heat a dry saute pan over medium heat and rub the garlic clove across pan so as to introduce a hint of garlic flavor, but not overpower the fish.  Add the fillets to the hot, dry pan to give your fish a crispy exterior but maintain its tenderness on the inside. (Shoutout to my Mama for teaching me this trick!)  Flip fish after a few minutes to build that crispiness on the other side.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side and squeeze lemon juice over tilapia fillets to finish.  Lower the heat and allow lemon juice to warm and infuse into fish, adding about half of the cilantro at the last minute and tossing in pan.  Remove tilapia from pan and garnish with remaining cilantro and a lemon wedge or two.  Dive into this fresh, healthy fish dish for dinner and save your extra fillet to mix into a salad, wrap or pita pocket for a great round 2 recipe the next day!

Makes 1 dinner + 1 heat-free lunch :)