Whippin up some grub

Brown and Wild Rice Chicken Salad (from Family Circle Cookbook)
Serves 6

1 6-oz. box brown and wild rice mix
3 Tbs. tarragon-flavored vinegar (I used red wine vinegar and added a pinch of tarragon)
1 Tbs. honey-Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 Gala apple, cored and chopped
6 scallions, trimmed and chopped
2 large ribs celery, sliced
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Lettuce leaves for garnish (optional)

Prepare rice mix following package directions. In a small bowl, mix vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk in 1/4 cup oil. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbs. oil over high heat. Add chicken strips; saute for 4 to 6 minutes, until lighltly browned. Place chicken on a plate; cover and set aside.
In a bowl, combine apple, scallions, celery, pecans and cranberries. Add rice, vinegar mixture and chicken. Line a serving bowl with lettuce leaves (optional); spoon in salad. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold.
435 calories
21 g protein
38 g carbohydrates
23 g fat (2 g saturated)
4 g fiber

My path to finding this recipe was a 6 degrees of seperation thing - only it was 3 degrees instead of 6. I found Life with Three via FriedOkra's post, sizzlin summer recipes, back in May & this baby has been on my list ever since.

I made a few changes (as I almost always do) to suit our tastes. I found I was out of tarragon so couldn't put that in, used a fuji apple instead of a gala, left out the scallions, & used pine nuts instead of pecans.

Now on to the questions:

Was the recipe easy to follow?

Yup.

Did the dish taste good?

I loved it. The rest of my family were ummm, less than thrilled. Chris has an aversion to anything with veggies+fruit &/or fruit+meat mixed together, so this was a double whammy for him. I knew this going into it but I had to try, it just sounded so good! My kids picked out the fruit to eat & wouldn't touch the rest - even with the loss of dessert hanging over their heads (pernickity things!)

Would you make it again?

I would make it for a potluck or make a smaller version just for myself. No reason to waste great food on picky people!!

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