Asian Noodle Salad with Ginger Dressing

Asian Noodle Salad with Ginger Dressing/Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

I needed a potluck salad last week and found this delicious recipe ~ it caught my eye because of the mango. I just so happened to have a couple fruits ripening on the counter. The chicken was my addition, because the original didn't seem quite hearty enough. With the protein, this can be a main dish salad, perfect for packed lunches or a summertime dinner on the porch.

Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken and Mango and Ginger Dressing

Vinaigrette

6 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon minced jalapeno

1 garlic clove, chopped

Salad

½ pound whole wheat spaghetti, broken in half, and cooked according to package directions

1 cup chopped, cooked chicken breast

½ cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced ½ inch

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 firm but ripe mango, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

Cilantro, minced, used as a garnish, if desired

1.       Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until combined.

2.       For salad, place cooked, drained spaghetti noodles in a large bowl, add chicken, cucumber, scallions, mango and carrot. Gently toss with vinaigrette and garnish with cilantro, if using. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook.

Text and images, copyright 2014, Lucy Mercer.

Chopsticks, #LetsLunch

Chinese Chicken Salad. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

"The place I like best in this world is the kitchen. No matter where it is, no matter what kind,

 if it's a kitchen, if it's a place where they make food, it's fine with me." 

~ Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen (Pocket Books, 1988)

I've been explaining myself a lot lately, which means making excuses. When readers and followers ask why I haven't posted much lately, I pull out the usual ~ my kids are keeping me busy, work is crazy, I'm drowning in my house. But the truth is, it's been easy not to write. I'm going back to what I loved to do before I became a slave to the blog ~ enjoying cooking, perusing cookbooks, reading novels. Cleaning the spiderwebs out of the corners of my house, thinking about planting a garden. Calling friends. Planning playdates.

More truth ~ I love reading blogs as much (or maybe more) than I enjoy writing my stories. Of course, I'm reminded of Hemingway's famous quote about writing: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."  

Over the past several years, while my passport sits unused in the safe deposit box, I've traveled all over the world through the words of my blogging friends. I've followed life stories ~ found out what it was like to grow up in New England, California, Texas, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico. Many of the life stories are stories of Asia, growing up overseas, or in the U.S. as children of immigrants. 

And this is where I step to the side and with my very best Vanna hands reveal that May is Asian-Pacific Heritage Month and my friends at #LetsLunch have many fabulous stories to tell and recipes to share on the theme of Asian foods. (See links at the bottom of the page.)

As for me, I finally got around to making this streamlined version of Fine Cooking's Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad. It's got the sweet-heat-sour-salty thing going on, plus the reason I love salads ~ crunch upon crunch upon crunch. I hope you give it a try.

Crunchy Chinese chicken salad. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books.

Chinese Chicken Salad
adapted from Fine Cooking magazine

This is a streamlined version of a delicious salad found in Fine Cooking Magazine. The dressing is key.

2 bone-in chicken breasts, roasted, meat removed and chopped
2/3 cup sliced almonds
2 oz. sugar snap or snow peas, steamed
1/2 small head Napa cabbage, shredded AND
1/2 romaine heart, sliced into 1/2 inch wide strips OR packaged cole slaw mix
3 large scallions, white only, thinly sliced
Wonton strips, recipe follows
Dressing, recipe follows

Wonton strips
8 square wonton wrappers
Vegetable oil spray
Salt, preferably fine grained, like popcorn salt

1. Stack wonton wrappers and slice into 6 equal strips. Spray with vegetable oil and toss gently. Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 6 minutes, watch carefully or they will burn. (I used a toaster oven for this!).

Dressing
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet Asian chile sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 1. In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, chile sauce, garlic and ginger. Pour in the sesame oil and peanut oil and whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Assemble salads

Toss chicken with about 1/4 cup dressing. For each salad, start with a bed of greens or cole slaw mix, then top with chicken, almonds, snow peas and cripsy wonton strips.

This post is part of #LetsLunch, a monthly Twitter party. This month's theme is Asian Foods, to celebrate Asian-Pacific Heritage Month. check back here for an updated listing of this month's participating bloggers.


