Easy Chicken Salad

Chicken salad brings memories of graduation parties and bridal showers; I remember trays of egg, pickled ham, and chicken salad sandwiches on tiny rolls.  Not being a pickled ham fan, I always wondered who ate those sandwiches.....

Having cooked chicken on hand provides a base for a number of easy summer meals. When it is too hot to even think about cooking on the grill, let alone in the oven, I cook my chicken in my crock pot. The recipe book that came with my Rival Crock-Pot (which may have been a gift at a bridal shower where chicken salad sandwiches were served....) has the following recipe for roast chicken :

Roast Chicken or Hen
3-4 pound roasting chicken (I often use chicken breasts, either with the bone or boneless, of various weights)
Salt and pepper
Parsley
Basil or tarragon (optional)
Butter

Thoroughly wash chicken and pat dry (patting dry assures good browning). Sprinkle cavity (or pieces) generously with salt, butter, pepper, and parsley. Place in crockpot; dot chicken breast with butter. Sprinkle with parsley and basil or tarragon if using. Cover and cook on High 1 hour then turn to Low for 8-10 hours.


Let chicken cool. Cut into slices (for chicken sandwiches) or chunks (for chicken salad). Store in refrigerator. Chunked chicken can be frozen for use in salad.

Easy Chicken Salad
Mix chicken chunks with mayonaise, using the amount your family prefers. (I prefer my chicken salad with only enough mayo to hold everything together.) If desired, mix in:

• celery
• grapes
• walnuts
• dried cranberries
• onion

Slow Cooker: Chicken Parmesan over Whole Wheat Pasta

When my daughter was little she liked to go to Rinaldo’s, an Italian restaurant in Marblehead on the top level of Village Plaza. Classic red sauce Italian with the red and white checked tablecloths, a garlic cheese spread and packaged crackers on the table as soon as you sat down, and standard dishes like chicken, veal, or eggplant parmigiana. And, spaghetti with butter for children. Allison especially liked their fried mozzarella sticks; when she was sick they were often the only thing she wanted to eat…

I made this recipe on Palm Sunday for dinner, serving it over whole wheat pasta. I tossed a cup of frozen peas into the Crock Pot about 10 minutes before I added the cheese to make this a one- pot meal. Fed the two of us, with leftovers for lunch or dinner during the week. It was quick and easy and used ingredients I had on hand. A great addition to my selection of easy recipes for Holy Week, or any other busy time of year.

Slow Cooker: Chicken Parmesan over Whole Wheat Pasta

Makes 4 servings.

Medium Crock Pot

2 tsp olive oil
4 skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), about 3 oz each
½ of a 26 oz jar of your favorite tomato sauce
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
whole wheat pasta for 4 servings

1. Heat the oil in frying pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken and saute’, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
2. Combine chicken and tomato sauce in the Crock Pot. Cover and cook on low until chicken is cooked through and a meat thermometer registers 175 degrees, 6 to 8 hours.
3. If using frozen peas, add 25 minutes before you plan to eat.
4. Heat water for pasta, following package directions.
5. Combine the cheeses in a small bowl and sprinkle them over the chicken. Don’t stir. Cook until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
6. Put pasta on plate and top with chicken parmesan.

Slow Cooker Recipe: Pork and Apricot with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Here’s the second offering of easy, make ahead meals for Holy Week. I first made this dish the Christmas Bill and I spent with our daughter in New York. Her work schedule precluded traveling for Christmas so we loaded up the Prius with gifts and goodies for holiday meals, including Christmas table clothes and napkins.

Our Christmas breakfast included our traditional Danish, quiche, and French toast (watch for these recipes in December). For dinner I chose this recipe, preparing the ingredients on Christmas Eve afternoon, refrigerating the Crockpot insert overnight, and then cooking it on Christmas Day. Our plan was to eat dinner around 6:00 pm. Great plan except: I put the insert into the Crockpot, turned it on, and, as I discovered a few hours later, neglected to plug in the Crockpot. On to Plan B: putting everything in a roasting pan in the oven and eating dinner later than originally planned.

I’ve since made this many times (in the Crock Pot). It is great for dinner with lots of leftovers for lunch during the week.

Pork and Apricot with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Makes 8 servings
Prep: 35 minutes
Cook: 7 to 9 hours on low; 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours on high

Ingredients
2 ½ lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½” chunks
3 ½ to 4 lb boneless pork shoulder roast
1 tsp dried tarragon, crushed
1 ½ tsp fennel seed, crushed (if I don’t have this on hand, I omit it)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp cooking oil (I use olive oil)
1 14-oz can chicken broth (or equivalent homemade)
¾ apricot nectar (I use apple juice, or if I don’t have any, I omit this and add equivalent in water)
½ cup dried apricots
4 tsp cornstarch

1. Place sweet potatoes in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Trim fat from pork roast.
3. Combine the tarragon, fennel seed, garlic, salt, and pepper in small bowl; rub onto pork roast.
4. In a very large skillet, brown roast on all sides in hot oil. Drain off fat. Place meat on top of sweet potatoes in cooker.
5. Pour broth and ½ cup of the apricot nectar over all.
6. Cover and cook for on low-heat setting for 7 to 9 hours or on high heat setting for 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours, adding the dried apricots for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
7. With a slotted spoon, transfer pork and apricots to serving platter. Transfer sweet potatoes to a large bowl; mash with a potato masher.
8. Strain cooking liquid into a glass-measuring cup. Skim fat from liquid; discard fat. Reserve 2 cups liquid (if necessary add chicken broth to equal 2 cups).
9. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup apricot nectar and the cornstarch. In a medium saucepan, combine cooking liquid and the cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly; cook 2 minutes longer. *
10. Serve with pork and mashed sweet potatoes.

