Grilled Chinese Chicken Salad

I know I boast about it all the time, but my family is pretty freaking great.

Seriously, I don’t like to toot my own horn.

But TOOT TOOT!

Every member of the family has things about them that make them particularly wonderful, but today I am EXTRA proud of my youngest brother Joshua.

Josh stands out for reasons. Whether you know him for his big personality, his red hair or his water polo prowess, you know he is a stand out. And yesterday he made the decision to head to Europe to play professionally. How awesome to do something you love and get paid for it. In another country. What a wonderful life experience.

He is headed east in a few weeks and in the mean time, he’s been spending some extra time at the house.

Which means I get a new and excited mouth to feed. He is one of the only people who ever really gives me requests anymore. And this was a great one.

I don’t know why I never thought to make this, but I’m so glad he did. You will be too.

You will need…

2 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons palm sugar

1 lime, juiced

1 head romaine lettuce, cut into bit sized pieces

1 can mandarin oranges

2 cups shredded carrots

3 green onions, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

20 wanton wrappers, cut into strips

4 tablespoons peanut oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

Start by preheating your grill to a medium high heat.

Whisk together the sesame oil, sugar and lime juice. Brush the oil mixture onto the chicken breasts.

Grill the chicken until it has good grill marks and are cooked through. About 5 minutes a side.

When the chicken is cooked, set aside and allow it to cool to handle.

While the chicken is cooling, combine the carrots, celery, green onions, lettuce and manderin oranges.

When the chicken has cooled, shred it by pulling it apart with two forks.

Add it to the salad and toss well.

Heat the peanut oil in a small pan.

When the oil is hot, working in batches, add in the wanton strips and fry until brown and crisped on both sides. Season well with salt and pepper and remove to a paper towel to remove the excess oil.

Drizzle the salad with the dressing, toss, top with wanton strips and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Grilled Chinese Chicken Salad 

2 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons palm sugar

1 lime, juiced

1 head romaine lettuce, cut into bit sized pieces

1 can mandarin oranges

2 cups shredded carrots

3 green onions, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

20 wanton wrappers, cut into strips

4 tablespoons peanut oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

Start by preheating your grill to a medium high heat.

Whisk together the sesame oil, sugar and lime juice. Brush the oil mixture onto the chicken breasts.

Grill the chicken until it has good grill marks and are cooked through. About 5 minutes a side. 

When the chicken is cooked, set aside and allow it to cool to handle.

While the chicken is cooling, combine the carrots, celery, green onions, lettuce and manderin oranges. 

When the chicken has cooled, shred it by pulling it apart with two forks.

Add it to the salad and toss well.

Heat the peanut oil in a small pan. 

When the oil is hot, working in batches, add in the wanton strips and fry until brown and crisped on both sides. Season well with salt and pepper and remove to a paper towel to remove the excess oil.

Drizzle the salad with the dressing, toss, top with wanton strips and serve.

Heirloom Tomato and Pickled Walnut Salad

By this time, I’m pretty sure that summer is in full swing for most areas in the northern hemisphere. And I don’t know what summertime produce gets your juices flowing, but for me it is all about the watermelon and the heirloom tomatoes.

As soon as the season starts watermelon is my go to snack. I basically purchase a watermelon every time I head to the store. Which I’m sure you can imagine is often.

While I probably consume more watermelon in the summer than I do anything else all year, heirloom tomatoes are the true summer star.

They usually end up being the inspiration for most of my summer dishes.

Here they are enhanced with some extra crunch and tang for warm weather perfection.

You will need…

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces

3 celery ribs, thinly sliced

½ cup candied walnuts, roughly chopped

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the vinegar and the walnuts in a small bowl. Set them aside and let them pickle for 20 to 30 minutes.

In a large bowl or on a platter, combine the tomatoes, blue cheese and celery.

When the nuts are tangy and pickled, add the oil and mustard to the nuts and vinegar.

