Apricot Chicken Salad with Blanched Almonds (GF, dairy free)

Chicken salad... the thought of it used to make me gag.  (Please excuse my colorful language and the uncouth picture I just placed in your mind. Ahem.)  Bear with me, I'm Italian and chicken salad dripping in mayo wasn't exactly something I grew up eating. (Although my Aunt Nettie made a killer chicken salad made with olive oil, fresh garlic and roasted red peppers....now THAT'S my kinda chicken salad!)

After living in the South (say-yowth) so long, I've come to enjoy a cracker chicken salad (oops, there I go with colorful phrases again, excuse me), as long as it's not soggy with mayo. 

I love this dish served in a ripe, hollowed out tomato, or scooped on top of a big salad.  It's easy to throw together and makes a nice lunch or light supper.

Let me know what you think of it!

Apricot Chicken Salad with Blanched Almonds (GF, dairy free) 

Ingredients:

5 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 stalks celery, diced

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

1 cup unsulfured dried apricots, diced

3/4 cup blanched slivered almonds

scallions (optional)

For Dressing:

3/4 cup Soy Free Vegenaise (it's egg free and gluten free too)

1 tablespoon dijon or course grain mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

Toast slivered almonds in a preheated 300F oven until fragrant and golden brown.  Set aside to cool.  In a large bowl, toss first five ingredients together (including toasted almonds).  

In a smaller bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.  Pour over chicken mixture and mix well. 

Top with scallions if desired. 

Salsa

Salsa is delicious and sooooo easy to make!  I thought my days of salsa were over, since tortilla chips are no longer a part of our diet.  (It's ok, I've pulled through.)

Who needs tortilla chips to eat salsa?  (Don't answer that.)  It's actually great by itself, in place of or on top of salad and served atop carnitas.  Our friends from Puerto Rico serve their salsa with cooked shrimp tossed right in - which reminds me...I need to make that! 

Salsa 

Ingredients:
6-8 ripe plum tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2-3 tablespoons diced red onion
2 small cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 capful of white vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large lemon, juiced
sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Slice plum tomatoes in half lengthwise.  Cut out seeds.  Dice tomatoes and toss into a medium bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Taste.  Adjust seasoning.

Carrot Beet Salad with Dates and Toasted Pecans

If you knew what was happening in my life right now, you'd wonder why I was blogging...Sometimes you just have to employ yourself.  

My husband and I have been trying to add to our family via adoption and started this process five years ago.  We signed with a local adoption attorney a couple of months ago, and just found out that we were "picked" by a birth mother.  Oh!  And by the way - she's due in three weeks.

So, I've been a little busy nesting, (deep cleaning, preparing food for the freezer, sewing and BUYING BABY STUFF).  Yippee!

Well, three weeks have flown by and we're in the waiting room now (been here 4 1/2 hours) and hoping to meet our new little girl soon.  There have been tears, prayers and comfort knowing that so many are praying for us and all of the surrounding circumstances.

So, how do you transition from meeting a new little person who is a gift from God and will change your life forever to Carrot Beet Salad with Dates and Toasted Pecans?

I have no idea.  I'm losing my mind.  But, I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Carrot Beet Salad with Dates & Toasted Pecans

Ingredients:
4 large carrots, peeled and shredded
2 small beets, peeled and shredded
2 small golden beets, peeled and shredded
6 dates, pitted and chopped
pecans, toasted and chopped  

Dressing:
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
pinch of:
  garlic powder
  onion powder 
  salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

Instructions:

Toss shredded carrots, red beets and golden beets into bowl.  (I use food processor to shred carrots and beets.)

Meanwhile, if your dates are not soft, soak them in warm water for a few minutes.  Once soft, carefully slice in half, remove pit (if not already pitted) and chop into small pieces.  Add to carrots and beets.

To make the dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar with Dijon mustard and spices.  While whisking, slowly add olive oil in steady stream.  This will allow oil to incorporate evenly. 

Toss carrots, beets and dates with dressing.  Serve with toasted pecans on top.  

Note:  This salad is pretty sweet.  The chopped pecans help to cut the sweetness.  If it's too sweet for your taste buds, eliminate the dates.

