Sonoma Chicken Salad Sandwich

Before all the hustle and bustle of the holidays hit, before the feasting, shopping and parties begin... don't you just want to sit down on a Wednesday night with a great sandwich, with fuzzy socks on and watch Office reruns?

Sonoma Chicken Salad Sandwiches - a most tasty, feel-good sandwich, the calm before the storm, the real reason people show up to wedding receptions. 

I just love the combination of ingredients in this recipe, and I happened to have all of them on hand.  

There are some things that will never come close to homemade. This sandwich would be one of them.  Toasting  the pecans is an extra step but adds incredible flavor and an unmatched tender crunch.  

My new favorite bread.  

I read the back of this package and turns out 'Dave' is a reformed felon who turned his life around after he hit rock bottom. Thought his story was so cool, I bought the bread just to support him.  It just so happens that the bread is nothing short of amazing and healthy.

Here's what I love about this recipe:

#1 - It has onion powder in it. Gives great flavor without the harsh bite of a raw onion.
  
#2 - Makes a yummy salad atop a pile of lovely greens. And by greens, iceberg lettuce is not included.  

#3 - A lovely way to use up leftover turkey or chicken, or just quick and easy by picking up a rotisserie chicken.  

I happened to make a huge bowl of this earlier in the day.

If you make it, they will come.

And if they don't, you won't be hatin' eating this for a few days.

 The nurturer in me won't let me send anyone out into the cold cruel world hungry, so when a couple of hungry guys (weird, both their names were 'Elder') stopped by I made a monster tray of these. 

Glass of cold milk, an empty tray and they were good to go. 

  

It's the simple things in life that bring the most joy.

Sonoma Chicken Salad Sandwich

3 1/2 cups diced chicken 
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup Craisins
2/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1 T poppy seeds

2/3 cup mayonnaise 
1/4 cup apple juice
1 t. onion powder
1 t. mustard
1/2 t. salt

Mix together the mayonnaise, apple juice, onion powder, mustard, and salt in a small bowl.  Add to remaining ingredients and mix gently.  Serve on croissant or whole grain bread.  Top with greens if desired. 

I used leftover turkey breast from here: http://flannerykitchen.blogspot.com/2013/10/turkey-french-dip-slow-cooker.html...   because a 7 lb. turkey, 2 people meant lots of leftovers.  

"Just any chicken salad?  FALSE. The best".

Posted by: Rona

Turkey French Dip (Slow Cooker)

Oh my heavens to Betsy.  Move over beef... 
(well, not that far over, we still love you).

But Geez Louise - kind of falling for your best friend - TURKEY. 

Made in a slow cooker, tender slices of turkey on a crispy, grilled baguette, drenched in the most flavorful Au Jus you ever laid your lips on,  then topped with a spoonful of tart, fresh cranberry sauce, and you've got the perfect fall sandwich.

The turkey is so moist and tender, plus the amazing aroma just screams "You got in goin' on girl...".  But, the real hero is the au jus - you can't get this from a packet, or from a can of chicken broth.  This comes from slow cooking savory mouth-watering flavors together for hours.  

It's seriously sandwich foreplay.  

The homemade cranberry sauce is so vibrant and the perfect compliment.  I wouldn't put it right on the sandwich or you'll have a soggy mess that will closely resemble eating ribs at a 5-Star restaurant in your prom dress.  

Don't use loser baguettes.  Not those fake puffy ones that are too airy and light, but more of a chewy texture one, crispy outside that can hold up to enthusiastic sloshing in the Au Jus.

So here's how you eat it:  

1: Dip sandwich in Au Jus  

2: Dab on a spoonful of cranberry sauce. A little dab won't do ya here.  You'll need a bigger type dab. 

3: Eat it and moan like you mean it.