Season well with salt and whisk until completely combined.

Drizzle the tomatoes with the dressed walnuts and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Heirloom Tomato and Pickled Walnut Salad

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces

3 celery ribs, thinly sliced

½ cup candied walnuts, roughly chopped

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the vinegar and the walnuts in a small bowl. Set them aside and let them pickle for 20 to 30 minutes.

In a large bowl or on a platter, combine the tomatoes, blue cheese and celery.

When the nuts are tangy and pickled, add the oil and mustard to the nuts and vinegar.

Season well with salt and whisk until completely combined.

Drizzle the tomatoes with the dressed walnuts and serve.

Grilled Grape and Oyster Mushroom Salad

All right. Before you go poo-pooing this recipe, thinking it’s all weird, lets talk about this logically.

Think of all the weird combinations of things that are totally awesome.

I bet people totally thought the first person to put peanut butter and jelly together was a total goofball.

Chicken and waffles with maples syrup I a pretty crazy idea, but people go great distances to get their hands on it.

If you haven’t had chocolate and bacon together, you are majorly missing out.

In the food world, weird works.

And this interesting salad totally entertains.

You will need…

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing the grapes and mushrooms

¼ cup almond oil

½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

½ cup celery leaves (the leaves from one head)

¼ cup salted roasted almonds, chopped

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1 pound king oyster mushrooms, sliced lengthwise ¼ inch thick

2 cups green grapes

2 heads butter lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 cups thinly sliced celery

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating your grill to a medium heat.

Take about 5 wooden skewers and soak them for a few minutes in water.

While they are soaking, combine the grapes with some salt and pepper and about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss until the grapes are lightly coated.

Skewer all the grapes and set them aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, celery seeds, mustard half the garlic and salt and pepper.

Gradually whisk in the ¼ cup of olive oil and the almond oil until emulsified. Or combine all in a mason jar and shake well.

Then in a mini food processor, combine the remaining garlic with the parsley, celery leaves, Parmesan and almonds and pulse until finely chopped.

Add the other ¼ cup of olive oil and puree to a chunky pesto.

Lightly brush the mushrooms with another tablespoon of oil and season them with salt and pepper.

Poke quite a few small holes in a large piece of aluminum foil and lay the mushrooms out in a single layer on top of it. 

Place the mushrooms and the grapes on the grill.

Cook the grapes for about 3 minutes a side. Just until they are lightly blistered.

Cook the mushrooms just until they are tender and lightly browned. About 5 minutes.

Remove the grapes and mushrooms from the heat and toss them in a bowl with the pesto.

Lay the lettuce out on a large platter and toss the leaves with half the dressing.

Top the lettuce with the mushroom and grape mixture.

Drizzle the remaining dressing on the celery.

Finally, top the salad with the celery and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Grilled Grape and Oyster Mushroom Salad 

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing the grapes and mushrooms

¼ cup almond oil

½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

½ cup celery leaves (the leaves from one head)

¼ cup salted roasted almonds, chopped

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1 pound king oyster mushrooms, sliced lengthwise ¼ inch thick

2 cups green grapes

2 heads butter lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 cups thinly sliced celery

 Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating your grill to a medium heat.

Take about 5 wooden skewers and soak them for a few minutes in water.

While they are soaking, combine the grapes with some salt and pepper and about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss until the grapes are lightly coated.

Skewer all the grapes and set them aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, celery seeds, mustard half the garlic and salt and pepper.

Gradually whisk in the ¼ cup of olive oil and the almond oil until emulsified. Or combine all in a mason jar and shake well.

Then in a mini food processor, combine the remaining garlic with the parsley, celery leaves, Parmesan and almonds and pulse until finely chopped.

Add the other ¼ cup of olive oil and puree to a chunky pesto.

Lightly brush the mushrooms with another tablespoon of oil and season them with salt and pepper.

Poke quite a few small holes in a large piece of aluminum foil and lay the mushrooms out in a single layer on top of it. 

