Crunch Time

It's been a while since I've updated, mostly due to my 10-day absence during spring break at the end of March. (It was lovely - I spent a weekend in New York City with my best friend from high school and then the rest of the time lounging on the beach in southwest Florida with some college friends.) Since getting back, I've been trying to eat healthier, since I always tend to binge on vacations. Over the last week I've made a lot of very simple, not-quite-blog-worthy meals: marinated and grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, fresh fruit, and the like.

Last night I stuck to my healthy theme but got a bit more elaborate. My friend Chris came over to watch a movie and we decided to make big, beautiful salads. The results were so pretty that I had to take a picture and post the recipe, which I adapted from one by Rachael Ray (yes, again).


Incredible Crunchy Salad
Serves 3-4

• Coarse salt
• 3/4-c. long grain rice
• 1 green apple, peeled, quartered, cored, and finely diced
• 1 small red or green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1/4 medium red onion, minced
• 6 radishes, finely chopped
• 2 T plus about 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 T white wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Coarse black pepper
• 1/4-c extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small package croutons or crostini
  
• 2 packages pre-washed lettuce mix (pick your favorite)
• 1-lb. chicken cutlets

Heat 1-1/3 cups water in a small pot. When it comes to a boil, salt it and add the rice. Cover and reduce to a simmer and cook the rice for about 18 minutes or until just tender, with a bite remaining. Remove the lid and fluff the rice, then spread it on a cookie sheet to quick-cool.

While the rice cooks, combine the apples, bell peppers, onions, and radishes in a small bowl, adding them to it as you chop. Dress them with about 2 tablespoons of the fresh lemon juice and lightly toss the crunchy mixture with your fingertips.

In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, the white wine vinegar, the chopped garlic, mustard, and some salt and pepper. Add the olive oil gradually as you whisk.

Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and saute or grill over medium-high heat (I used a stove-top grill pan). While they cook, crunch two big handfuls of the croutons/crostini into small pieces. When the chicken is done, slice it into half-inch-thick slices crosswise.

Arrange the lettuces on plates. Scatter the cool rice across the salad, layer on the crunchy apple/pepper/onion/radish mixture and the croutons/crostini, and arrange the chicken slices on top. Drizzle the dressing in a slow, even stream all over the salad.

Getting My Groove Back

Like I mentioned in my last post, it's been a while since I've done the whole food blogging thing. Honestly, I haven't been doing much cooking at all. In the post-breakup weeks I indulged myself in ordering junk food and letting my friends feed me. Which was great, and what I needed, really, but now I'm finding out that I'm a bit rusty in the kitchen. Oops.

Last night I decided to cook myself an honest-to-goodness meal, and while it started out a little rocky, in the end I was pleased with myself. I didn't want to get too ambitious, so I picked a Rachael Ray recipe: Honey Chicken with Snow Pea Rice. Yeah, I hate Rachael Ray, but I felt like a 30 minute meal was about all I could handle. Also, I'd been craving Chinese food after watching an Asian-themed episode of the Phantom Gourmet. I figured this would hit the spot.

Well, I started off on the wrong foot as I put too much oil into the rice and then burned it by turning the heat up too high. Not my finest culinary moment. But I somehow managed to get my mojo back, and by the time the meal was finished (more than 30 minutes later, I have to admit) I was pretty darn happy. Small accomplishments, people... sometimes that's all you need.


Honey Chicken with Snow Pea Rice
Serves 4

• 3 T vegetable oil, divided
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 1-1/2 c. long-grain rice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 c. dry white wine (I used pinot grigio)
• 4-1/2 c. chicken stock, divided
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 large handfuls snow peas, thinly sliced across the width
• 2 lb. chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 T honey
• 1 T cornstarch
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat a medium saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 T of the vegetable oil and the butter to the pot. Once the butter melts, add the rice, season with salt and pepper, and lightly brown the rice for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and allow it to evaporate entirely, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of the chicken stock and the lemon zest to the rice. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat. Cook the rice for 18 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Once the rice only has about 3 more minutes of cook time, remove the lid and add the sliced snow peas. Don't stir the rice; just add the snow peas on top and put the lid on. The steam will lightly cook the snow peas. Once cooked, fluff the rice and with a fork and stir in the snow peas. They should still have some crunch to them.

While the rice is cooking, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 T of vegetable oil. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and brown for about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, onions, garlic, ginger, and honey. Stir frequently and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the remaining 1-1/2 c. of chicken stock to the pan and bring to a simmer. Once at a simmer, combine the cornstarch with a splash of water, and mix to create a thin paste. Add the cornstarch mixture to the simmer chicken, mix thoroughly, and continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until the liquid is thickened. Add the sliced scallions and the lemon juice to the chicken and stir to combine. Serve the honey chicken over the snow pea rice.

Recipe from Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats