Ginger Chicken Salad Bowl with Spicy Cashews

I truly love salads but it's easy to get stuck in a rut, which is why it's important to try new recipes and flavor combinations to keep things interesting.  Even Asian chicken salad needs a new twist now and then.

This is a really delicious salad, with contrasting textures and spiciness from the chicken and cashews that's offset by the cooling cucumber and sweet dried pineapple.  Before you freak out at the list of ingredients, there are several ways to make the recipe much easier.  You can buy spicy cashews or peanuts or even wasabi peas rather than making spicy cashews, you can buy an Asian sesame vinaigrette rather than making your own, and you can marinate and cook the chicken in advance.  For that matter, you could make the cashews and the vinaigrette in advance too, so then all you need to do on the night you want to serve the salad is chop, toss and plate.  A little advance planning is definitely your friend here.

The chicken is somewhat unusual in that it has a ginger basting sauce that lacquers the chicken as it cooks, in addition to a sesame marinade.

You can make the marinade spicy or not depending on your taste; I liked it slightly spicy (about 8 dashes of Tabasco) to contrast with the cool cucumber and pineapple.  Between the marinade and the baste, the chicken is intensely flavorful to the point that I don't think I would serve it on its own, but it's perfect as part of a salad.  It would also be great in a banh mi or other sandwich with sliced cucumber and maybe some coleslaw with cilantro.  (The first time I had coleslaw actually IN a sandwich was when I was traveling in the south and had a pulled pork sandwich.  The server insisted that I try it with coleslaw even though I thought that was really strange, but now I'm hooked.)

The other important part of the salad is the spicy nuts - again, they're a great contrast to the cucumber and pineapple.  I was going to buy spicy nuts at my local Sprouts but I tasted one and hoo boy were they spicy.  I decided to make my own to control the spice level and found that one tablespoon of Sriracha was plenty for me.

For the salad greens, I bought a green and red lettuce mix at the store and threw in some thinly sliced Napa cabbage for a little more crunch.  As I mentioned you can buy an Asian dressing but the recipe below is really delicious and perfect for the salad.

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Ginger Chicken Salad Bowl with Spicy Cashews

Serves 4

Note that the chicken needs to marinate for 1 – 12 hours so plan ahead.

1 ½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil

¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons soy sauce

1tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon black pepper

Hot sauce, to taste

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)

½ cup salted cashews

1-2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce (depending on preference)

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons minced ginger

12 cups mixed salad greens

¼ cup chopped cilantro

4 green onions, thinly sliced

Asian sesame ginger salad dressing (your favorite brand, or see recipe below)

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup cooked edamame

1 cup dried pineapple, chopped

16 thin slices of cucumber

To marinate the chicken:  whisk together the sesame oil, ¼ cup soy sauce, hoisin sauce, black pepper, and hot sauce if using.  Lightly pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness and add to a large zip top bag, then pour the sauce over and seal.  Refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 12 hours.

Heat oven to 300d.  Combine cashews and Sriracha sauce in a small bowl and stir until nuts are coated.  Line a small baking pan with foil and spread the coated cashews out on it, then place in the oven and bake until nuts are dry, stirring once, approximately 20 minutes.  Remove the nuts from the foil and let cool completely.  Set aside.

For the basting sauce, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, the brown sugar and the ginger in a small bowl, whisking until the sugar has dissolved.

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium.  Remove the chicken from the marinade (discarding the marinade) and cook, turning occasionally, for 8-10 minutes.  Then, using a pastry brush, begin basting with the soy, ginger and brown sugar mixture until they develop a lacquer, an additional 8-10 minutes, again turning every few minutes.  The internal temperature should be 160d when they are done.  Set aside.

To plate the salads, toss the salad greens, cilantro and green onions with just enough dressing to coat lightly, then divide between salad bowls or plates.  Thinly slice the chicken and divide between the salads.  Top each with carrots, edamame, dried pineapple, cucumber slices and spicy cashews.  Serve.

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated

1 teaspoon finely minced ginger

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2-3 teaspoons honey (start with the lower amount)

5 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Salt and pepper

To make the vinaigrette, add all ingredients to a small food processor and process until blended.  Taste and adjust honey, salt and pepper as needed.  May be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated in a covered jar.  Shake before using.

The Way Too Easy - No Butter Scone

Last Year's Post:  Baked Egg Bowls
Two Years Ago:    Southwest Eggrolls (baked not fried)

If you like scones, this recipe is for you.  And if you've ever had a dried-out hockey puck of a scone in a bakery, give this one a chance.  Yes, you can buy a scone mix, but this recipe is easier than making cookies and you can customize it any way you want.  My favorite part is that you can mix up the dough the night before and then just bake the scones in the morning while you sip on coffee.  Warm scones for weekend breakfast!  Since I'm not particularly a morning person that really appealed to me.  (Thanks to my good friend Brad for the recipe!)

Scones seem to be sort of a cross between a biscuit and a muffin.  Some recipes lean more toward the more tender/crumbly biscuit end of the spectrum such as this cornmeal herb scone or this savory breakfast scone, but this recipe is soft and skews more toward the muffin side.  You can add your favorite spices, dried fruit, chocolate chips, flavored extracts and even grated lemon or orange zest to make it your own creation.

If you're having people for breakfast or brunch, this is an easy way to serve warm, fresh baked goods without fussing around with muffin papers or fancy pastries.