Tabouleh (grain free, gluten free)

I'm not sure how much of an expert an Italian can be on Tabouleh, but I CAN say I love this stuff!  It's light and refreshing and even tastes good along side a mound dollop of White Bean Hummus.  I adore Middle Eastern food.  Actually, I enjoy a variety of ethnic foods.  OK, I just enjoy food.

You probably know that Tabouleh is made with bulgur wheat, which, of course, is a grain not allowed in my big fat grain free life.   

Just when despair had set in, I found a recipe in my new, amazing cookbook, Eat Well, Feel Well by Kendall Conrad for Tabouleh without bulgur.  She actually explains a brilliant technique of pulsing zucchini in a food processor until it resembles tiny grains of bulgur wheat.  Fantastic.

Kendall's Eat Well, Feel Well cookbook contains over 150 mouth-watering recipes that are all SCD compliant.  It has given me hope that a restricted diet doesn't have to restrict our taste buds.  The book has received rave reviews - even from one of my favorite "Italians" Giada.

Here is my "interpretation" of Kendall's Tabouleh recipe.

Tabouleh (grain free, gluten free)

Ingredients:

2 bunches of curly parsley, washed and trimmed of stems

4 scallions, chopped (green and white parts)

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped

6-8 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 zucchini

juice of 1 lemon

olive oil

sea salt & pepper to taste 

Instructions:

Spin parsley in salad spinner to remove excess water.  By hand, finely chop parsley.  (Not my preference to use a food processor here.  It can turn the parsley to mush.)  Put parsley, scallions, cucumbers and tomatoes in a large mixing bowl.

Trim ends of zucchini.  Cut into large chunks.  In food processor fitted with blade, add zucchini and pulse until it resembles fine grains.  Add to mixing bowl and toss.

Add fresh lemon juice and olive oil to taste, coating well.  Add salt and pepper; taste and adjust seasoning.  Cover tabouleh and marinate in fridge for at least an hour. 

White Bean Mango Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

I’m a salad person - not the kind of salad person that asks for dressing on the side, mind you.  As much as I love a fresh, healthy salad, what’s a salad without DRESSING? 

My mom is the salad maker extraordinaire.  All of my friends that have had the privilege of eating Mom’s salad comment on it with head thrown back and eyes closed.  Something like, “OHHHHHHHH – your MOM’s salad!!!”  

At about three years old, my daughter actually picked up her empty salad bowl and drank up what remained of the olive oil and vinegar.  Right there in front of everyone. 

Some have even had the gall to say (including my husband) “Why can’t YOU make salad like this?”  And, as if that’s not enough, “I mean I JUST CAN’T GET OVER HOW YOU CAN’T MAKE SALAD LIKE YOUR MOM”.

True story and I’m not bitter.

Well, I can admit defeat.  I don’t even try to make Mom’s salad anymore.  I have consented to - and actually enjoy - making “other” salads instead.  (Mom likes them too.) 

BUT - when my mom and step-dad come over for dinner, the answer to “What can I bring?” is always the same.  

“SALAD!”

White Bean Mango Salad with Honey Lime Dressing:

Ingredients:

 2 cups cooked navy beans (see note below)

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 ripe mango, diced

2-4 tablespoons red onion, diced (I lean toward the 4)

handful of fresh cilantro, diced

1 ripe Haas avocado, diced

For Dressing:

1 lime, juiced

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

 sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Make dressing by squeezing the lime juice into a small bowl.  Whisk in honey.  Then, while whisking lime honey mixture, slowly pour olive oil in a thin stream.  Continue mixing to emulsify. 

Toss salad ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Pour dressing over and toss again.  Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Serve on bed of spinach or lettuce.

NOTE:  To cook navy beans, soak 1 1/2 cups dried beans in water overnight.  Drain beans and place in saucepan.  Fill pot with water an inch or two above beans.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low.  Keep simmering for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are soft.  Drain.  At this point, I usually refrigerate them to use in a salad the next day.  It will probably yield more than the 2 cups in this recipe, but I either make extra salad, make hummus or throw in soups.