Turkey French Dip (Slow Cooker)

1 6 1/2  or 7 pound turkey breast

2 onions

 2 cups celery tops and root (more flavor than the stalks, but great way to use up the unusable)

1/4 cup butter (margarine is illegal in this house)

1 t. dried sage (I've used thyme and it equally amazing)

1 t. dried rosemary

1/2 t. salt

2 cups chicken broth
3 T Worcestershire 

Chunk up the onions and celery and place in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Mix together the softened butter, sage, salt and rosemary.  Gently lift up the skin, grab a small handful of the butter mixture and slide it underneath. Do both sides, and after patting the top with a paper towel, smear the rest on the top.  Add to slow cooker. 

Add the chicken broth and Worcestershire, cover and cook on high for 6 -7 hours.  Before assembling, remove breast, let sit covered with foil for about 10 minutes.

To assemble, butter sliced baguettes and grill on medium heat until golden and crispy.  Strain the veggies out of the remaining juices.  Slice turkey (my Black Friday 5$ electric knife worked great), run through the juices and lay on grilled baguette.  Serve cranberry sauce on the side. 

Cranberry Sauce

1 bag fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar 

1 cup water

Bring water and sugar to a boil over medium heat, add cranberries and simmer until most of the cranberries pop.  Cool to room temp.  Mixture thickens as it cools. 

Now count your blessings because that's what you do when you eat turkey - name them one by one.


Posted by: Rona 

Vegan Avocado Wraps with Sunflower Herb Spread AND Smoky Zucchini Bisque

Let me just say, I'm not a vegan (and never will be)- not with the deep emotional bond I have for butter, cream, and steak.

But I LUV clean eating too.

Mother Nature's got it goin' on eh?

The other day we were in Sedona and tried this weird little vegan restaurant. Although we were the only diners without dreads, Tarot cards, a Subaru or B.O., 

I must say the whole experience was pretty cool and the food was"herbaceous, delightful and balanced"

- just as they described.

With natural beauty all around us, 

we had to eat from the earth's bounty that day.

The best part was the chef and I became BFF's inspite of our differences, and he shared his secret weapon with me - 

the Sunflower Herb Spread.  

$$ The Money $$$

It made the wrap.

Next step - go home and recreate it.

The Smoky Zucchini Bisque is my healthy rendition of a not healthy recipe.  I made some simple changes which took out a ton of fat and calories, but it still has a great flavor and is creamy, warm and soothing.  

When you eat nutritionally dense foods, you just feel good.

"Love runs from my head down to my toes." - Freddie Mercury
:-)

Every now and then my inner hippie comes screaming out.

The Sunflower Herb Spread is the 'mama'.  She holds it together while adding a little flavor and personality.

The bisque is great topped with a dash of Tabasco or Siracha.

And here we go...


Vegan Avocado Wrap

Layer the following on whole grain bread or wrap:

thick layer of sunflower herb spread
baby spinach leaves
tomato slices (salt and pepper these)
avocado slices
thinly sliced red onion
shredded carrots
sprout of the day


Fold in thirds (because it's probably too big to roll up) and slice in half on a diagonal.


Sunflower Spread

2 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked in water overnight (or for at least an hour)
3/4 to 1 cup fresh herbs (anything goes here)
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
1 small clove garlic, minced (a little goes a long way here)
Salt and pepper

Drain and rinse the sunflower seeds. Throw it all in a high powered blender or food processor.  I like it not totally smooth.  You can mince the herbs yourself and add them at the end if you like them more noticable.  Some good herbs to try would be basil, thyme, chives, dill, parsley, tarragon, rosemary (but smaller quantity).  

Note:  By soaking the sunflower seeds the nutritional value is greatly enhanced, plus the ability for the body to better absorb the nutrients.

Smoky Zucchini Bisque

5 med. zucchini (about 3 pounds)

4 cups chicken broth

3 Tbsp. dried onion flakes

or 1 cup chopped onion

3 oz pkg. bacon bits - I subbed 2 t. liquids smoke flavoring

2 cups half-&-half - I subbed 1 can fat free evaporated milk (could use almond milk too)

Freshly ground pepper

1. Heat the chicken broth in the large pot on high.

2. While the broth is heating, cut the zucchini in slices or chunks and place it in the broth.

3. Add the onion flakes and bacon.

4. When the soup comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium. Cover the lid and let it simmer 10-15 minutes.