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The Way Too Easy – No Butter Scone

Makes 8

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon (or other spices)

1 ¼ cups raisins (or cranberries, chocolate chips, nuts, or a combination)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 ¼ cups cream, cold

1-2 teaspoons flavored extract (vanilla, orange, etc.), optional

Topping

Eggwash (one egg beaten with one tablespoon water) or melted butter

Coarse sugar (can substitute regular sugar, just not as pretty)

Preheat oven to 375d.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, stirring in raisins or other add-ins last.  Add cream and stir until ingredients are just combined.  Form a ball of the dough and place on a floured surface.  Flatten and then fold a few times, then flatten into a circle about 1” thick if you’re going to cut wedges, or into a log about 12” long if you’re going to cut rounds.

Cut the circle into 8 wedges and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  If you formed a log, cut it into 8 equal pieces and put it on the parchment lined sheet.  Brush the tops with egg wash or butter, then sprinkle with sugar.  Bake about 15 minutes until golden.  Let cool on baking sheet about 10 minutes before serving warm.

Make Ahead:  Follow the recipe until you’ve formed the round or log.  Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to overnight.  Remove and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Baked Four Cheese Spaghetti

Last Year's Post: Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Two Years Ago:  Citizen Public House Chopped Salad

I found this recipe over ten years ago in Food & Wine magazine, and finally found an occasion to try it out when our friends Brad and Mary came to visit for the weekend.  They were going to arrive shortly before dinner time so I wanted an easy make-ahead but still impressive meal.  I made the dish in the morning, so all I had to do when they arrived was throw it in the oven and toss together a big green salad and some garlic bread to go with it.

There's a fair amount of cheese grating involved in the prep, so if you decide to double the recipe for a 9"x13" pan I would definitely break out the food processor. Try to find a Fontina that the label describes as mild because Fontinas vary between mild and pungent.  Mild works best here.  Same thing with the Gorgonzola - I discovered that Gorgonzola dolce is basically a mild Gorgonzola.  I managed to find it in my local cheese shop but if you can't find it, just ask for the mildest Gorgonzola they have.  The cheeses all meld together so no one taste particularly stands out, which means kids will probably like this also.

This dish was very cheesy and very good on its own, but I could definitely see adding some crumbled bacon or prosciutto, or cooked and chopped broccoli rabe.  It's far easier to make than lasagna, and more interesting than your typical baked short pasta dish.  And if you double it, it serves a lot of people.  AND it's vegetarian.  A total winner in my book.

Baked Four Cheese Spaghetti

Serves 4 generously

Notes: the recipe can be made earlier in the day and refrigerated, covered.  Uncover and bake per directions.  Also, the recipe can be doubled for a 9”x13” pan.

¾ lb spaghetti

4 ounces mild Fontina, coarsely shredded

4 ounces mozzarella, coarsely shredded

4 ounces Gruyere, coarsely shredded

2 ounces Gorgonzola dolce, crumbled

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350d.  Spray an 8” by 8” baking dish (or similar sized dish) with nonstick spray.  Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water until al dente.  Drain well and spread the spaghetti on a baking sheet to cool.

In a medium bowl, toss the Fontina, mozzarella and Gruyere together.   Spread one third of the spaghetti in the prepared dish in an even layer.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the mixed cheeses and half of the Gorgonzola over the spaghetti and season with salt and pepper.  Repeat with another layer of spaghetti, mixed cheeses, Gorgonzola and salt and pepper.  Top with the remaining spaghetti and mixed cheeses.

Baked the spaghetti in the center of the oven until the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes.  If desired, turn on the broiler during the last minute or two to create a few darker brown crispy bits but watch closely so it doesn’t burn.

Let cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

Lemony Green Beans with Toasted Almonds

Last Year's Post: Dutch Baby
Two Years Ago:  Brussels Sprout Leaf Salad

It's holiday season, and that means some big meals are coming up.  Skip the green bean casserole this year and make this fresh take on green beans that's a nice balance to the other heavier dishes on the table.  Lemon adds brightness while the Dijon adds some zip, although you might consider leaving the Dijon out if you have some picky or young eaters.  This is a great side dish for ham, turkey, roast beef, or any other holiday centerpiece.

One of the major advantages of this recipe is that you can make it in advance, which frees up time and cook top space for other things right before the big meal.  Just cook the beans and make the vinaigrette in advance, then toss them together right before serving. It's meant to be served at room temperature which makes it great for a buffet table, and it's easy to carry the components to someone else's house and just assemble at the last minute.

Be sure to buy the most beautiful fresh green beans you can find.  If they're very thin haricot verts, you may need to lessen the cooking time a little.  The best way to figure out the cooking time is to start tasting after a couple of minutes and keep on tasting every minute until they're done how you like them.  I personally like beans that are crisp-tender, which is how this recipe is written.  Note that I made a half recipe for these pictures; two pounds of green beans would easily serve 6 as part of a large holiday dinner.  The recipe may be doubled or tripled.

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Lemony Green Beans with Toasted Almonds
Serves 6

⅓ cup olive oil

1 tsp lemon zest

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional)

Kosher salt

Pepper

2 lbs thin fresh green beans

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, optional Dijon mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt, then the green beans, and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately transfer the green beans to the ice water to cool; drain and pat dry.

Toss the beans gently in the lemon vinaigrette. Top with toasted almonds and serve.

Make Ahead: Prepare the beans and dressing and refrigerate separately up to a day ahead. Toss together just before serving.