MONDAY
Chicken Salad Sandwiches | Garlic~Thyme “Mayonnaise” | Cranberry~Orange Coolers | Truffle~Parmesan Popcorn
Sunday dinners are different. More often than not, the table is set in the dining room, flowers and candles dress the tabletop, dinner starts a bit earlier and we linger around the table a little longer, savoring a meal as well as the last few moments of the weekend. But one of the greatest gifts, which arise from the Sunday dinner table, are the leftovers. The succulent remains of a dinner {most likely roasted chicken or beef} that become transformed into a new meal…pot pie, soup or, in tonight’s case, a salad, thereby making Monday’s dinner preparation that much easier. For this reason, our version of “Meatless Monday” usually occurs on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
If using leftover roasted chicken meat is not an option and time is of the essence {which it usually is given a weeknight}, poached chicken breasts can be substituted with little additional effort. Keep in mind, however, that the rich flavor which develops in meat that has been seasoned and roasted will be different than the flavor of a chicken breast poached in water. My suggestion for poaching the chicken breasts is to cook the meat in a rich chicken stock {preferably homemade} which will flavor the cooked meat much more so than water alone. Click here for a quick lesson on “How To Poach Chicken” @ The Kitchn blog.
Cooked chicken in hand, the remainder of the salad comes together with a few other simple ingredients…
A bit of chopping and slicing, followed by a gentle toss with “mayonnaise” {the recipe for my Greek yogurt version of mayonnaise that I used for this salad follows below} leaves you with a tasty salad to be enjoyed on its own …
Or used to fill a sandwich as we did this evening…
- 4-5 cups cooked chicken, diced
- 2 celery stalks, trimmed and diced
- 1/2 cup peeled and chopped red onion
- 1 cup halved seedless red grapes
- 1/4-1/3 cup Garlic~Thyme "Mayonnaise"
- sliced sandwich bread {we used a dark rye}, if making sandwiches
- soft, leafy lettuce leaves {we used Green Butter Lettuce}
- In a large bowl, gently toss first four ingredients to combine. Fold the "Mayonnaise" into the salad beginning with a 1/4-cupful and mix well.
- If the salad appears to be too dry, add more of the "Mayonnaise" a spoonful at a time {mixing well after each addition} until the desired consistency is reached.
- Salad can be enjoyed on its own or used to fill a sandwich made using your favorite bread and a few slices of lettuce.
- If possible, make the salad ahead of time allowing the flavors {especially from the "Mayonnaise"} to really develop. Store, tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- 1 cup Greek-style yogurt {not low-fat}
- 3 tablespoons creamy Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 large fresh garlic clove, peeled and pushed through a garlic press {about 3/4 of a teaspoon}
- Salt to taste
- In a small bowl, combine first four ingredients and whisk to combine. Taste and season with salt if desired. Can be stored in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- 2 1/2 cups cranberries {fresh or frozen}
- Rind/peel of 1 orange
- 1 1/2 cups raw honey
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Sparkling water or club soda
- In a medium saucepan, bring cranberries, orange peel, honey, and water to a simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce heat to medium~low and cook until cranberries are tender and begin to pop ~ about 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow syrup to cool then strain through a fine~mesh sieve. Discard the solids.
- Fill a glass with ice and pour in a bit of the cranberry~orange simple syrup and top with sparkling water. Serve immediately.
- This recipe yields approximately 2 cups of finished simple syrup. Store syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