Cheryl’s Spicy Korean Tofu at A Tiger in the Kitchen
Karen’s Wonton Soup at GeoFooding
Lucy’s Chinese Chicken Salad at A Cook and Her Books
Emma’s quick and dirty guide to Korean BBQ at Dreaming of Pots and Pans
Lisa’s Asian Sesame, Eggplant and Noodle Salad at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps with Kimchi Chips and Fried Rice at Sandwich Surprise
Grace’s Mama’s Tips for Stir Fry at Hapa Mama

Text and images copyright 2013, Lucy Mercer.

Try a new apple

Pinata apples. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

 Sometimes apples are the star of the show - think apple pie, apple cake, applesauce, and apple dumplings. So many dishes revolve around the excellence of the apple, it's easy to forget what an accommodating supporting player a crisp and sweet apple can be.

Recently, Stemilt Growers of Wenatchee, Washington, sent me a sample of a new apple variety called Pinata. The red and yellow fruit is a cross between two European favorites, Cox's Orange Pippin and Duchess of Oldenburg, and an American tried-and-true, the Golden Delicious. Pinata is a high-sugar, high-acid, versatile apple, suited for eating out of hand (although I would peel the slightly thick skin first) and like its ancestor the Golden Delicious, ideal for cooking.

Pinata apples will be available in stores from right about now through April. While looking for ways to  highlight the versatility of the Pinata apple, I remembered how good apples are in a supporting role, lending sweet notes and crispiness to a salad or mellow flavors and textures to a braised dish. The first recipe I made was inspired by a new cookbook that happened to arrive the same day as the apples - "Welcome to Claire's" by Claire Criscuolo (Lyons Press, 2012). It's a vegetarian cookbook packed with great ideas for fresh produce. I adapted a recipe for "Connecticut Cole Slaw" to ingredients I had on hand - the cabbage, the apples, dried cranberries and pecans. The slaw is delicious and light, just right for light lunch or as a side dish to a sturdier meal.

Cabbage, apple, pecan and cranberry slaw. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Slaw with cabbage, apple, pecans and dried cranberries
adapted from "Welcome to Claire's" by Claire Criscuolo (Lyons Press, 2012)

1/2 head green cabbage, coarsely shredded
1 medium crisp and sweet apple, such as Pinata
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey (to make this a vegan dish, use agave nectar)
Salt and pepper


1. In a medium bowl, place cabbage. Peel apple and slice into 1/4-inch matchsticks. Add cranberries and pecans.


2. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, olive oil and honey. Pour dressing over slaw ingredients and toss together. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in covered container in refrigerator.
 

The warm version of cabbage and apples is this braised dish, adapted from David Tanis' excellent cookbook "Heart of the Artichoke" (Artisan Books, 2010). The apple is peeled and cooked with cabbage and onions, melting into tender savoriness.

Braised cabbage and apples with pecans. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Braised Cabbage with Apple and Pecans

adapted from "Heart of the Artichoke" by David Tanis (Artisan Books, 2010)

1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
 1/2 head green cabbage, sliced into 1/2" ribbons
1 crisp and sweet apple such as Pinata, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup low-salt chicken or vegetable broth, homemade preferred
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add the onions and salt and pepper and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.Add the sugar and vinegar and stir. Add the apple chunks.

2. Add the cabbage gradually, gently salting with each addition. Add the broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover the pan and let cook for about 30 minutes, checking regularly. Dish is ready when cabbage and apples are tender and flavorful. When ready to serve, garnish with toasted pecans.

Text and images copyright 2012, Lucy Mercer. 


Thanks to Stemilt Growers for the sample of apples. My kids got a kick out of the package - a double nest for the fruit:

Pinata apples in their nest. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books.

(Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I received no compensation other than a sample of two Pinata apples from Stemilt Growers.)

For more recipes that use apples, check out these stories:

French thin-crust apple tart
Classic apple dumplings
Short-cut apple dumplings
Apple Crisp
Apple Blondie, aka German Apple Cake

Three more recipes that use apples:

Morning Glory Muffins
Mulligatawny
Kid-friendly sushi


Text and images copyright 2012, Lucy Mercer.

