Asian Chicken Salad with Homemade Peanut Dressing

Lately I've been craving (and therefore consuming) Asian food like nobody's business. I've always liked Asian food, but lately it seems I just can't get enough of it! So when I spotted this recipe on Pinch of Yum, it didn't sit on my "must make" list for long before graduating to my "have tried" list.

I more or less followed the recipe, except had to come up with some creative substitutions for Chinese five spice seasoning in the chicken marinade and hoisin sauce in the dressing. I also left out the edamame that she called for because the texture and taste of edamame don't sit quite right with me. But if you like edamame, then by all means add some in!

This salad was great on its own as a full meal as well as in smaller servings as a side dish. It was pretty filling with the seeds and nuts, chicken, and healthy fats in the dressing. When I packed some to take for lunch on a work day, I put a helping of the chicken and veggies in a Tupperware, nestled an itty bitty Tupperware container of dressing inside, and laid a small baggie of the nuts and Ramen on top. Right before eating I just tossed it all together, so everything was nice and crunchy and tasty.


Asian Chicken Salad

Adapted from Pinch of Yum
Yield: 2-3 servings, depending on if it's your whole meal or just a side dish.

Ingredients
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Chinese five spice seasoning (Pinch of Yum substituted part Garam Masala and part Cajun seasoning; I substituted about 1/2 Tbsp. Garam Masala, 1/4 tsp. cumin, and shots of cinnamon, ground ginger, and black pepper)
1 chicken breast
1/8 cup chopped green onions
1 to 1-1/2 cups slaw or shredded lettuce (I used broccoli slaw)
1 cup shredded carrots
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup slivered almonds

1 cup crumbled up dry Ramen noodles (or chow mein noodles)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Asian dressing of choice (recipe below for peanut dressing)

Directions

In a quart-sized plastic zip bag, combine the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and seasoning. Add the chicken and marinate for 1 hour. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken in the sauce, covered, for 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through. (Or bake chicken in the sauce at 400 degrees, for about 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through.) Allow the chicken to cool, then shred or chop.

Build the salad by tossing together the green onions, slaw/lettuce, carrots, cilantro, and shredded chicken. Right before serving, add in the almonds, Ramen noodles, sunflower seeds, and dressing.

Homemade Peanut Dressing

This recipe will likely make about twice as much as you need for the Asian Chicken Salad recipe above; it all depends on how heavily you dress your salad.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. sugar (I used half white, half brown)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup oil (I used about half coconut oil,* half canola; some sesame would be good if you have it)

3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

Sprinkle of garlic salt (I probably used 1/8 to 1/4 tsp)

Sprinkle of ground ginger

Squirt or two of honey

A few cracks of black pepper

Scant 1/3 cup water (as needed)

Directions

Whir together all ingredients in a small blender or food processor, such as a Magic Bullet. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. *Note: if you use coconut oil, the dressing will solidify if you refrigerate it. Just zap it in the microwave for a few seconds to liquefy it. 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

It was 92 degrees today where I live, but my friends in the Northeast got snow. So it's not too late for pumpkin recipes, right?

I've never been consistently good at cookies--and more often than not have been consistently bad at cookies--but I'm proud to say I've successfully made these babies twice. Both times elicited much praise and many happy sighs from my coworkers, and both times I confess I ate far more cookies than someone who's trying to maintain her weight should.

Most grocery stores carry cinnamon chips in the same section as chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. If you want a chewier cookie, make the cookies a little larger; if you want crispier, make them smaller. I recommend the chewy option, myself.

Whether it still feels like winter where you are, already feels like summer, or is somewhere in between, I hope you enjoy these little bites of pumpkiny oatmeal goodness.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Printer-friendly
Slightly adapted from Eats Well with Others
Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients
1-1/4 cups flour (I use 1 cup all-purpose, 1/4 cup whole wheat)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1-1/2 cups cinnamon chips

Directions
Whisk flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a second bowl, use a mixer to cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until well-combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. Stir in the pumpkin puree.

Slowly add in the flour mixture. Fold in the oats and cinnamon chips.

Preheat oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the dough by the Tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are set and golden. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

per cookie, from My Fitness Pal

Mustard-Herb Panko-Crusted Chicken

I enjoy eating meat but have never enjoyed handling raw meat. It's kinda gross-feeling and cold, but I think the main reason for my raw meat aversion is that it takes a lot of effort to keep the germs in check. When handling raw meat, I wash my hands every five seconds, spray everything with copious amounts of bleach, and use tongs to minimize how much I have to actually touch the raw meat. My high school culinary arts teacher would be proud!

