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.

Roasted Carrot Soup

In my world, food never really has a set time or place. It’s all about what I’m feeling.

If that happens to be ice cream when it’s freezing in January, so bet. When I’m craving breakfast for dinner, I’m going for it. And I’ll be damned if someone tries to tell me I can’t eat soup in July.

I love soup, and I’m not afraid to show it. When I want to make something I know will be tasty and satisfying, I always to go with soup. Even if it is 85 degrees F in sunny southern California. That’s why we have air conditioning!

You will need…

2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups chicken broth

¼ cup chopped basil, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread the carrots, onions and garlic to a large baking sheet and toss them with the olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Roast the carrots and company for 45 minutes, until tender.

Combine the roasted veggies and the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

When the soup boils, reduce and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and add in the basil.

Cook for an additional 1 minute.

Working in batches in a blender or with an emersion blender, work to puree the soup until smooth.

Top with fresh basil and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Roasted Carrot Soup

2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups chicken broth

¼ cup chopped basil, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread the carrots, onions and garlic to a large baking sheet and toss them with the olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Roast the carrots and company for 45 minutes, until tender.

Combine the roasted veggies and the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

When the soup boils, reduce and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and add in the basil.

Cook for an additional 1 minute.

Working in batches in a blender or with an emersion blender, work to puree the soup until smooth.

Top with fresh basil and serve hot. 

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.