Coconut-lime noodle salad

This is a really light & cooling quick weeknight dinner salad for these last hot summer evenings.  The coconut-lime dressing is super mild.  It's not all crazy coconut-y, and my non-coconut-loving son gobbled this dish up.

I used glass noodles in this recipe which go by many names...bean thread noodles, cellophane noodles, mung bean noodles.  They are really easy to work with and are gluten-free for those of you avoiding gluten or eating a paleo diet. Omit the chicken and add some tofu for a great veggie dish!

Serves 6

Dressing:
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 t. fish sauce
1 T. brown sugar
salt & pepper

5 oz. glass noodles (aka mung bean noodles)
1 red bell pepper - thinly sliced
4 c. Napa (aka Chinese) cabbage - thinly sliced
1/4 c. roughly chopped mint leaves
1/4 roughly chopped cilantro
1 rotisserie chicken - shredded & cooled (about 4 cups)

toasted sesame seeds
garlic-chili sauce (optional)

To make dressing, combine coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar in a small bowl and whisk until sugar dissolves.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

Cook noodles according to directions on package.  Drain and rinse well in cold water.  Allow noodles to drain for a few minutes so they are not too wet.

In a large bowl, combine noodles, bell pepper, cabbage, mint, cilantro and chicken. Toss with dressing.  Garnish generously with toasted sesame seeds and spoonful of garlic chili sauce, if desired.

Butter lettuce salad with chicken, pickled currants, feta and croutons

Who doesn't love a big salad for dinner in the summer?  Big salads are one of may favorite thangs - you feel good about eating them and there are endless combinations of deliciousness.

This one is a keeper of a recipe - it's completely dinner-time satisfying with the grilled chicken and homemade croutons (I mean...homemade croutons make everything pretty amazing) and has a nice, tangy zing with the pickled currants & feta.  And I highly recommend the homemade dressing.  It takes literally minutes to make and takes your salads to a whole, new level (this one goes on ANY salad you give it).

Stay cool out there, people!!

Serves 4

pickled currants:
1/2 c. water
1 T. sugar
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1/2 c. dried currants

dressing:
1 medium shallot - minced
2 t. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
pinch of kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
1/4 c. olive oil

homemade croutons:
1/2 pound firm bread - ripped into 1-1 1/2 in pieces (about 6 cups)
3 T. olive oil
fleur de sel

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T. olive oil
2 t. dried herbs de Provence
kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

1 head butter lettuce - torn into bite size pieces
2 handfuls arugula
1/2 c. crumbled sheep’s milk feta
1/2 c. basil leaves, roughly torn

Combine water, sugar, white wine vinegar & dried currants in a small pan.  Bring to a boil.  Turn heat to low and simmer 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and allow currants to cool to room temperature in their liquid.  Drain liquid before serving.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Toss bread with olive oil and place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Sprinkle lightly with flour de sel.  Bake about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until crisp & browned.  Remove and let cool.

Combine shallot, Dijon, white wine vinegar and salt & pepper in a small bowl.  Wisk to combine. Add olive oil in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly, until combined.

Preheat grill for 10 minutes on medium-high heat.  Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally to create two thinner pieces (these cook quicker and more evenly and won’t dry out).  Coat the 4 chicken pieces with olive oil.  Season with salt & pepper and herbs de Provence.  

Grill chicken until just cooked through and an instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees - about 3 minutes per side (they cook really fast when they are this thin!).  Remove from grill, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.  Dice chicken.
 
In a large bowl, combine butter lettuce, arugula, pickled currants, croutons, feta, basil and diced chicken.  Toss with dressing and serve.

Mango chicken curry lettuce wraps

This is a cool & refreshing warm weather recipe that comes together in minutes. It's crunchy meets creamy meets sweet meets spicy...kinda covering all the bases with this one.

This recipe a great light main course or a cute starter to serve if you are entertaining.  And who doesn't like eating with their hands when given the chance?

serves 6

3/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
2 T. lime juice
1 t. yellow curry powder
1 T. mango chutney
1 chopped green onion - white & green
2 T. chopped mint
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
kosher salt & pepper

1 rotisserie chicken - cooled, shredded & chilled (about 4 cups)
1 mango, peeled & diced - about 1 cup

2 Persian cucumbers - diced
1 head Bibb lettuce
1/4 c. roasted, salted sunflower seeds without shells
Sriracha hot sauce (optional), to taste

In a large bowl, mix together yogurt, lime juice, curry powder, chutney, green onion, mint & cilantro.  Stir to combine & season with salt & pepper to taste.

Fold chilled chicken and diced mango into the dressing and stir until evenly coated.  Spoon chicken-mango mixture into separated lettuce leaves, like a taco.  Top with diced cucumber, a sprinkle of sunflower seeds & a drizzle of Sriracha.

Vietnamese noodle salad

 

The crazy, confusing summer-like temperatures here in LA have had me craving lighter foods like this flavorful Asian noodle salad.  

This dish is also great option for those of us who are still on our New Year's clean-eating kick...it's packed with veggies & lean protein, and the dressing has very little oil but is still full-o-flava (you could use this sauce so many ways - it's delish).

This one is a keeper for any time of year - hope you give it a try!

Serves 4

Dressing
1/3 c. lime juice
2 T. water
3 T. sugar
2 T. fish sauce
1 clove garlic - minced
1 t. lemongrass - tough outer leaves discarded, minced (about one stalk)
1 T. chili-garlic sauce
2 T. vegetable oil

8 oz. Pad Thai style rice noodles
1/2 c. chopped cucumber
2 green onions - white & green parts chopped
1/2 c. chopped red pepper
2 T. each - chopped basil, chopped mint, chopped cilantro
3 c. baby lettuce
3 c. cooked chicken, shredded (about 1 rotisserie chicken)
1/2 c. roasted, salted peanuts - chopped

For dressing, combine lime juice, water and sugar in a bowl.  Whisk until sugar is dissolved.  Add remaining ingredients and whisk well.

Cook rice noodles according to directions on the package.  Drain and rinse thoroughly under cold water.  When drained and cool pour 1/3 of the dressing over the noodles and toss to combine.

In a separate bowl, toss shredded chicken with 1/3 of the dressing.

In large bowl, combine cucumber, green onion, red pepper, herbs and lettuce.  Toss with remaining dressing.  Add noodles and chicken to veggies and toss it again!

Garnish with chopped peanuts.  Yum!!!!!

Click HERE or on the video screen below for the step-by-step recipe video brought to you by Kin Community & yours truly: