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A chef’s salad, at least to me, is a jumble of a salad. I usually make it with whatever leftovers are hanging out in the fridge that need to be used up. (I also do this with fried rice.) I have my favorite salad toppings that I usually put on too. They’re a main course, so make sure you throw on plenty of veggies and enough protein to satisfy. The best thing is that these salads are terribly easy to throw together, only requiring some basic chopping of ingredients.
It seems lately that everyone is talking about Alton Brown’s Good Eats episode, “Live and Let Diet” where he espouses one of his favorite light meals, packed with heart-healthy goodies, nutrients and fats: marinated brislings over avocado mash on toasted bread.
Those of you who already eat tinned fishies like sardines, kippers, herring, anchovy and, our favorite, sprats, are probably already wondering whether or not there’s a ripe avocado in the cupboard.
I came across an interesting recipe the other day that involved making an edamame-based pesto sauce. It sounded intriguing, so I put it on the menu along with another intriguingly random soup.
I’m really happy with how the pesto came out. It’s nutty and very nicely balanced. It was excellent on soba noodles, but I think it would really shine on a grilled chicken panini. Or maybe I’m just partial to chicken-and-pesto sandwiches!
Plus, talk about super-easy!
One of the best uses for leftover chicken or turkey is the humble chicken salad. Now, I wasn’t always a fan; in fact, since my experience for much of my youth was the chicken salad glop served in cafeterias or bad cafes, I really didn’t care for it.
After I made it, I took a bite of my sandwich and closed my eyes in happiness. It might not be the same recipe but I think it’s actually better. Crunchy, not too sweet and packed with flavor.. all I have to do now is arrange for more leftovers so I can have this again!
My mom found a packet of basil seeds and decided to challenge me to figure out what to do with them. After some research, I found that the primary use was in a drink called “nam manglak” and that the little seeds would poof up into what seemed rather like tapioca pearls or frog eggs.
They’re awfully fun to nibble on and will poof into small chewy spheres. It seems to take them about 30 minutes to completely soak up all of the water and poof completely, but they start poofing after just a few seconds.
