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 :)

The L word

So I know that title got you thinking but really the l stands for LIST! You were thinking I was gonna post on that show didn't you...HA!

(Yeah, yeah. I know I'm the only one who fall's for that kind of thing, (sigh).)



In keeping with yesterday's list (drumroll please) Foods I hate.

1. Peanut butter. Yes I know that everyone else in the known world loves this foul paste but I'm not one of them! I loved it as a kid & my Mom thinks I like, OD'd on the stuff when my sisters were born. This was back in the day when mom's stayed in the hospital for at least 3 days so my Dad was in charge of feeding my 3 yo self. I'm sure you can get the picture - all pbj all the time.

2. Monster cookies. This goes along with #1. These are cookies which have a HUGE amount of #1 in them & to me they smell hideous. I used to hide in my room with a towel under the door to keep from gagging. Yes, I'm serious - I would actually gag!

3. Chipped beef on toast. Again, a food I loved as a kid but as an adult, ewwwwww!!

4. Liver & onions. I don't even need to comment on this one...yuck, yuck & double yuck! (although Chris loves the stuff - what is wrong with that man?)

5. Giblets. I hate heart, liver, pancreous, intestines & whatever other icky organs they can pull out of a bird. (Yes, I know pancreous & intestines aren't in there, but they might as well be ;) To this day my Mom hates my stuffing & I hate hers, nuff said.

6. Eggnog. Not technically a food but it is something ingestible that I can't stand. Of course, the rest of my family loves it...thankfully for me it's only around during the holidays.

7. Anything involving insects. Not likely to come by in the US - but wait...



I KNOW - Guh-ross!!

List -o- the day

Foods I love & the restaraunts in which I love them

1. Greek - spanikopita & dolmatas anyone? George's place, Kirkland WA & my new fave, The Pita Pit, Cheney, WA
2. Chinese - cashew prawns is my fave dish. Chan's place, Kirkland WA
3. Mexican - cheese & beans & tortillas & cheese & guacamole &...cheese! Mmmm good. Los Cabos, Cle Elum WA, Azteca, anywhere they've got one.

Short list today...but if I got in depth on this topic I'd never get it done!