Let there be peas on earth, and let it begin with me

Dried black eyed peas. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

On Jan. 1, New Year's tradition holds to eat greens or cabbage for wealth and black-eyed peas for good luck. I don't mind the greens, but, honestly, black-eyed peas boiled with pork taste just like dirt boiled with pork. A few years ago, I discovered Black-Eyed Peas Vinaigrette in Craig Claiborne's Southern Cooking (I love the cover of Craig in his high-waisted trousers by a bountiful outdoors buffet). It is more refined than the usual boiled peas and a fine change-up for the New Year's Day menu.

Black-Eyed Peas Vinaigrette

1 lb. dried black-eyed peas

8 cups water

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 onion stuck with two cloves

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp dried thyme

4 sprigs parsley

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

2 tbsp finely chopped shallots

1 tsp finely minced garlic

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

2/3 cup olive oil

1. Rinse and pick over the peas and place in a kettle. Add the water, salt, pepper, and onion stuck with cloves. Tie the garlic clove, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley sprigs in a cheesecloth bag, and add it. Bring to the boil and simmer until the peas are tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Remove the onion and cheesecloth bag. Drain the peas.

3. Put the peas in a mixing bowl. Add the chopped onion, shallots, minced garlic, chopped parsley, vinegar, and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to blend well. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature (my preference).

Text and images copyright 2008. Lucy Mercer

Think pink...and green for the Salad that Men Love

Green salad with raspberries, toasted pecans, Vermont cheddar, raspberries and raspberry vinaigrette.
Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

I'm thinking pink and green this month, for women's health and for the men in our lives. For California Giant Berries' Think Pink promotion for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I created a salad using healthful, anti-oxidant- rich pink raspberries, those plump nuggets of Vitamin C; red and green leaf lettuce; toasted pecans and Vermont cheddar cheese, dressed with a divine raspberry vinaigrette.

This is a riff on a recipe given to me by my friend Lynn, who brought the salad to me when my daughter was born. I couldn't get enough of it; my husband devoured it. I've made it for family gatherings since and the men always like it. That's right. Men. Liking Salad.

My husband says its magic has to do with the sweet and tart salad dressing. I think it has to do with all the goodies in it - you can hardly go wrong with fresh berries, creamy cheese and toasty, rich nuts sprinkled over crisp greens.

The keys to this salad are fresh raspberries and the dressing - it makes a lot, so just put the remainder in a screwtop jar in the fridge - it keeps for several weeks.

Pink and Green Salad
(Green Salad with Raspberries, Toasted Pecans,
 Vermont Cheddar and Raspberry Vinaigrette)

1 bunch green leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

1 bunch red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

8 ounces Vermont cheddar, shredded

1 cup pecans, toasted in a closely watched skillet for five minutes

1 pint fresh raspberries


Dressing:

1 bunch green onions, cleaned and trimmed, cut into 2-inch lengths

2 tablespoons raspberry preserves (such as Polaner's)

1/2 cup raspberry vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. In a food processor, mince onion with sugar. Add preserves, vinegar, salt, and mustard, and process. Slowly add oil and process until emulsified.

2. In a bowl or on individual plates, arrange greens, raspberries and pecans. Drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette and shredded cheese.

To make it kid-friendly, I just spread out the accessories - cheese, nuts, and berries and give the girls small bowls of the raspberry vinaigrette and let them dip. As my six year old says, "Raspberry vinaigrette? That sounds like vinegar for girls."

"Like" California Giant's Facebook page to help spread the word about Breast Cancer Awareness.

And if you haven't made the appointment for your annual visit and mammogram, pick up the phone and do it right now. There are a lot of people counting on you to stay healthy!

(Guys, of course, are excused from this particular plea, but please encourage the women in your lives to take care of themselves. Make the appointment and drive her there, if you have to. Buy her lunch and bring her flowers. It's that important.) 

Raspberries. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Disclosure: I have not been compensated for this post. It is an entry in a contest sponsored by California Giant. If my post is chosen as the winner, then a $100 donation will be made on behalf of my blog to the National Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Awesome!


Text and images copyright 2011, Lucy Mercer.