TJ's Mediterranean Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS: 

-full bag of fusilli noodles (black bean noodles or lentil noodles work great, and make this dish gluten free!) 

Handful each of

-kalamata olives

-roasted marinated red peppers

-artichoke hearts

-frozen corn, A half a bag

-chicken, 6 tenders or thighs. Or 3 chicken breasts. 

-8 cherry tomatoes

-1/4 red onion

-5 radishes

-1 clove elephant garlic, or a few cloves regular garlic

To taste 

-goat cheese

-Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS 

In a skillet, cook off finely diced garlic with butter, till translucent.

Add seasoned chicken (I liked garlic salt and pepper) when half cooked, start shredding it with two forks. (If it starts out frozen, cook in fryer till fully defrosted, finish cooking in pan and shred)

Place chicken and garlic in a separate bowl with frozen corn, and let residual heat thaw corn.

Cut cherry tomatoes to preferred size and blister in pan till umami flavour is strong. Roughly chop remaining veggies, fresh and marinated.

Do not waste any oil from the marinated veggies, as this will be our sauce. 

Mix everything thoroughly into a large bowl sprinkling in the cheeses to preference. Season with salt and pepper to taste, mushroom salt pairs nicely.  

Balance is important. Especially with the marinated veggies as the oil is important and also filled with flavour.

Ideas for Chopped Salad

The idea behind a chopped salad is pretty basic: chop greens and stuff into smaller pieces. This makes the salad more dense physically, which results in greater flavor density. The result is that the salad is easier to eat, because I can get a whole mouthful easily, and more flavor (and nutrition) per bite. 

I've come to the conclusion that fundamentally, the recipe for a chopped salad is this: "Clean your refrigerator. Chop it with lettuce. Garnish. Serve."

Here are some ideas for chopped salad:

Ruth's Chris Chop Salad

Ruth's Chris Steak House:

Julienned Spinach radicchio & iceberg lettuce.  (3:1:6 ratio) [Comment: they mold the dressed salad in a piece of (clean) PVC pipe. Looks cool.]

Hearts of palm

Green olives

Sliced mushrooms

Sliced red onions

Diced boiled egg

Blue cheese crumbles

Chopped cooked bacon

Croutons

Lemon basil dressing

Other Interesting Ingredients:

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup fresh or frozen corn, cooked and cooled

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed

3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack

tortilla chips or strips (optional)

Lemon Basil Dressing:

2 tablespoons Pommery mustard

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

16 basil leaves, very thinly sliced

Coarse salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Caesar Salad, GuyFoods Style

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive or macadamia nut oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2 strips thick-cut bacon, in small cubes
¼ cup roasted chicken breast, chopped fairly small.
1 brown egg
2 TBSP shredded (not ground) parmesan cheese

3 large leaves of romaine lettuce, cut into strips.
¼ cup goat cheese or feta cheese
¼ cup homemade croutons, small (or store-bought croutons, quartered)
2 TBSP (or so) of creamy Caesar salad dressing.

Heat up a cast iron skillet with the oil. Add bacon. Fry until fairly done and add chopped garlic. When the garlic softens, add the chicken. When the bacon is done, the garlic and chicken will beginning to get brown.
Add one egg and scramble until bacon and garlic is coated. When the egg is pretty well done, add parmesan cheese and remove from the heat.

In the meantime: prepare the lettuce, place in a fairly large bowl. Crumble the goat/feta cheese into the lettuce, and add the croutons. Add dressing and toss. Add egg/bacon/chicken mixture and toss some more.

Serve with a nice amber ale.

TJ's Yummy Salad!

Courtesy, Chef TJ McLain

(3 servings)

Ingredients:

Mixed salad greens (lettuce stuff) several large handfuls
Beef steak strips from premiere selections (it's at Costco but its just yummy spiced beef thin strips): a big handful
Smashed up dry ramen (very fun!) one package, no flavoring
Bacon, 6 strips (2 each)
Feta cheese, small handful
Chopped almonds, a handful
Cranberries, just a sprinkling
Green onions 4 or 5 of the stock or heads or whatever you call them.
And one apple, chopped up into chunks. Fairly small.

I put it in a pot with the lid and shook everything all up, so all the flavors get mixed up together.

Toppings:
Dribble with extra virgin olive oil, and some balsamic vinegar.
Or put with pepper
Or leave it alone
(all three are good.)

IDEAS!
So we thought maybe replace the beef with smoked salmon.
Or replace the apples with Satsumas or oranges.
Ooh ooh! Pears would be good too!