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.

Onion Soup with Mushrooms

It's soup weather here in Southern California--or it will be later this week--we're expecting rain.

Onion soup holds a special place with our family.
Our daughter Karen went through a serious French Onion Soup phase when she was young--she liked it so much she ordered it at every restaurant--and judged how good the restaurant was by the quality of their soup.

I think this soup warrants a  closer look, don't you?

 

This version is a little different, it's got mushrooms in it, and an apple.

I made it with small crimini mushrooms, the next time I make it I'm going to try it with shiitake and shimeji mushrooms. I think that will be good.

adapted from Cooking Light--serves 10

Ingredients:

6 large brown onions, quartered and sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
10 oz. small crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 apple, cored, peeled and julienne cut
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup Madiera wine or dry sherry
1 sourdough baugette, cut into cubes and toasted
8 ounces grated Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon vegetarian beef base or 6 cups beef broth

optional:

1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Start by slicing the onions--it will cook down so don't worry it's too much.
Get the onions cooking over medium high heat in a large dutch oven or pot by melting the butter, adding the onions, and stirring frequently for several minutes. Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking until the onions brown (watch the heat so they don't burn) for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

 

In the meantime, slice the mushrooms and julienne cut the apple.

The onions take some time, but be patient. You could caramelize them in a large skillet, it goes a little faster, but you still have to be patient, especially when you're doing a lot of onions. After the onions caramelize, add the mushrooms, apple and pepper, and cook for another few minutes until the mushrooms wilt a little, then add 1/2 cup wine and loosen the brown bits at the bottom of the pan with your spatula or spoon.

 

Add 8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon beef base or 6 cups beef broth. If you're using the optional apple cider, put it in now. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

While that's cooking, preheat broiler and cut the sourdough baguette into cubes and broil until lightly browned, about 1 minute on each side.

Preheat oven to 500ºF.
If using the optional sherry vinegar, add it now. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Using oven safe bowls, ladle soup into bowls placed on a baking sheet, put a few pieces of sourdough cubes on top of the soup and sprinkle with grated Gruyere.

I like having leftovers--the soup is really good the next day.
Here it is again using the bowls I got for the Pizza Pot Pies.

We only used about a tablespoon of shredded cheese and decided to leave the thick gooey layer of decadence for restaurant fare.

Garnish with a thyme sprig.

I sent Karen a picture of our Onion Soup with Mushrooms and she answered, "No Fair!"--she's jealous and lives too far away to pop over and have some. She calls it F.O. Soup--French Onion Soup. When she was in junior high, she liked it so much she ate F.O. Soup everyday--sometimes twice a day--for 8 days straight.

Ah--the Good Ol' Days.



Itadakimasu!



Still a few more days for our Giveaway, until the Lunar New Year, January 23rd, 2012.



***



Remember my nieces?

Hannah and Leslie?
 (Look at Rick in the background getting into the picture!)

I entered into a vegetarian challenge with them at the beginning of 2010.

Hannah is still a vegetarian, but Leslie and I are not.
I did well--it was pretty easy since I was doing it with them--but a year-and-a-half later Leslie sent us a message:

I just wanted you to know I ate meat.
I'm going to be a flexitarian.

Leslie and I agreed, it's too difficult for us at get-togethers with family and friends not to eat what everyone makes. For me, it almost felt...disrespectful...at times. I also noticed some of the older family members stressing over what to prepare for the vegetarians, which made me a bit uncomfortable. As easy as it is for me to serve everyone's dietary preferences, it's not easy for others--and as much as I've said, "Don't worry about it, I'll bring something vegetarian," when going to eat at someone's home, I discovered it caused some degree of stress for the hostess. Is it because as an American-Japanese I was taught not be be a bother--to conform? Was it because I was raised eating meat and like it or because I didn't fully adopt vegetarianism as a conviction?

In any case, I like Leslie's idea--

flexitarian--a diet that is plant based with occasional meats.

That seems to suit me best.

