Papaya, Red Pepper, and Pecan Salad with Chicken

Fruity, but the lime in the dressing cuts the sweetness.

For 4.

Salad:
8 cups torn romaine leaves; about 2 heads
2 ripe papaya, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 large or 2 small red bell pepper, diced into ¼-inch pieces
4 green onions, sliced finely
¾ lb boneless, skinnless chicken, cooked and cubed
¼ cup chopped pecans, toasted

Dressing:
3 cloves garlic, pressed
¼ cup fresh lime juice (1 lime)
2 tbsp chicken broth
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Mix salad; whisk dressing ingredients together; dress.

Papayas were fiendishly expensive ($2.99 each!) and poor-looking today; I substituted with the remains of a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen mango and half a can of pineapple. It worked out very nicely.

I also substituted leftover turkey for the chicken, which also worked out, making this a good post-Thanksgiving or post-Christmas recipe.

I’m not convinced the broth adds anything much to the dressing; I wouldn’t bother unless you happen to have some handy.

(From the American Institute for Cancer Research’s The New American Plate Cookbook.)

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Sesame-Lime Vinaigrette

Cheap and cheerful for fall, particularly around Thanksgiving when yams are freely available. (In the US, at least, yams are sweet potatoes.)

For 4-6.

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tbsp canola oil (or other light oil; I used peanut oil)
salt & freshly-ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 scallions/spring onions, sliced
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional; turned out fine without it)

Preheat oven to 500°F—which on mine is full blast. Toss sweet potatoes in oil, salt, and pepper and roast in a shallow pan for 15 minutes, turning once. Caramelized edges are good here, don’t worry about blackened bits.

1 inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced (could use more)
2 cloves garlic (could use more)
juice 1 lime
2 tbsp canola oil (or whatever)
1 tbsp dark/toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar

Chop garlic and ginger in blender; add remaining dressing ingredients and blend.

Mix vegetables and dressing; serve warm.

(From Andrea Chesman’s The Garden-Fresh Vegetable Cookbook .)

Lentil-Bulgur Salad

for 6

1 cup dry lentils
2 cups water

1 cup dry bulgur wheat
1 cup boiling water
½ tsp dried oregano

¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp fresh finely-chopped mint
4 tbsp (¼ cup) finely-chopped parsley
½ cup finely-chopped red onion
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
½ cup olives, stoned and chopped
1 tomato, finely diced
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Mix bulgur wheat with hot boiling water in a bowl, cover, and let stand.
Simmer lentils 25 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Drain and add to bulgur.
Mix all ingredients and refrigerate.

A good mixture, and the lentils really work well with the bulgur and herbs, but we thought it needed more lemon juice—or maybe the zest of the lemon?—and more salt. I’ll tweak appropriately next time I make it.

(From Mollie Katzen’s revised edition of the Moosewood Cookbook.)

Asian Chicken Salad

2 servings

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
½ cup rice
4 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
2 small garlic cloves (or 1 large), peeled and crushed
a good dash Tabasco
¼ tsp sugar
1 tbsp rice or other mild vinegar (cider vinegar works well)
1 cucumber
2 handfuls salad leaves (baby spinach works well)

Season chicken and pan-fry whole in a little oil.
Cook rice by absorption method with 1 cup water.
Mix soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil, garlic, Tabasco, sugar, vinegar. Add 4 tsp hot water 1 tsp at a time until smooth and creamy.
Peel, deseed, and dice cucumber.
Dice chicken. Combine with cucumber and dressing.
Serve on rice and salad leaves.

(Heavily adapted from Mark Bittman’s The Minimalist Cooks at Home; original weblog post.)

Waldorf Salad

¾ cup walnut pieces
3 large crisp apples, cored and cut into chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into ½ inch slices
1 cup grapes, halved
1½ tbsp lemon juice

½ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp sugar
¾ tsp grated lemon zest
ground pepper to taste

Toast walnuts in a 350°F oven or a dry skillet.
Toss apples, celery, grapes in lemon juice.
Whisk remaining ingredients, add to salad, toss.

(Adapted from this Food Network recipe.)

Corn & Pasta Salad

6 servings.

2 cups tiny pasta shells
4 ears fresh corn, stripped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
½ red onion, finely chopped
4 scallions, finely chopped—or double up the red onion
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

½ tsp salt
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup cider vinegar
½ cup olive oil

Boil and drain the pasta. The original recipe cooks the corn briefly with the pasta, but I think if the corn's fresh and young it doesn't need any cooking.

Whisk the salt, mustard, vinegar, and oil together; toss the hot pasta with the dressing; mix in the other ingredients. Chill.

(Slightly adapted from Sheryl Julian & Julie Riven’s The Way We Cook : Recipes from the New American Kitchen.)

Golden Jubilee Chicken

Nigella Lawson's Golden Jubilee reworking of Coronation Chicken, which I finally got around to trying. Better late than never. For 2.

1 mango, cut into 1cm cubes
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1–2 red chilis, deseeded and finely chopped
juice of 1–2 limes
1 cold cooked chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 little gem lettuce, shredded
1 handful fresh coriander, chopped
1 tsp groundnut oil
few drops toasted sesame oil

Mix mango, spring onion, chilli, lime juice.
Add chicken, lettuce, coriander, and toss.
Add oils, toss.

I substituted ¼ chopped red onion for the spring onion and 1 tsp olive oil for the groundnut oil: still good. However, it does need a lightweight lettuce like little gem or iceberg; Romaine is too dark and robust.

(From Nigela Lawson’s Forever Summer; also online as Golden Jubilee Turkey.)

Romaine with Caesar Buttermilk Dressing

For 2. Quick.

¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup grated parmesan or romano
½ small onion, grated or finely diced (red onion works well)
1 tsp or to taste Worcestershire sauce
ground black pepper

1 romaine lettuce, cut
1 cup croutons (garlic & paprika works well)

Beat together dressing ingredients; toss with lettuce; add croutons and toss.

(Adapted from Rick Rodgers’ The Carefree Cook.)