Thursday, July 17, 2008

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!!
If you want to check out the rest of the Whip it Up entries, come on over here Friday & click on the Whip it up button in my sidebar. C'mon, you know you want to :)

3 comments:

Mari said...

Ooh - that sounds good! I love the lyrics from your son too!

Anonymous said...

My husband is weird about fruit/meat combinations, too. Boys!

Joanne@ Blessed... said...

Ok, I am going to have to take this recipe and make this grub.

Looks delicious!

Who are you..Rachel Ray?!?

 
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