***

Onion Soup with Mushrooms-Serves 10

Ingredients:

6 large brown onions, quartered and sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
10 oz. small crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 apple, cored, peeled and julienne cut
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup Madiera wine or dry sherry
1 sourdough baugette, cut into cubes and toasted
8 ounces grated Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon vegetarian beef base or 6 cups beef broth

Optional: 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Get the onions cooking over medium high heat in a large dutch oven or pot by melting the butter, adding the onions, and stirring frequently for several minutes. Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking until the onions brown (watch the heat so they don't burn) for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, slice the mushrooms and julienne cut the apple.

After the onions caramelize, add the mushrooms, apple and pepper, and cook for another few minutes until the mushrooms wilt a little, then add 1/2 cup wine and loosen the brown bits at the bottom of the pan with your spatula or spoon. Add 8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon beef base or 6 cups beef broth. If you're using the optional apple cider, put it in now. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Preheat broiler and cut the sourdough baguette into cubes and broil until lightly browned, about 1 minute on each side.

Preheat oven to 500ºF.

If using the optional sherry vinegar, add it now. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Using oven safe bowls, ladle soup into bowls placed on a baking sheet, put a few pieces of sourdough cubes on top of the soup and sprinkle with grated Gruyere. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Game Day Big Tacos with Arugula

If you often look for something easy, fast and tasty to make for your football watchers, you might like these Game Day Big Tacos with Arugula. When I got home from the market yesterday, my husband had been working in the yard all morning and was ready to come in for some lunch and watch some football.

"Do we have anything for lunch?"

How about a bean burrito?

"Sounds good."

The bean burritos turned into Big Tacos--we could only fold them in half.

Ingredients:

8 inch whole wheat tortillas

1-14 oz. can refried beans

chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeños & cilantro with lemon to make a quick pico de gallo

grated cheese

arugula

optional:
leftover meats

leftover spanish rice 

hot sauce

After pre-heating my comal--a flat, round, caste iron pan made to heat tortillas given to me by my friend Sue, I cook the tortillas until they're slightly crisp on the outside, but still chewy on the inside. Then I put a smear of refried beans, which I heated in the microwave. I added a small scoop of leftover Spanish rice (or other leftovers make it interesting), pico de gallo and a little cheese.

When I visited my parents the other day, they gave me a big bag of arugula my dad grew--all washed and ready to go. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Pile the arugula on--I think that's what makes it really good.
I try and start out small so I can roll them like a burrito, but they end up big so they turn into big tacos.

Itadakimasu!


***

The last couple of days I've been using this table for photos. I've been asking my husband to make me some table tops for variety in my food photography, and he's suggested several times to use the table in the garage. He took half of the stuff on and around the table away, and  I cleared off what was left--the bucket of gardening tools, balls of twine, bicycle pumps, car and dog washing stuff and dragged the table outside. Gary was right, it worked well!

Years ago, we rescued this table from his parents' house--it was in an old, musty shed in their backyard they called The Dog Bear. I think the name has something to do with how tool shed is said in Japanese--dougu beya. 'Dog Bear' is what it must have sounded like to all the Fujimoto kids--so that's what they've always called the shed--The Dog Bear. My sister-in-law from Japan finds the linguistic interference so amusing. Gary says he remembers one of the kids (maybe himself) writing "Dog Bear" on the door of the shed in chalk. This table is the one that my husband's parents used as their kitchen table when they were first married, over 60 years ago!

***

Have you enter our Giveaway yet?

To celebrate our 1st anniversary of blogging, we're giving away 5 sets of two tea towels made by Cheryl Ann Okamoto of Cato Crafts. Each set will contain one 'Family' towel plus a random choice of one of the other three designs. Just leave us a comment at the end of our anniversary post, Top Ten Posts for 2011. You can enter until the Lunar New Year on January 23, 2012.

***

Game Day Big Tacos

Ingredients:

8 inch whole wheat tortillas

1-14 oz. can refried beans

chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeños & cilantro with lemon to make a quick pico de gallo

grated cheese

arugula

optional:
leftover meats

leftover spanish rice 

hot sauce

 Put the refried beans in a bowl and heat them in the microwave. Also heat any leftovers that you think might be good/interesting in a taco.

