Healthy Mexican Chicken Salad

Even though this dish may look like a big mish-mosh, looks can be deceiving, and I want to tell you that it's actually quite delicious.  Just something I made up out of ingredients I had on hand, it's a Mexican style chicken salad, with roasted chicken, tomatillo sauce, garlic, fresh greens and cheese on top.  Being an extremely low maintenance dish, it'll take you under an hour to prepare and it keeps well for leftovers for the next day or two.  You can put it in a sandwich too!

Healthy Mexican Chicken Salad (serves 2)

Ingredients:
3-4 pieces of chicken thighs
Mixed greens or baby arugula or spinach
1 head of garlic
3-4 thin pieces of fresh mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of tomatillo sauce (I use Trader Joe's brand)
Olive oil
Good quality balsamic vinaigrette
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken in a lightly oiled baking dish (I use ceramic) and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with tomatillo sauce and bake for about 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Add the cheese at the last 5 minutes of baking, just to melt it.  In addition to the chicken, prepare the garlic, for roasting by slicing the top off the garlic, covering it with a modest amount of olive oil, salt and pepper and then wrap it in aluminum foil.  Bake together with the chicken.

Let the chicken cool slightly and then place on the bed of greens.  Do the same with the garlic and then lightly coat the salad with a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.

Fooditka's Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

I'm always curious to experiment with different salad combinations and pairing together ingredients with juxtaposing textures.  The salad I will tell you about here is a prime example of that, as it marries warm, cooked ingredients with chilled, raw ones.  The salad was a big hit and didn't need much of a dressing, except a few drops of truffle oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and pepper.  Some lemon juice would do just fine too, or maybe even some honey.  Feel free to improvise and use your imagination.

Fooditka's Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

Ingredients (serves 3)

1 package of baby arugula
2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves
Small butternut squash, cleaned, seeded and cut into 1/4" pieces
1/4 pound of burrata mozzarella cheese, teared into 1/4" rustic chunks
1/2 anjou pear, cubed
Handful of dried cranberries
Large handful of pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss butternut squash in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 50 minutes (or until golden brown), taking it out and turning the squash 1/2 way in between.  Let cool for 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the remainder of the ingredients by placing in individual bowls. I'd recommend not putting it into a large bowl, to avoid the greens getting soggy.  Top with the roasted butternut squash and a sprinkling of truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil and additional salt and pepper if needed.

Foodista's Inside Scoop with Cookbook Author, Tracey Medeiros

I'd like to introduce a new Foodista content feature called Foodista's Inside Scoop.  My goal here will be to get up close and personal with interesting food experts such as restaurant owners, chefs, cookbook authors, and other foodie authorita.  My first profile is of Tracey Medeiros, passionate cook, food writer, recipe developer and tester, and author of the wonderful cookbook (which I use frequently), Dishing Up Vermont.

You might remember me mentioning Tracey's cookbook from a previous giveway I did with her in honor of an event she hosted at NY's legendary, Murray's Cheese Shop.  Since then, I've also put her cookbook to the test for a fun Father's Day treat, with her Apple Crumb Pie with Creme Fraiche. It was deeelicious and a huge hit with my family.

So when I had the opportunity to meet up with Tracey last week for a one-on-one interview, I was thrilled.  Arranging to meet at the Union Square Greenmarket, where Tracey conducted a live food demo and book signing, I got to ask her a couple of questions about her book, including tips for novice cooks as well as her personal advice for navigating the sometimes intimidating world of the urban farmer's market.  Here's a link to the video - enjoy!

After our interview, I hung around to observe the food demo, where Tracey made a delicious Spinach Salad with Basil Maple Vinaigrette, using local ingredients from the Farmer's Market.  In addition to having the pleasure of watching Tracey do her thing, I was delighted to run into Margot (pictured above) from White Hot Oven, who assisted Tracey with food prep.  The two seemed like a great team!

I was delighted to observe the melding of wonderful flavors in this dish (including strips of smokey bacon) and once everything was incorporated, it created a tasty, filling salad with fresh, summer flavors.  Here's the recipe, courtesy of Tracey.