Despite having to handle raw chicken and douse my kitchen in bleach afterward, this crusted chicken was worth it. It had a nice balance of flavor--the mustard was a star player but not overwhelming, and the Parmesan and herbs were great additions to the breading. The end result was flavorful and moist.

Toward the end of the cooking time my chicken wasn't as browned as I thought it should be, so I spritzed on a bit of olive oil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking time, and I think that helped. During preparation, the Dijon mixture tried to slide off the chicken before I could dunk it in the breading mixture, so I'd suggest patting your chicken breasts dry with paper towels before seasoning them and rubbing/spreading them with the Dijon mixture (I'm adding that step to the directions below).

I served this chicken with some Brussels sprouts that didn't do too well and some rice pilaf from a box.

Mustard-Herb Panko-Crusted Chicken Breasts

Printer-friendly
From Prevention RD
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients
2/3 cup panko crumbs
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried thyme
1-1/2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated (the powdery kind)
2 (6-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/8 tsp salt and freshly cracked, pepper, to taste
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic, minced
Cooking spray

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450. Coat a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.

Pour the panko crumbs, Italian seasoning, parsley, Parmesan, and thyme onto a plate or wide, shallow bowl; mix until well combined. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Mix the mustard and garlic together then rub evenly all over each chicken breast (I spread it on with a spoon). Roll each chicken breast in the panko mixture until coated; place on the baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees. Let the meat rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutrition Information (per serving; from Prevention RD)
279 calories; 3.5 g. fat; 87 mg. cholesterol; 583 mg. sodium; 13.0 g. carbohydrate; 0 g. fiber; 42.5 g. protein

Savory Bread Pudding

This dish was lovely, light, creamy, and brunchy. I felt like I should be sitting out on a sunny veranda eating this with a glass of juice and a side of fruit, perhaps with an ocean or lake on the horizon. The flavor was very light and mild. One reviewer said it was bland, so that's why I added a bit of Rocky Mountain Seasoning. You could add virtually any herb that strikes your fancy, or perhaps a bit of garlic and/or Parmesan.

The original recipe called for goat cheese, which I don't always care for, so I used queso fresco instead. I imagine Feta would also be good in this.

Savory Bread Pudding

Printer friendly version
Adapted from Cooking Light
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
1/2 lb. white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used half of an Italian loaf)
1/2 cup (2 oz.) crumbled queso fresco cheese
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. Rocky Mountain Seasoning (optional)
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1/8 cup sliced green onions

Directions
Spray an 8 x 8-inch pan with cooking spray, and arrange bread in it.

Combine half of the queso fresco, milk, cottage cheese, pepper, Rocky Mountain Seasoning, egg, and egg whites in a bowl, whisking well. Pour mixture evenly over bread; press bread down into the liquid, if needed. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup queso fresco over the top. Let stand for approximately 30 minutes. (Alternatively, you could cover and refrigerate over night, then remove from fridge about 30 minutes before baking.)

Preheat oven to 350. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until set and golden. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.

Nutrition Information (per serving): 
261 calories; 6.1 g. fat; 65 mg. cholesterol; 629.9 mg. sodium; 34.7 g. carbohydrate; 1.4 g. fiber; 17.4 g. protein; 2.6 g. sugar

Smoky Sweet Potato Sliders with Garlic Cream Sauce and Avocado

Not too long ago I discovered the blog Eats Well with Others. Not only was I instantly captivated by her abundance of hearty winter squash dishes, but I felt an odd kinship with the blogger, Joanne. You see, her dad died of cancer last fall. While I didn't lose a dad to cancer, I lost a dear friend who was kinda like a second dad to me.

Charles fought his cancer tooth and nail--complete with a bone marrow transplant, numerous hospitalizations, and twice-weekly trips to the cancer clinic for infusions and blood draws and the like. He fought hard for nearly three years, and those of us close to him fought right alongside him for those three years.

Joanne's dad, on the other hand, did the opposite--he lived with cancer for two years without telling anyone, because he wanted to live fully the life he had left, and didn't want his life and family's lives to be tainted by cancer treatments. His family didn't find out until his last two weeks of life.