Mix together the chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeños and cilantro with a squeeze of lemon and season with salt and pepper to make pico de gallo. Grate cheese.

Heat the tortillas on a comal, caste iron skillet or pan until crisp on the outside but still chewy on the inside. Layer beans, rice (or other leftovers), pico de gallo, cheese and arugula. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Chicken Soup with Rutabagas

I haven't been doing a whole lot of cooking lately, I've been feeling a little under the weather--all I've been wanting to eat is okayu and umeboshi--Japanese American comfort food.

Today I set out to make Chicken Pot Pie, but just didn't feel like eating that, so I decided to make some chicken soup. With rutabagas.

I can't remember eating rutabagas when I was a little girl. I remember eating turnips because my dad grows them, but I don't recall eating rutabagas.

I didn't eat them until I was an adult. Rutabagas are good, they add a nice flavor to soups and stews--really adding depth to the broth.

 

This is a rutabaga.

I'm sure this was not the freshest vegetable at my local grocery store--maybe there's not much call for rutabagas--I bought 3 anyway. Rutabagas are kind of special--and the name is also fun to say.

 

Peel the rutabaga--it can be eaten raw--it tastes a little like a turnip or kohlrabi. 

If you don't like to waste anything, save the peelings for when you're making stock.

Slice it into pieces--it's not starchy like a potato.

 

You can find a more thorough recipe for chicken soup on my Money Saving Chicken Soup post.

I made a big pot of soup so I could share it with my son Rick--he's also feeling a little under the weather.

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken
2-14 oz. cans stewed tomatoes
about 2 cups each--chopped onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, rutabagas
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 cup chopped parsley

seasonings:

salt & pepper to taste, a pinch red chili flakes, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary and oregano

Pull most of the skin off the cooked chicken.
You could also use an uncooked chicken.

Add enough water to halfway fill a 12 quart pot, and skim off the fat that floats to the top.
Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

I always make a big pot of soup, you may want to make less, so adjust accordingly--the amounts aren't critical. I think the broth is the best part of the soup, so if you like the meat or vegetables more, use less water. What's going to make it good is to make it just how you like it. I also like to share some AND have leftovers, so I make a lot.

Add the vegetables and simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and debone, coarsely shred, and add it back into the pot. Season to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.

I made some cornbread too. My husband is all smiles when he comes home and smells cornbread baking in the oven.

Itadakimasu!


***


A long time ago, an old timer in our Japanese community and also my friends' dad, George Taguchi, introduced me to rutabagas. You might remember his wife, Mrs. Taguchi, who made the best Chinese Chicken Salad from an earlier post. After Mrs. Taguchi passed on, sometimes I would make dinner for Mr. Taguchi since he lived alone, practically around the corner from me.

One day, Mr. Taguchi--who I'm imagining must have been in his 80's or so--called and said he was making me some dinner to reciprocate, and,  'C'mon over to learn how to make good beef stew'. When I got there, Mr. Taguchi was standing at the stove with an apron on, browning the beef and putting in the vegetables while his new rescue dog ran underfoot. He told me,

'Use rutabagas in stew. If you use potatoes, they will make you fat.'

That is how I was introduced to rutabagas--it was maybe about thirty years ago and to this day, whenever I think of rutabagas, I remember George Taguchi.

I haven't been eating enough rutabagas.

Remember this old picture from the...1960's?
When I told you about our obon odori teacher, Mary Hatakeyama?
Mr. Taguchi is in this picture, too!

  

That's Mr. Taguchi--and right next to him is my mom holding my little brother, Ken. 

I remember my dad saying that Mr. Taguchi and my grandfather were friends, so our families go back a long way. Mr. Taguchi had a great sense of humor--I like to think that's where his children and grandchildren get theirs--they're all really funny and I always have a good time with them. Mr. Taguchi was a farmer (like my grandfather and father) and grew Chinese vegetables. His son Benny joined him under Tag Farms and then his son Joe took over. Joe is the one I worked for at the Farmer's Markets--Taguchi Farms.

