Arugula, Red Cabbage, and Carrot Chicken Salad

This is one of my summertime lunch staples.  I adore chicken salad, and love it on a bed of lettuce or, in this case, on fresh arugula for a punch of flavor.

What's in it:

(2) 5 oz. cans of chicken

(2) carrots

onion (to taste)

6 tbsp dijon mustard (i like maille or grey poupon whole grain)

4 tbsp mayonnaise

pepper

arugula

red cabbage, finely shredded

honey dijon salad dressing (i like maple grove farms)

How to make it:

1.  Open, rinse, and drain the canned chicken.  Put into a mixing bowl and add grated carrots and finely chopped onion.  Mix in mayonnaise, mustard, and pepper: amounts depends on your taste.  I tend to add lots of mustard and little mayo, but if you like it creamier, do the opposite.

2.  Toss arugula and red cabbage in salad dressing and lay in serving bowl.  Add a dollop (i love that word!  add a big one if you're hungry) of chicken salad in the middle.

3.  Sesame crackers and cheese make a nice side.

Serves: 2-3

Arugula: fresh from the garden.  The little yellow flowers are edible too!

Green Chile, Chicken Enchiladas.

This is an unconventional approach to a recipe post ... and I hope that's ok. But if you know what you're doing, then you know what you're doing ... you know?

It all comes down to browning and roasting chicken, then cooking together mushrooms and onions, making a béchamel with cooked chicken, roasted fresh green chile and garlic. Layer it all in a casserole, starting with lightly toasted or fried corn tortillas along with good quality sharp cheese and more raw onion. Build it just like you would a lasagna. Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is browned. I like to garnish or present with a red chile sauce my mother sends me from El Parasol in Santa Fe. The only real secret is using the best quality roasted and peeled green chile ... the kind only New Mexico can grow.

Enjoy.

Chicken Brunswick Stew

The crockpot is officially out for the season. This stew is one of my favorites for its distinctively tangy flavor, and the option of more or less spicy heat that's added with hot pepper sauce.

Add greens and cornbread on the side and you've got a seriously scrumptious meal!

What's in it:

5 cups chopped onion

6 (6 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 (14.5 oz.) cans no-salt added cream-style corn

2 (14.5 oz.) cans no-salt added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14 oz.) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (12 oz.) bottle chili sauce

1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. cider vinegar

2 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black peper

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

How to make it:

1. Place onion in crockpot and top with chicken. Add all ingredients and stir well. If you tend to shy away from spicy heat, leave out the hot pepper sauce, and bring the bottle to the table so you can add to "suit your taste" once stew is served.

The hot pepper sauce should be the kind that has whole peppers packed in vinegar:

2. Cover and cook on high 1 hour, and reduce to low for 6 hours, or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks, return to stew.

Serves: 9

I tend to freeze a portion for later use since this makes such a large batch.

Note on the "bottle of chili sauce": Instead of using store-bought, it's possible to make your own chili sauce to use in this recipe. Chili sauce usually involves tomato sauce, vinegar, all-spice, and sugar. But if you start doing research, you'll notice there are a variety of ways to make it. If I'm in a time crunch, sometimes I just combine salsa with green chili sauce, or whatever else is in the fridge, instead.

I used tomatoes out of the garden instead of canned ones for this round, which gives it an even fresher taste.

*Warning: the smell of this dish cooking fills the entire house and wafts out into the yard all day. Might cause symptoms of drooling or impatience for the chicken to just get cooked already.

Side-note from the recipe book:

Controversy surrounds the folklore of this dish: Some say it was created in Brunswick County, Virginia, in 1828; others insist its origin is Brunswick, Georgia. Virginians usually add butter beans to the mix, which is something Georgians would never do when cooking their barbecue-based stew. Regardless, this spicy stew of chicken, onions, corn, and tomatoes usually has to be tended for hours over a hot stove. This slow-cooker version takes care of itself.

Source: Cooking Light Slow Cooker © 2006 by Oxmoor House, Inc.

Chicken Sauté with Lemon, Cumin, and Parsley

What's in it:
1 medium lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium clove garlic, smashed and peeled
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs/breasts, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt + pepper

How to make it:
1. Finely grate 1 tsp zest from the lemon and then juice the lemon.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook + stir until onion softens, about 3-5 mins.
3. Add the chicken, lemon zest, cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir until the chicken is just cooked through, about 4-6 mins.
4. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in parsley and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Season to taste with salt + pepper.
Serves: 2 to 3.

Suggestion: Serve over baby spinach with crusty bread on the side.