Sweet-Savory-Crunchy Chicken Salad

Lately, I haven't been cooking as much as usual, nor posting the results. This one turned out really great but I didn't weigh or measure every ingredient, so this is more of an idea than an exact recipe, but hey, it's chicken salad! I've rarely met one I didn't like! Give this combination a try.

8oz. roasted chicken meat
1 can (drained) diced water chestnuts 
4-6 green onions
2 ribs of celery
3 small dill pickles
5-6 lg. garlic olives
a BIG handful of craisins
a BIG handful of walnuts
mayonnaise - to hold it together

Chop or slice the ingredients and mix everything together in a medium glass bowl. For a Chicken Waldorf variation, omit the olives, pickles and craisins, and substitute a couple of your favorite apples, peeled and diced. . .Lin

The Chicken-Or-The-Egg Salad. . .

Chop the following into a medium glass bowl:

4oz. roasted chicken dark meat
3 hard boiled eggs
3 big radishes
1/3 lg. red bell pepper
1/2 med. yellow onion
4 giant garlic-stuffed olives
a handful of Kalamata olives
1T± Heinz Salad Vinegar
enough mayonnaise to hold everything together

Mix everything together gently, then check the flavors. I added a little garlic salt and about 1T dried parsley. This has good flavor, especially if you like olives, and a nice crunch. . .Lin

Olive-Mushroom Chicken Piccata

Cook up 6-8 oz. of your favorite thin spaghetti, to al dente. Drain, saving about a cup of the starchy pasta water, rinse in cold water to chill, then drain again, sprinkle on 1T dried parsley, and set aside.

A lot of home cooks and chefs swear the only way to serve pasta is piping hot, fresh drained, just after cooking. However, after reading articles such as ~this~, I now cook, drain and chill it, before reheating to serve it the first time.

Begin by sautéing the following over low-medium heat, for just a few minutes, until the chicken looses its pink color. Usually, truffle-infused EVOO should be only a finishing oil, but if you keep the heat low, definitely well under its smoke point, you can impart wonderful truffle flavor to dishes.

8 oz. small pieces of chicken

~or shrimp~ add these later*

a little of chopped purple shallot

1 clove or so of the sliced garlic

fresh ground black pepper

2-3T truffle-infused EVOO

Next add 8 oz. of mushrooms, continuing to stir and sauté a couple minutes. Add a couple ounces of the pasta water then cover, and let it steam on low heat. When it's sizzled a bit, remove the cover, turn up the heat and let it cook until half the cooking liquid is evaporated. Add the *(shrimp) rest of the chopped shallot, garlic, zest and juice of 1 lemon.

After the garlic turns translucent, continue to evaporate the liquid, lightly browning everything. Add a little more of the cooking water and 1/3c of chopped olives and 1/3c of drained capers. Stir, shut off the heat and cover for a few minutes before adding the pasta to the pan and combining it.

Now combine 3-4oz. of hot pasta water with 1T chicken Better Than Bouillon. When that dissolves and cools a bit, stir it together with 1/2c sour cream. Pour this over everything in the pan, bring it to a bubble for just a minute or two, to thicken the sauce, cover and turn off the heat for a minute before serving. Sprinkle with a little half-sharp Hungarian paprika for a little pop of color and spicy-peppery heat.

I have other food for dinner tonight, but made this today since my lemons and mushrooms were starting to look tired.

This will taste much better chilled and reheated tomorrow, when eaten for the first time. . .Lin

Antipasto-Charcuterie Pasta

I had a little bowl of leftover pasta from the chicken-shrimp thing I made recently. I almost pitched it this morning. Then I noticed olives, pickles, and some other fun ingredients and decided to make this up. . .for breakfast today! 🙃

1c cooked thin spaghetti

1-2T truffle infused EVOO

everything bagel seasoning

Combine these in a little bowl, chop the following and add to the bowl:

1 thick slice Swiss cheese

4 baby dill pickles

5 Kalamata olives

1 big green onion

1/3 ripe avocado

1/2 small tomato

Toss all this together and heat it for 30 seconds in the microwave. Mmmm. . .Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, or a great, colorful, side to grilled fish, chicken, or steak. Pasta. . .It's not just for Marinara anymore .. 😊 .. Lin  

Interesting Scrambled Eggs

These eggs are hard to describe. They're sort of sweet AND savory, in the best possible ways, and the combination was delicious! The onion and tomato add a nice sweetness. The olives, cheese and preserved garlic add the savory. The mayo, EVOO, and Farmer's Market pasture raised eggs all add good omega 3's. All in all, they were surprising, I'll make this again. Give this, or some variation a try!