Mr. Taguchi was so nice to make dinner for me, not an easy feat by the looks of the mess he was making in the kitchen--we chatted a little while I helped him clean up and wipe the splatter off the wall while his exuberant rescue Bruno ran in and out of the kitchen. After he got all the vegetables into the pot, he told me to come back in 2 hours and the stew would be done. It was the best beef stew I've ever eaten.

--

This is a bunch of turnips my dad grew and delivered to my door. Rutabagas are similar to turnips, but the ones I found at my grocery store looked not nearly this fresh!

Don't forget to enter our Giveaway, you can enter until the Lunar New Year, January 23rd, 2012!

***

 

Chicken  Soup with Rutabagas

Serves 8 to 10 

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken

2-14 oz. cans stewed tomatoes

about 2 cups each--chopped onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, rutabagas

4 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups chopped cabbage

1/2 cup chopped parsley

seasonings:

salt & pepper to taste, a pinch red chili flakes, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary and oregano

Pull most of the skin off the cooked chicken, and put into a large pot. Add enough water to halfway fill a 12 quart pot, and skim off the fat that floats to the top. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the vegetables and simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and debone, coarsely shred, and add back into the pot. Season to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Serve with cornbread or crusty bread.

FOODjimoto's Top 10 Posts for 2011 and A Giveaway!

FOODjimoto.com celebrated it's First Anniversary this month, January 4th, 2011 was the date of my first post! This blog was a Christmas gift last year from my daughter and son-in-law--I wasn't sure if blogging would be for me--but it has been a lot of fun and I'm enjoying it!

After receiving the gift, and a few days later getting the message, "Go! It's live!", I'd open up the site a few times a day, look at it--and close it up again and walk away--not knowing what to do or what to write. The first thing I did was put a counter on it, just to see if anyone would come by and look. Each time I would log on, the counter jumped ten or 15 views--it must have been my family looking to see if I had gotten started yet--so I jumped in--and 181 posts later--these are the highlights!

Just for fun, here's my top 10 posts (by page views) of 2011:

1. Grandma Kimbro's 2 Layer Cheesecake

2. Créme Brûlée

3. Cinnamon Rolls

4. Gyoza - Japanese Dumplings

5. Chashu - Chinese Barbecued Pork

 

6. Easter Eggs

7. Creamy, Cheesy Potato Leek Casserole

8. Green Chile Posole

 

9. Chocolate Mint Mochi Cake

 

10. Furikake Chex Mix

A big Thank You to my family and friends--and everyone that's been so supportive with all your encouraging comments and also to those that have stumbled me on StumbleUpon, pinned me on Pinterest, etc. You have no idea how excited I have been to see such a big jump in readers because of one photo! Thanks to Foodgawker and Tastespotting--their websites were what made me strive to gain some photography skills in order to pass muster--it still tickles me to see one of my photos make it to their galleries.

To commemorate this occasion--because I am excited to have been blogging for one year, and as a small token of my appreciation for being so encouraging to me--I'm giving away 5 sets of 2 tea towels made by Cheryl Ann Okamoto of Cato Crafts.

Cheryl is a fellow crafter and does beautiful work, I absolutely love all her products and designs.

Each set will contain one "Family" tea towel--it's my favorite of the moment.

Plus a random choice of one of the next three designs--
"A Friend For All Seasons"

"May Your Tea Cup Runneth Over"

Or, "May your rice bowl always be full!"

To win one of these sets of  two towels, simply leave a comment below with your favorite post of 2011 or a shout-out of something else you like about FOODjimoto.com.

The winners will be chosen at random by my son Rick on January 23rd, the Lunar New Year.

Cheryl also makes the famous shoyu and oil bottles--if you're Japanese-American and living in California, you probably have one or more of these.

She also makes this lazy-susan.

Cheryl didn't make many of these gems, I'm happy I was able to get one!

If you would like to contact Cheryl about her crafts you can email her at catoc@pacbell.net.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!