Spinach Salad with Basil Maple Vinaigrette

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1/2 cup of basil leaves, coarsely chopped
2 tbs onion, minced
2 tbs chicken stock (available Wed/Sat at the Union Square Greenmarket)
4 tbs vinegar
1 tbs dijon or yellow mustard
2 tbs pure maple syrup
Sea salt to taste
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 spinach bunches (10-12 oz each) washed, dried, stemmed, and torn into bite sized pieces
2 cups of cherry tomatoes, or to taste, halved
4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 1/4 cup)

Directions:
Make the vinaigrette: combine the basil, onion, stock, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup and salt in a food processor or blender, mixing well.

Continue to process, and slowly add the oil a little at a time until all the oil is used and fully incorporated.  The dressing should have a smooth and satiny texture.

Toss the spinach, tomatoes and bacon bits in a large salad bowl.  Add the dressing a 1/4 cup at a time, gently tossing until you have reached desired taste.  Divide salad among chilled salad plates or bowls, and serve.

Relishing in Fresh Veggies from the Brooklyn Grange

A couple of weeks back, I mentioned a new CSA that was coming to Astoria, which is a collaboration between Vesta and The Brooklyn Grange Farm.  The offer sounded so enticing, that I decided to join so I can enjoy the fruits (or should I say veggies) of the farm's labor.  

I went over to Vesta on Saturday during lunch-time, as the CSA pick-up hours are between 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.  It was exciting to see that a colorful vegetable stand took over the outside of the restaurant, where you could not only pick up your CSA veggies, but also buy them on the spot if you're not a CSA member. 

They had several varieties of fresh, seasonal produce such as gorgeous purple radishes, little bulbous carrots that were perfect for a single bite, deep-crimson beets, zucchini blossoms (awesome for stuffing and/or frying), fresh lettuce, kale and so much more.  Farmer Ben Flanner was on-hand to help out and answer any questions from customers.  He's extremely knowledgeable about produce, as he oversees the entire Brooklyn Grange operation along with his partners.

The farm-stand was quite busy throughout the day, and as I received my leafy, colorful goods, I couldn't wait to get home and make a fresh salad. I went right to it and this is what I came up with:

Foodista's Brooklyn Grange Salad:

Ingredients (serves 2)
2 very generous handfuls of mixed lettuce leaves
2 bulbous carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch sections
2 large purple radishes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
A small bunch of basil, chopped (or ripped)
3 pieces of Milanese salami, rolled up and julienned into 1 inch pieces (optional)

Directions:
Toss all ingredients gently in a large salad bowl.  Dress with my signature dressing.

I can't wait to see what the next CSA delivery brings - I'll surely report back with more tales of veggies and a recipe too. 

Check out the Brooklyn Grange farm stand at Vesta on Saturdays from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Vesta - 21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11102
718.545.5550
N/W Train to 30th Avenue
www.vestavino.com

Back to Cooking - Baked Cherry Chicken

After being on vacation for two weeks, it was hard to get back into cooking, but I'm glad to have it back in my life.  Eating out is fun, but there's nothing like making your food, and knowing that you're eating well and healthy at the same time.

The below recipe for baked cherry chicken coulndn't be simpler, and the beauty of it is that you can use different substitutes for the veggies or dried fruit.  It's a relatively quick dish too that's great for weeknight cooking--preparation and cooking time taking about an hour.  I hope that you enjoy it and that it inspires you to cook healthier and lighter.

Foodista's Baked Cherry Chicken (serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 lb of chicken tenders (white chicken breasts)

2 tbs of olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp of honey
1 tsp of grain mustard
1/3 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
Small handful of dried cherries, cut in half

Small handful of sliced almonds

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare baking sheet and line with aluminum foil, and then gently grease with olive oil (about 1 tbs or less - just lightly brush the surface).

Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper.  Make marinade by mixing together the remainder of the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, grain mustard, honey and salt and pepper.  Whisk until combined thoroughly. 

Place seasoned chicken tenders in a wide, shallow bowl and pour marinade over it.  Let rest for about 20-30 minutes. Take chicken out of marinade with tongs and place it on prepared baking sheet - leave excess marinade in the bowl and discard.

In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with a small glug of olive oil, salt, pepper, cherries and sliced almonds and mix together with your fingers until incorporated.  Top chicken with breadcrumbs, place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

While the chicken is baking, make a side dish such as a mixed salad or cous cous with vegetables. Enjoy!