5. When zucchini chunks are tender, puree them with a stick blender. Or, use a stand blender and puree in two batches.

6. Add a few grinds of pepper to taste, and the half and half, or milk, or fat-free half-and-half. Serve topped with more bacon, croutons or a sprinkle of cheese.

 Source- "Soup's On!" by Valerie Phillips (Covenant Books)

Feed your soul.

And yo belly.

Ommmmm......

Posted by R

Patty Melts

I'm not a red meat hater, 
but rather a red meat hater hater.

Start by caramelizing some onions.  I used two, make sure you don't slice them too thin or too thick.  It takes a little time to do this right.  So start by adding a little olive oil and/or butter to a pan.  A good rule of thumb is about 1 T per onion.  For perfectly caramelized onions, they must be cooked on low or medium low.  Add a little bit of salt, helps the whole caramelizing process.  You can also add a pinch of sugar.  I did.

Don't stir too often, this process honestly can take an hour.  No joke.  But it smells amazing and you can finally get that jigsaw puzzle finished in the meantime. Whatever you do, don't leave these off.  

The money. 

This is how they looked after about 20 minutes.

 So after the onions are a lovely golden dark color, remove them and set aside, now get ready for the burgers.  I used about 1/3 lb per burger, kind of shaped it like the bread.  Give them a good sprinkling of salt and pepper on BOTH sides, this really helps the searing process.  Heat up your onion pan on 'til it's smokin' hot, add just a bit of olive oil (also helps get a good sear).  Then place each patty down carefully, and don't budge that bad boy for at least 4 minutes, or until when you flip it over, it has a beautiful sear.  Flip over and do the same thing.

Now butter one side of some good Rye bread, lay face down on a griddle.  Place cheese down.  I used 2 slices of Havarti, even though Swiss would be more traditional. Lay down the cooked patty.  Pile on those caramelized onions, add two more slices of cheese and the top bread, buttered on the outside.

I'm shaking and I like it.

At this point, your house will smell amazing.  And you are in for the night, because you too will smell like onions, which can be misconstrued as B.O., so get a good movie and a large Diet Dew, cause you ain't goin' nowhere.

Griddle these up now, I use a lower heat, like right around 300 degrees on my electric griddle, just to make sure all the cheese is perfectly melted at the same time the outside is golden brown. 

Add more cheese and the butter bread lid.

Make sure your bread is well buttered for an even golden crust.

Come to mama.

And to think this Jewish Rye Bread is only 80 calories a slice.  Score!

Happy Birthday.

Posted by: Rona

Veggie Turkey Wraps

I could live off these things!! 

Here's what I did:

Take two cream cheese spreads ( I happened to have a vegetable one, and a onion and chive one), let them soften for a while, and mix them together with:

Juice from a lemon
3-4 chopped green onions
Any fresh herbs you want - I used parsley

Spread on 6 large tortillas or wraps.  Cover the whole thing because this is your glue.  Down the middle add a little pile of:

shaved turkey from the deli - about 2 pounds (lunch meat just ain't gonna roll up right)
4 julienned carrots
1 julienned English cuke - I left the peel on this, since it's not like the peel of regular cukes that remind me of vinyl flooring
little row of watercress

I julienned these on my mandolin so they'd be all perfect and whatnot, but you could easily just do it with a knife.  Julienning the carrots on the mandolin was a little tricky because they weren't super big. Judging by my kitchen, it was somewhat of a battle.  There were carrot shreds from hell to breakfast.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roll up TIGHT.  I'm talking tight - like last years skinny jeans tight.  

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or so.  Cut in half on an angle and serve.  I took these to Relief Society so I cut them in 6 pieces each and put on a tray. 

Lovely little finger food.


Posted by: Rona