First, in a small bowl, whisk 2 large eggs together with 2-3T of real Mayonnaise and fresh ground black pepper.

Heat 2T Greek EVOO in a frying pan. Add 5 preserved garlic cloves, from the deli - the ones preserved in seasoned EVOO. Chop them well with half a medium onion. Add these to the hot oil in the pan. When that's sizzling and partially cooked, pour in the egg mixture. Cover a minute or two, then gently move everything around the pan, flipping it once so at the end there are no shiny-uncooked areas. Serve with your favorite olives and some cut, seasoned cherry tomatoes. (Today I used dry dill, fresh ground black pepper and Himalayan pink salt.) Notice and savor all the subtle flavors. This went together quick and could easily be a good healthy breakfast, even on a busy day.

However, at the end, I added a slice of the least possible healthy 'cheese'. . .Velveeta! Regarding this. . .I rarely buy bread, but at one of my favorite high-end grocery stores, a few days ago, they had Artisan loaves of Olive-Rosemary bread! Ahhhh, grilled cheese! I love mine cooked with slices of fresh tomato and raw onion. . .And it has to be nasty American 'cheese'. Or, even worse, Velveeta like my mom used in my childhood. Every once in a while, I think it's okay to cross the line. . .Just don't stay there! 😉 . .Lin

Olive-Zucchini-Pesto Pasta with Chicken

This was fun. . !

I had 12oz. of mushrooms and 4 small zucchini just at their peak or a bit past.  After a long day of cooking and outside plant work in the heat, I still wanted to get this done, so I started it at 10pm.  It's a little after midnight now, so. . .not bad!  Some would call this Puttanesca, but although similar, it doesn't have all the same ingredients.  Start by browning the chicken in the EVOO over med.-high heat:

8oz. boneless, skinless chicken cut in small pieces
2T single source EVOO
seasonings - I used black and cayenne pepper, Himalayan pink salt, and ground rosemary

Once that's cooked, remove it from the pan and add the following vegetables. Add more EVOO if needed to stir-saute' for 10-15 minutes, adding bone broth when needed.

12oz. mushrooms, washed and sliced
4 zucchini cut in quarters lengthwise then sliced
1/2c basil-parmesan-pinenut pesto

Next add the sliced green onions, 1/2 a small jar of drained pimento, 1c± sliced pickled garlic and spicy Sicilian olives, and more broth or pesto if needed. Simmer on a low bubble for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and just bring back to a simmer. Serve over your favorite pasta. I used spicy red pepper spaghetti. . .Lin

Olive-Garlic Chicken and Pasta

12oz. dry pasta - cook al dente'

1# chicken breast strips

2T vinegar and oil salad dressing

¾c sliced kalamata olives

8 lg. stuffed green olives - sliced

1½ med. onion - chopped

½ med. orange pepper - sliced

2c sliced celery + tops

lots of minced garlic (9-12 cloves)

4oz. red roasted pepper in a jar - chopped

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and sauté and stir in the dressing for 10 minutes.  Add olives and a little of the onion and continue to sauté and stir another few minutes.  Add the celery, orange pepper, rest of the onion, cover and simmer a little longer.  Stir in the garlic, red pepper, salt and pepper.  Stir and cook until the celery is crisp tender.

In a 3-4 quart baking pan, combine all the ingredients, add more dressing if needed, cover and bake at 325° for about 15 minutes just to finish the cooking and heat everything through.   This is more like a hot pasta salad, than a traditional hot Italian pasta dish, since I used dressing in place of the usual Alfredo or red sauce.