I think both ways are awful ways to grieve, because grief is awful no matter how you look at it. Although everyone's grief is different, I think there's a sameness to all our grief. I don't know quite what anyone else's grief feels like . . . but at the same time I know exactly what their grief feels like.

I feel this connection with Joanne, and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who turns to cooking for therapy.

Speaking of cooking therapy, let's talk about sweet potato sliders. They're quite yummy: smoky from the smoked paprika, a touch of sweet from the sweet potatoes and maple syrup, creamy from the avocado and yogurt, with this amazing punch of roasted garlic. And, if you use more chipotle than I was brave enough to sprinkle in, you'll get some nice heat, too.

Joanne did home-made whole wheat buns/rolls for her sliders. I went the easy route and bought a pan of Sister Schubert's rolls. I imagine Hawaiian rolls would also be good with these.

I do recommend that you use smoked paprika rather than plain paprika. If you don't already have some in your spice collection, it's worth purchasing, as it adds this wonderful smoky flavor that's so good in this dish.

Smoky Sweet Potato Sliders with Garlic Cream Sauce and Avocado

Adapted from Eats Well with Others
Printer friendly version
Yield: 12 sliders

For the Patties
2 large sweet potatoes
1 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Dash of cumin
Sprinkle of chipotle powder

For the Garlic Cream Sauce
2 bulbs garlic (as in bulbs, not cloves)
2/3 cup plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tsp. maple syrup
Salt and pepper, to taste

For Cooking and Assembling
Olive oil
1-2 avocados, sliced
12 small dinner rolls

Directions
Preheat oven to 400. Cut the top quarter off of the two bulbs of garlic. Drizzle 1 tsp. olive oil over each bulb. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Wrap each in a paper towel and then microwave for 5 minutes. Flip over and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from the microwave, slice in half, and let cool until you can scoop out the flesh.

In a bowl, coarsely mash the cannellini beans with a fork. Add in the sweet potato flesh, then mash together. Mix in the panko, flour, egg, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, cumin, and chipotle powder. Place the bowl in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

While the mixture is chilling, combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor and pulse until pureed. If needed, add a tiny splash of milk.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a swirl of olive oil (or spray with olive oil spray). Remove the burger mixture from the fridge and form into 12 equal patties. Place them in the skillet once it is hot. Let them cook until they are fully set and golden on one side, about 5-7 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes.

Assemble by topping the dinner rolls with a burger, roasted garlic sauce, and avocado slices. Serve as a snack or appetizer, or turn them into a meal by serving 3-4 sliders per person.

Chai Banana Bread, Two Ways

This bread recipe has been sitting in my "Recipes I Want to Try" list since May. Now that I have cardamom, I could finally make it!

I took most of the bread to share at work but saved myself a couple thicker pieces for the express purpose of making them into French toast. I'm glad I was selfish with those two slices, because this bread did well in its second life.

If you have trouble slicing bananas for the topping, you should get one of these handy banana slicers. (Just kidding, but the reviews on this product are hysterical! A few are a bit off-color, so just be forewarned.)

Both recipes are below!

Chai Banana Bread

Adapted from Cooking Light
Yield: 1 loaf pan

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground allspice (or substitute 1/8 tsp. each cinnamon and nutmeg)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Combine first four ingredients in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed just until blended. Add sugars and vanilla; beat at medium just until blended.

Combine remaining ingredients (flour through allspice). Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 65 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove from pan; cool.

Notes

• This bread was tasty! Be prepared that it's very cardamom-y. I liked it; my coworkers liked it; I hope you'll like it.
• The original recipe said that 3 bananas would do. However, the three (very!) shriveled bananas from my freezer only measured 1/2 cup, so I was stuck substituting applesauce for a full cup of banana measurement. As a result, the bread was a bit less sweet and obviously had less of a banana flavor, unfortunately. I think more banana would have stood up to the spices better than the applesauce did, but it was still good.

Chai Banana Bread French Toast

Created by me
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients
2 thick slices Chai Banana Bread
1 egg
1/4 cup light coconut milk (or other milk of choice)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Dash of cinnamon
1 banana, sliced
1 scant tsp. coconut oil, melted (or butter)
1-2 tsp. brown sugar
Honey or maple syrup (optional)

Directions
In a wide, shallow bowl whisk together the egg, coconut milk, vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon. In another bowl, toss the bananas with coconut oil, brown sugar, and another dash of cinnamon.