*Omit this step if you are too tired or too busy. The pork, apricots, and sweet potatoes taste fine without it.

It's Soup Week: Rustic Chicken Stew

Rustic Chicken Stew: make it in your crock pot.

With so many of my friends and co-workers reporting that they are sick, I’m declaring this week ‘Soup Week.’ Chicken soup is a universal remedy for many ailments; unless you live with someone willing to make you homemade soup or make a run to the nearest deli, often your only option is canned soup.

This week’s soup recipes are simple to make. On Sundays I often make soup, keeping half of it to eat during the week and freezing the other half as individual portions. This habit ‘saves’ me from eating peanut butter and crackers on those nights when I arrive home from work hungry and don’t feel like cooking. It also lets me share my homemade soup with sick friends, new mothers, or others who may not be up for cooking, yet want to eat healthy. Enjoy!

Makes 8 servings

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 medium onions, quartered
2 carrots, cut into 1-inch thick slices
2 potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cans (14 ounces each) fat free chicken broth
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp dried thyme leaves (or powder)
½ tsp black pepper

Optional:
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
Any other root vegetables such as turnip, parsnip
1 14-ounce can white beans
8 ounces mushrooms, halved

1. Combine the chicken, onions, carrots, potatoes, and broth in the crock pot (if using other fresh vegetables, add at this time).
2. Stir in the celery seed, thyme, pepper, mushrooms, and corn.
3. Cover and cook on low until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender, 7 to 9 hours or on high, 4 to 6 hours.
4. Stir in the peas and cook until they are done, 15 to 30 minutes.

Vegetarian Chili

This is my favorite fall/winter ‘party’ recipe. Whether it is our annual Thanksgiving Turkey Lope* or a Christmas or Super Bowl party, this easy recipe is on the menu. Sometimes I make it the day of the party; othertimes I'll make it the day before. I usually serve it with cornbread and a green salad flavored with citrus fruit, dried cranberries, and nuts.

Modified from a recipe in Molly Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook, I add or subtract vegetables based on what I have on hand. I often cook it in my grandmother’s cast iron dutch oven or, if I want to be less hands on, I dump all the ingredients in my 1970s crockpot.

6-8 Servings (This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.)

2 ½ cups kidney beans
1 cup raw bulgher
1 cup tomato juice
4 cloves crushed garlic

1 cup each, chopped:

Celery

Carrots

Green peppers

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. chili powder (more, to taste)
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 Tbsp. dry red wine
Dash of cayenne (more, to taste)
Olive oil for sauté (about 3 Tbsp.)

Heat tomato juice to a boil. Pour over raw bulgher. Cover and let stand for at least 15 minutes. (It will be crunchy, so it can absorb more later.)

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Add carrots, celery, and spices. When vegetables are almost done, add peppers. Cook until tender.

Combine all ingredients and heat together gently – either in pan on stove top or covered, in a moderate oven.

Serve topped with cheese, parsley, and sour cream.

*What's a Turkey Lope? It’s the Davidge’s annual three to five mile run with Bill or a two mile walk with Nancy to enjoy the beauty of Marblehead before a casual dinner with family and friends.

Creamy Carrot Parsnip Soup: Third Time's a Charm...

Growing up we always had fresh vegetables. We had a garden, as did my grandparents so many of the vegetables on our table where ones we had grown ourselves. My favorites have always included root and other vegetables I associate with fall: fresh from the ground carrots, turnips, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, and parsnips; butternut squash and Brussels sprouts.

Today, from June to December, most of my fruits and vegetables come via my membership in the Farm Direct Coop, a local community supported agriculture group. Each Thursday I drive to the pick up spot and discover which produce is ripe that week. The days when my basket is filled with kale, swiss chard, arugula, and bok choy make for challenging menu planning, but these choices are often supplemented by radishes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and lettuce - vegetables I find easier to plan menus around. Then in the fall, my favorites tend to be among the choices and I spend Sunday afternoons cooking, often making soup or roasting vegetables.

Today's recipe for Carrot Parsnip soup is new to me: I've only made it three times. The first time I loved it, the second time it was rather tasteless, and today - perfect. The difference? Today I followed the recipe exactly. I advise you do the same. The taste will be worth it.

Creamy Carrot Parsnip Soup*


Medium crock pot: makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons rice
1 pound carrots, scrubbed or peeled, and cut into small pieces
1 pound parsnips, scrubbed or peeled, and cut into small pieces
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons ground walnuts

Combine the rice, carrots, parsnips, vegetable broth, and water in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low until the vegetables are tender, about 5 hours on low or 3 hours on high.

Using a hand held blender, puree the vegetables. (Or transfer vegetables to a regular blender, then return to the crock pot.) Stir in the milk and pepper. Heat the soup until hot, about 5 to 10 minutes. When serving, sprinkle each bowl with walnuts.

* Recipe from the Complete Slow Cooker Cookbook by Carol Heding Munson.

So how did I improvise? The first time I made the soup I used skim milk rather than evaporated and I believe I cut back on the water. The second time, I didn't pay attention to the recipe and used more parsnips than carrots and put skim milk into the crock pot with the raw vegetables. The soup was tasteless: I made it edible by adding half and half each time I heated up a bowl...