Try it - See what you think! . .Lin

Italian Chicken, Beans, Pasta and Greens

15oz. jar of Alfredo sauce

6-8oz. chicken bone broth

6oz. olive tapenade

~ Whisk these together

8oz. dry white beans - cooked

~or~ 2 cans - drained and rinsed

1 bunch green onions - chopped

12oz. cooked chicken - chopped

a couple big handfuls of fresh kale - chopped and simmered 8 minutes (these are all shown in the big bowl)

12oz. dry pasta - cooked al dente'

1# zucchini - sliced-diced

3 ribs of celery - chopped

1 skinny sweet orange pepper - sliced

1½oz. packaged sun-dried tomato - diced

~ Drizzle these with EVOO and season with dry rosemary, Himalayan pink salt and a mix of red and black ground peppers.  Roast at 400° for 15 minutes. (shown at the left, above, after roasting)

shredded parmesan cheese

This is a pretty time and labor intensive recipe if you do it all from 'scratch,' start to finish. So pick and choose how, and/or if, you want to cut corners = rotisserie chicken, packaged/canned chicken broth, canned beans, fresh spinach instead of fresh kale (spinach doesn't need pre-cooking) are all examples.

Once everything is assembled as shown in the second picture, put a layer of each in a glass baking pan. First the chicken-kale mixture in the bowl, then the pasta, then the roasted vegetables. Drizzle with the Olive-Alfredo sauce, top with shredded parmesan. Refrigerate or freeze now if you'd like.

When ready to eat, (defrost) then bake at 300°
for 20-25 minutes. . .Lin

Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta

1½# chicken meat

2T butter

4 lg. cloves garlic - minced

½ med.-lg. onion - diced

2t dried oregano

1-2t Rosemary Seasoning *

dry white wine

Sauté the chicken with this group of ingredients.  As the liquid evaporates, brown the chicken a bit, then add a little more white wine.  Repeat this process several times to get a nice browning on the meat.  Add the following ingredients to the pot. . .

28oz. crushed tomatoes

½ med.-lg. onion - chopped

1 can quartered artichoke hearts

1c sliced kalamata olives

½c caper berries - drained

1T sugar

1c dry white wine

Simmer all the above for at least a half hour to develop the flavors.  Serve over al dente spaghetti or medium pasta.  I decided on black bean penne for tonight. . .Lin

Chicken Bruschetta Pasta with Tomatoes and Cream

20oz. chicken breast meat 

2T butter

2T dark, sweet Balsamic vinegar

1lg. clove chopped elephant garlic

1/2c chopped kalamata olives

1/2c chopped lg. green garlic-stuffed olives

2 sm. diced tomatoes

partially cooked bowtie pasta

1/2c or a little more sour cream -  optional

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put in pan with butter and vinegar.  Saute' until browned on the outside.  Add the next 4 ingredients to the pan, stir and simmer 15 minutes to blend and develop the flavors.  

Put the pasta on top.  Cover and simmer another 15 minutes.  If pasta is done the way you like, it's ready.  However, it will taste even better if you chill at this point then reheat.  Add sour cream, then heat another 5 minutes before serving. . .Lin  (Shown with a side of Shrimp Alfredo)

Spicy Mediterranean Pasta Salad

1 lg. clove elephant garlic

- or - 3 lg. regular cloves

4oz. kalamata olives

1 sm. can sliced black olives

1/2c drained caper berries

1/3c drained chopped pimentos

1/2c extra virgin olive oil

1/4c dark balsamic vinegar

1t+ sea salt and ground rosemary

1/4t+ ground black and red pepper

1 can artichoke hearts - drained and cut up

1c - or more - sprouted lentils and mung beans

8oz. dry quinoa pasta - cooked "al dente" - drained

1 lg. Roma tomato - finely cubed -optional-

4oz. ± crumbled feta cheese

Chop garlic and kalamata olives into a big glass bowl.  Add next 7 ingredients, stir together then let rest to blend the flavors for 30 minutes.  Add artichokes, sprouts, tomato and pasta.  Mix and let chill 30-60 minutes.  Top with cheese and toss just before serving. . .Lin

Olive Chicken and Pasta

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2-3 frozen tomatoes – peeled

6-8oz. black & green olive bruschetta

1 lg. elephant garlic clove – minced

½t cayenne pepper

1t ground rosemary

½c sour cream – optional

Slice then cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Saute', in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, until lightly browned all around. Thaw and peel the tomatoes. Chop and add to the chicken. Simmer, covered, 5-10 minutes then add the bruschetta and garlic. Continue to simmer and stir another 5 minutes, adding a little water if needed. Stir in the sour cream, heat to a low simmer then combine with cooked angel hair, spaghetti or linguini. . .Lin