Guest Cook: Jessica's Thai Chicken Salad

I really enjoy it when people come over and cook--since I've become a blogger, I enjoy it even more.

The other day, Jessica was here and made her special Thai Chicken Salad for us. The recipe was included with my Christmas gift with a note saying she would come over and make it for FOODjimoto.com!

When Jessica made the salad, I got to be the one that sat on the bar stools at the kitchen's island watching the cooking going on, chatting and taking photos.What fun!

Jessica's Thai Chicken Salad
serves 8

Ingredients:

6 cups chopped iceberg, romaine and/or red leaf lettuce
green and red cabbage, 2-4 cups combined, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, chopped or stringed
1 cup unshelled edamame
2 cups combined red and yellow bell peppers, chopped
1 cup frozen or canned sweet corn
1/2 cup chopped cashews
3 chicken breasts (or 1 lb. shrimp) marinated, cooked and chopped
Trader Joe's Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

Cut the chicken breasts into strips and pour the dressing--Trader Joe's Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette over chicken to coat, mix well. This can be done several overs before cooking or overnight. Cook the chicken strips in the oven at 375ºF for about 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside. When cooled, dice.

Chop the lettuces and layer with the other vegetables in a large bowl--a glass bowl makes it pretty to see all the colorful layers. We used a spiral cutter to cut the carrot into thin threads. Put the same colored vegetables into the same layer above the lettuces--red cabbage, carrots, green cabbage and edamame, chicken, corn and yellow bell peppers. Top with red bell peppers and chopped cashews. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Toss before serving, or serve the dressing on the side.


Itadakimasu!


Thank you, Jessica, for making your delicious Thai Chicken Salad!


Don't forget to enter our Giveaway, a few days left until the Lunar New Year, Jan. 23rd, 2012!



***

This is Jessica.
She's my son Rick's girlfriend.

This is the nigaoe of Jessica (caricature) we got when my sister-in-law was part of the Charity Nigaoe Project for Japanese Tsunami Relief earlier last year. I wrote about it after the recipe in my Easter Eggs post.

 

Jessica is quite crafty--she's also a jewelry maker--Jessica Drew Designs.

She transferred these two photos onto canvas.

I love this one--it's from when we first met.

Jessica's also a painter. She gave me a painting lesson and I painted this nectarine.

While it took me hours, she painted this scene in only a couple of hours.
She's very talented.

Here she is roasting marshmallows with us around the campfire.
Jessica has a flair for the arts--she's also a bicyclist and hiker, and is fun, friendly, and thoughtful. She has recently discovered a passion for home design. She works for a company that serves non-profit organizations. Her dream is to one day have her own charity fund.

My favorite thing about her is how she treats my son.

We feel blessed to have Jessica in our lives.


***

Jessica's Thai Chicken Salad--Serves 8

Ingredients:

6 cups chopped iceberg, romaine and/or red leaf lettuce
green and red cabbage, 2-4 cups combined, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, chopped or stringed
1 cup unshelled edamame
2 cups combined red and yellow bell peppers, chopped
1 cup frozen or canned sweet corn
1/2 cup chopped cashews
3 chicken breasts (or 1 lb. shrimp) marinated, cooked and chopped
Trader Joe's Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

garnish and optional: cilantro leaves, sliced green onions

Cut the chicken breasts into strips and pour Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette over chicken to coat, mix well. This can be done several overs before cooking or overnight. Cook the chicken strips at 375ºF about 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside. When cooled, dice.

Chop the lettuces and layer with the other vegetables in a large bowl--a glass bowl makes it pretty to see all the colorful layers. We used a spiral cutter to cut the carrot into thin threads. Put the same colored vegetables into the same layer above the lettuces--red cabbage, carrots, green cabbage, edamame and optional green onions, chicken, corn and yellow bell peppers. Top with red bell peppers and chopped cashews. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Seasoned Edamame

My grandmother grew edamame in her backyard garden, the patch of land behind Uncle Mas's bedroom.

When they were ready to be harvested, Bachan pulled the whole bush from the ground, piled them on the concrete, then pulled off each bean pod by hand. I remember helping her when I was little, sitting on the cold concrete next to the camellia bushes by her backdoor. 

My dad grew them too. He'd bring the bushes home and dump them on the driveway in the front yard and call us kids to come and help pick the mame (ma-meh, beans).

The best part, with my grandmother and my family, was when we'd be done picking, the water would be put on to boil, then we'd all sit around eating the lightly salted, warm mame.

Back then, my friends didn't know what edamame was.

Now, everyone eats it.

Have you ever had seasoned edamame?

I started taking a bowl of edamame to parties. Everyone liked them.

At one of the parties, our friend Rick Godinez said he thought they'd be really good--con limon--with lemon. And maybe some chile.

They LOVED them!

I've tried a lot of flavor combinations with lots of different spices, but this one is my favorite and seems to go over best with guests.

Seasoned Edamame

2 packages frozen edamame

Cholula Chile Lime Seasoning

One Lemon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

There's a lot of different brands of frozen edamame. This one had a few yellow ones, don't be alarmed. I remember there being some yellow ones when I picked them off the bushes when I was little. If it bothers you, then simply eat those before you serve them.

We can't all be perfect.

Start with a teaspoon of seasoning mix and go from there, adding more if you like it stronger.

Cook the edamame to the package's directions, or if they're already cooked, simply thaw.

Use your micro-planer to add some lemon zest.

Then juice the lemon.

Add about 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for a little heat.

A finely minced jalapeno is good in here too. So is seasoning it with Spike with a combination of lemon and lime. Again, season it with what YOU like.

Stir well to coat the edamame.

Chill to serve.

If you haven't had this before, you might not know that you're only supposed to eat the inside, you don't eat the pod. You bite it or squeeze the beans right into your mouth.

You'll also need a trash bowl next to the edamame, for the waxy pods.

Be sure to label it "TRASH", otherwise you might find someone standing at that bowl saying, 'These have a really good taste, but there's nothing in them!'