Changin' It Up

Last night's dinner was really good, and really pretty easy. Now, that doesn't mean it didn't take me forever to make it. Between more laundry and trying to keep my cat from attacking the cute kittens that appeared on our back porch, not to mention attempting to shred delicious smelling chicken with the cat under my feet, it wasn't as quick as I think it would normally be. Actually, if I think about the steps done between all the other chores, it is really a fast meal. This was another attempt to step outside my recipe box, as it were, and stretch my cooking boundaries. Or perhaps I should say food boundaries as there is no actual cooking required, just preparations. This salad was actually featured on the cover of the June issue of Everyday Food, but I more or less ignored it then. While making my menu plan this weekend I did a recipe search on Martha Stewart rotisserie chicken. They were on sale this week and I wanted to pick one up to make chicken pizza for Josh, so I was looking for something to use the rest of the chicken up. This is, I think, the first recipe to pop up. After giving it a once over I thought about a tiny adjustment I could make, and decided to go for it. I am so glad that I did, because I really loved it. I'm definitely going to make it again, and probably soon.

Asian Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves and soft stems
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 1/2 pounds), skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
1/4 medium red cabbage (8 ounces), cored and thinly sliced crosswise
1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup cashews

• Make dressing: In a blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
• In a large bowl, combine chicken, cabbage, bell pepper, and scallions; season with salt and pepper. In another large bowl, toss lettuce with 1/2 cup dressing. Divide among four bowls, and top with chicken mixture. Drizzle all with remaining dressing, and sprinkle with cashews.

My notes: As you might notice from my picture, there is a suspicious lack of cashews and red cabbage. The red cabbage didn't look too great at the store, so I bought a bag of broccoli slaw, which has carrots and cabbage in it. That worked well, but next time I will probably give just the cabbage a shot. And I was personally apprehensive about the cashews. I love cashews, but I just have never been really keen on nuts in my salad. I mean, sesame seeds are good, maybe the occasional pecan, but I just didn't go for the cashews. But what I do love? Chow mein noodles. So that's what I sprinkled across the top. And I'd do it again! Obviously, probably not as nutritional as nuts, but delicious. I ended up making the dressing with bottled lime juice. My grocery store, for some inexplicable reason, had only key limes this week. I've never seen a key lime there before (it's a small local store), and yet this week they had hundreds and no regular limes whatsoever. This dressing was very limy as a result, but I loved it. Next time I'll definitely make it with fresh, granted I can get some. I just didn't have an interest in having to go somewhere else for 2 limes. Also, I cut this recipe in half, so that I would still have chicken for pizza later in the week. But I wish I hadn't cut it in half so I could have had seconds!