Heat a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Dip the bread in the egg mixture, coating/soaking both sides well. Place in the medium skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, until nicely browned.

Heat a small skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Spread the banana slices in a single layer in the skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes, resisting the urge to stir them. About the time you flip the bread slices, turn each banana slice over and cook for another 3 minutes or so. (Note: Some coconut oil has a low burning point, so check yours to see how hot it can be. My jar of coconut oil says, "For medium high heat," right on the front of the jar.)

To serve, pour/arrange banana slices over the top of the French toast. If you like, add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

Women of Valor

Recently I've been moved by ways that some women who are very dear to me have been invited to use their voices to enrich the church and to honor God.

One of my friends led singing for the first time in her life a couple weeks ago. God has given her a beautiful voice and a heart for the church, and in this act of leading the gathered congregation in worship, these two gifts got to work together. Not segregated to using her voice outside the church in musical theatre and using her ministry heart behind the scenes in a church . . . but to share her voice with us--the church--in leading hymns and songs of worship.

Another friend was asked to read a Scripture and lead a prayer in front of a different church-like gathering. Only within the last month or two have women been permitted to serve in these ways in that particular context! Many of us are guilty of treating public prayer almost flippantly, wandering up to a podium to spit out a laundry list of requests for health and safety and the like, with little to no forethought about what we'll say to God on behalf of the congregation. This friend spent days thinking about what to pray in that moment, feeling the weight of the responsibility to approach God on behalf of a crowd of people, and considering the impact her words might have on people--both because it was a prayer and because it was a prayer being spoken by a woman. It was a joy to witness the intentionality with which she approached this opportunity.

Because I think her prayer was so beautiful and wonderful, I'd like to share it with you, along with the Scripture she read before the prayer:

From Psalm 36:
But your loyal love, LORD, extends to the skies;
your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the strongest mountains;
your justice is like the deepest sea.
LORD, you save both humans and animals.
Your faithful love is priceless, God!
Humanity finds refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the bounty of your house;
you let them drink from your river of pure joy.
Within you is the spring of life.
In your light, we see light. 

God our father, God our mother, today we drink from your river of pure joy.
You, who saves us.
You, the loyal, the faithful, the righteous, the just.
Fill us with the joy and peace of your refuge.
Pour into us the spring of life so that, just as people look at my daughter and see my face, people will look at us and see your face.
Thank you, God, for your mercy. Thank you, God, for your sacrifice. Thank you, God, for Jesus.
Amen.

Several hours before actually leading this prayer, she circulated what she'd written to a handful of friends and colleagues, asking for our feedback. Two of the women (myself included) suggested she take out the "God our mother" phrase, for fear that it would be too shocking to some and would distract them from the rest of the prayer. (Though both of us are big believers that God is both Mother and Father.) Two of the men, though, encouraged her to keep that phrase in the prayer and leave it up to the congregation to decide for themselves how to react to it. I'm so used to language and efforts like this being suppressed, that it was so unbelievably refreshing to see these two people defend this depiction of God so adamantly.

Somewhere in the midst of my friends leading in these amazing ways, I came across this article on When We Need Women behind the Pulpits on my Facebook mini-feed. I appreciated and identified with many things in the post, and here are some favorite tidbits:

• Put a woman behind the pulpit so I can hear the words of God in a new voice.
• Put a woman behind the pulpit so I can hear what it’s like for Mama Mary to watch her Son bleed.
• Put a woman behind the pulpit so I can hear He is risen! in the tone it was first shouted.
• Put a woman behind the pulpit so I can see that the kingdom of God is bigger than my expectations.
• Put a woman behind the pulpit so I can know that this long line of Faith handed-down came from Mothers and Fathers.

While reading these exhortations, I couldn't help but think about these two friends of mine--and the many female friends I have who are exceptionally gifted in public ministry. I couldn't help but think of the ways they intone God differently than my male friends (not necessarily better, just different; I'm not hatin' on the guys here!). I couldn't help but think about the ways that they, as mothers who cherish their children, provide glimpses of the way God mothers me.

I'm glad to see them at the front of a church, leading the congregation in song and prayer. I appreciate getting to hear a voice like mine from the pulpit. I'm grateful for the opportunity to glimpse in each them another little piece of God.