"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 :)

Super Simple Chicken Masala

When I sat down with this dish at the lunch table, I literally had people asking me where I had ordered Indian from.  They were shocked to hear I had prepared it myself and even more shocked when I explained to them how quick and easy it was.  The star ingredient that brings this whole dish together is the masala sauce.  But guess what, it's already done.  Trader Joe's does all the work for you.  TJ's for the win, yet again!  Now don't get the wrong impression; I'm not huge on prepared sauces but I'm telling you, this one is fantastic.  Plus, it saves you some major time and effort.  Believe it, restaurant quality chicken masala is just a few simple steps away!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 small yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 pound french green beans
1 jar Trader Joe's Masala Simmer Sauce
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in large pan over medium heat and saute garlic until fragrant.  Cut chicken breasts into cubes and add to pan.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  The chicken will only take a few minutes to brown, so just be careful not to over cook.  Add bell peppers and green beans to the pan, and lower heat so that veggies are cooked, but still maintain a slight crunch.  Pour entire jar of masala sauce over chicken and veggies and allow to simmer until entire mixture is heated through.  Serve atop some brown rice- I love Brown Rice Medley (also made by TJ's) as seen here.  Sprinkle with cilantro and there you have it, Indian takeout in a flash!     

Makes about 3 servings.

Spinach Salad with Chicken & Figs

You know those "I can't believe I've lived this long with out ____" moments?  I have them frequently.  A great pair of heels, a fun shade of nail polish, a fantastic bottle of wine- I'm sure I have far too many "life changing" experiences on a weekly basis, to really be taken seriously.  Not surprisingly, many of these moments coincide with my discovery of new ingredients and flavor combinations.  This summer, I definitely had one of those moments with figs.  Up until a couple months ago, I had never eaten a fresh fig.  And now that I'm rather obsessed with this little fruit that manages to be sweet yet slightly tart simultaneously, it's hard to imagine how it ever slipped me by in the first place.  The only place I know to lay blame is the Fig Newton.  I am not a fan.  Thankfully, fresh figs and their distant cookie cousins are completely different entities.  So if you've been scared off for similar reasons, have no fear!

Ingredients:
3 cups of spinach, rinsed and dried (I love me a big salad)
1 chicken breast
4 black mission figs, quartered
2 tbsp. sliced, toasted almonds
Shaved parmesan cheese, to taste

Balsamic vinaigrette:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Small squeeze lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste 

This is an extremely simple salad to make, but I guarantee you'll have everyone thinking it's much fancier.  I mean how often do figs make an appearance at the lunch table?  Begin by simply grilling a chicken breast on your grill, grill pan (the best alternative if you live in a city apartment where grilling access has been deprived of you, like me! I'm not bitter about that or anything...) or simply in a saute pan with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper on both sides.  Remove from pan when cooked through and allow to rest and cool on a chopping block.  Add rinsed and dried spinach to a large bowl.  Chop stems off of figs, cut them into quarter sections and add to bed of spinach.  Slice cooled chicken breast and incorporate along with figs.  Toss in sliced almonds and top with shavings of parmesan cheese.  Pack it all up along with this simple vinaigrette dressing on the side.  Dress your salad at lunch time and enjoy!  Hurry and pick up this delicious fruit before the end of October, while they're at their peak.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Wasabi Lime Dressing

PF Chang's may be a chain restaurant and yes they may serve up a very Americanized Chinese menu, but these guys know what they're doing when it comes to lettuce wraps.  If you've eaten there and somehow neglected to order them, you are seriously missing out.  Obviously, I have a slight love affair with these little lettuce cups of perfection, so you can imagine my disappointment when I discovered that there isn't a single location in NYC.  Alas, I decided to develop my own version to satisfy my craving.  And after several renditions, this Japanese-inspired version has become my favorite.  The slight crunch of the edamame, paired with a no-nonsense punch of wasabi takes these lunch-worthy lettuce wraps to a whole new level. 

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced white onion  
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1 cup diced water chestnuts
1/3 cup edamame, shelled
3-4 tbsp. soyaki marinade (I like Trader Joes' Island Soyaki)
1 head lettuce of any variety you choose, I like red leaf lettuce or butter lettuce best (better nutritionally than traditional iceberg)
1 sliced green onion for garnish 

Dressing:
1/4 cup rice vinegar (I like the light version which is slightly sweet)
1/4 tsp. wasabi paste  (more to taste if you like)
juice of 1/2-1 full lime, depending on size
a pinch of salt  

Heat vegetable oil in large sautee pan.  Add minced garlic and sautee lightly to flavor oil.  Sear chicken breasts in pan on medium heat and reduce to low to finish.  Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Sautee onions, carrots, mushrooms and water chestnuts in chicken drippings, adding additional oil if needed.  Dice cooled chicken into bite-size pieces and add back into the pan along with edamame.  Reduce heat to low and finish with soyaki marinade.  Rinse and dry lettuce leaves and fill with chicken mixture.  Top with sliced green onion and wasabi lime dressing to taste.  

Brown bag your lettuce, filling and dressing and prepare to wow 'em!  

Makes one lunch + leftovers.