Use Your Noodle Salad

Use Your Noodle Salad (taken from Kids Healthy Cooking)
1 cup torn cos lettuce
12 snow peas, trimmed and chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber
2 tbsp grated carrot
1 tbsp bacon bits
1 tbsp ranch dressing
1/4 cup dry chow mein noodles

Put the first 5 ingredients into a bowl. Drizzle with the dressing. Toss until coated.
Sprinkle with the noodles. Serves one.

I played a little fast and loose with quantities on this one. I managed to get one of those 'salad packs' marked down, a Caesar one, so I had bacon and cos, and I threw the lot in without measuring. I used a whole lebanese cucumber, sliced in half lengthwise, and then thinly sliced on the diagonal. I skipped the carrot, because we aren't very big on grated carrot, but I did add a punnet of golden grape tomatoes, halved, so we still got that splash of orange.

I did use only 12 snow peas. I had more, since I was making a big bowl for 5, but the balance of snow peas to everything else seemed good after the 12 were added, so I didn't chop up any more ;) I don't follow recipes very often with making salads. I just add the ingredients until it looks like there is enough of each thing. So I have no idea how much ranch dressing I used. Probably more than called for. I like ranch dressing.

This was an entry for
The Cookbook Challenge: Week 16 - Noodles.











Don't forget to get messy with your young 'uns for Kids In The Kitchen, training our next generation of food bloggers! ;)

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Okay, so I took the cheats way out by buying a Caesar salad kit to make this, but next time I swear I'll do it properly. I felt like it needed vegetables of some sort too, chicken with pasta and bacon and cheese flavoured powders plus salad dressing doesn't really do it for me as nutritionally balanced. But crunchy crumbed chicken forgives a multitude of cooking sins anyway.

Oh, before I forget, there's a new blog out there called Regretsy - who knew there were so many bad taste crafts out there for sale?


Tonight is the deadline for the Virtual Night In, so get those entries in!

Chicken & Camembert Turnovers with Roast Potato Salad

Sounds fancy huh? Tasted pretty fancy too. But it's dead easy. Perfect to impress those fussy friends or in-laws!

All you do is fry up some chicken strips, and some sliced mushrooms. Fry them very lightly, you don't want to overcook the chicken. Grab a sheet or two of frozen puff pastry out of the freezer first, so that it has slightly defrosted while the chicken cooks. You want it pliable, but not too soggy.

Slice a wheel of camembert into small wedges. Slice the pastry into two large triangles, cutting the square in half diagonally. Place 3 or 4 pieces of cheese on each half, then top with the chicken and mushrooms. You might need to drain the cooked mixture first.

Taking one corner of the pastry, fold down into a smaller triangle, sealing all the yummy stuff inside. Press together the two open edges, making sure the pastry seals. Cook for about 20 minutes at 180C, or until golden.

I served these with a salad made with lettuce, basil leaves, mayonnaise, fetta cheese, and some chat potatoes which I cut in half, and then boiled until almost cooked. Then I tossed them in some olive oil, added a little sea salt, and roasted them on the bottom rack of the oven under the turnovers. Add to the lettuce just before serving, so the basil is starting to wilt and release its beautiful fragrance just as you hand out the plates. The crumbled fetta goes so nicely with the warm potatoes too.

Don't forget to think (and cook!) pink for the Virtual Night In, raising money and awareness for Breast Cancer Research.

Hay, Hay, It's Donna Day: Parmesan and Polenta Chicken

Another blog event from Stephanie at Dispensing Happiness: Hay, Hay, It's Donna Day. This is actually round 28, as you can see over at Chez Us. You might remember around this time last year my Triple Choc Pancakes for an earlier round of the same event. What follows is how I made mine, go and check out Stephanie's post for the original recipe, this would be great any way you made it!
(as I found out in the round up)

We had a lovely sunny spring day here today, so this went down great. Although Master One spat his out and made me heat up a can of pumpkin risotto, and Miss Three left most of her leaves behind. But it was a beautiful, fresh, light meal, and would be great for entertaining. I served with it garlic ciabatta rolls, and even had an Apple & Pink Grapefruit mineral water and Vodka with mine, very posh indeed.

Parmesan and Polenta Chicken
500g chicken tenderloins
flour for dusting
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1/2 cup polenta
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
400g baby spinach leaves
one bunch basil, leaves only
1 cup of frozen corn kernals

Combine the parmesan and polenta. (depending on the size of your tenders, you may run a little short like I did, just top up the bowl by sight near the end of coating if you find that happening). Put the corn in a microwave container and heat on high for 2 minutes. Put the leaves in a big bowl.
Dust the tenderloins with the flour, dip into the egg & press into the combined parmesan & polenta to coat. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat & cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden & cooked through. Set aside to barely cool. Toss the warm corn through the salad leaves. Slice the chicken into small strips, and add to the salad. Smell that awesome sweet smell of the basil as the hot chicken and corn warm the leaves. MMM, heaven.

This is perfect for entertaining... if only we entertained more often!

We don't dress salads in this house very often, but if you do, here is the dressing that goes with:

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
sea salt and cracked black pepper

Place everything in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the salad and top with shaved parmesan, just before serving.