Place the mushrooms and the grapes on the grill.

Cook the grapes for about 3 minutes a side. Just until they are lightly blistered.

Cook the mushrooms just until they are tender and lightly browned. About 5 minutes.

Remove the grapes and mushrooms from the heat and toss them in a bowl with the pesto.

Lay the lettuce out on a large platter and toss the leaves with half the dressing.

Top the lettuce with the mushroom and grape mixture.

Drizzle the remaining dressing on the celery.

Finally, top the salad with the celery and serve. 

Spiced Veal Ravioli

Now that I feel like I have really knocked homemade pasta dough out of the park, it is pretty much all I think about.

When things are hectic at work, and I’m clicking rapidly from email to email trying to decide which one I should tackle first, I often find myself day dreaming about all the things I can do with pasta dough.

All the things I can drench it in.

All the things I can wrap up in it.

All the things I could stuff it with.

Lots of freaking pasta awesomeness.

So lately whenever I have time to really get dirty in the kitchen, some sort of homemade pastas is being produced.

And this has been one of my favorite pastas so far.

These were simultaneously delicate and hearty and absolutely scrumptious.

You will need…

3 tablespoons olive oil olive oil

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 celery stalk roughly chopped

1 small onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 pound ground veal

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Homemade pasta dough, rolled to a 6 or 7 on a pasta roller

Water

Start by adding the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic to a food processor and blend until the veggies are pretty finely chopped.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is hot and then add in the veggies.

Season with salt and pepper and stir every so often. Cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Finely chop the mushrooms in a food processor and toss them in with the veggies.

Cook the veggies and mushrooms for and addition 3 to 5 minutes. Until the mushrooms start to brown and soften.

Add the ground veal and season it well with salt and pepper.

While the veal is browning, blend the pepper flakes, fennel seeds and the bay leaf in the food processor.

Toss the spices in with the veal and cook it through.

Add in the tomato sauce to the pan and cook, stirring often until almost all the liquid is evaporated. About 2 minutes.

Stir in the parsley, remove from the heat and allow it to cool completely.

Then, lay out your pasta dough and place about 1 tablespoon of filling about 2 inches apart all down the pasta dough.

Dip your fingers or a pasty brush into some water and wet the bottom piece of pasta dough and then cover with the top layer of pasta dough.

Cut your pasta shapes and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook the pasta for about five minutes, just until they float to the top of the water.

Strain the water from the pasta and serve with slow roasted tomato sauce, shitake mushroom cream sauce, or your favorite sauce.

 

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Spiced Veal Ravioli

 3 tablespoons olive oil olive oil

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 celery stalk roughly chopped

1 small onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 pound ground veal

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Homemade pasta dough, rolled to a 6 or 7 on a pasta roller

Water

Start by adding the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic to a food processor and blend until the veggies are pretty finely chopped.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is hot and then add in the veggies.

Season with salt and pepper and stir every so often. Cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Finely chop the mushrooms in a food processor and toss them in with the veggies.

Cook the veggies and mushrooms for and addition 3 to 5 minutes. Until the mushrooms start to brown and soften.

Add the ground veal and season it well with salt and pepper.

While the veal is browning, blend the pepper flakes, fennel seeds and the bay leaf in the food processor.

Toss the spices in with the veal and cook it through.

Add in the tomato sauce to the pan and cook, stirring often until almost all the liquid is evaporated. About 2 minutes.

Stir in the parsley, remove from the heat and allow it to cool completely.

Then, lay out your pasta dough and place about 1 tablespoon of filling about 2 inches apart all down the pasta dough.

Dip your fingers or a pasty brush into some water and wet the bottom piece of pasta dough and then cove with the top layer of pasta dough.

Cut into your shapes and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook the pasta for about five minutes, just until they float to the top of the water.

Strain the water from the pasta and serve with slow roasted tomato sauce, shitake mushroom cream sauce, or your favorite sauce.