Something I find really interesting about having this blog is people often apologize to me about what they eat or how they cook when we talk. Like I am going to judge or something. I try to reassure folks I am much more likely to judge your hideous shoes or your dolt boyfriend over the ring-ding in your pantry, but these reassurances generally fall on deaf ears. These fears always intrigue me because the about me page on this blog explicitly states that one of my favorite foods is pigs in a blanket. Nothing says klass like processed meat wrapped in dough from a pop can dipped in vats of Heinz ketchup. (Or, you know, jello cake…)
Now, of course I do have my food judgments (Hello, picky eaters!! Bite me, Sandra Lee!) but in general, a dough boy makes me as happy as foie gras. Everything has it’s place in this world. There really is something about a sheet cake from Costco that makes my heart sing, and for this, I will not apologize.
Along this vain, I have been known to drag in a Lean Cuisine for lunch at the office. It is fast, easy and I defy anyone to tell me that the Chicken Enchilada Suiza isn’t 280 calories of creamy goodness. Yet, I will never understand how people can eat one of these prepackaged meals every day. It seems to be a recipe for boredom and a slow death from dehydration due to sodium overload.
Since the weather is finally warming up, I decided to make chicken salad for lunches last week and leave the Lean Cuisines at home. See? Chicken salad? Not really revolutionary. I mean look at the picture folks; I never said it would all be pretty… I’ve made chicken salad before, but this is one of those dishes that is open to a million interpretations. I really liked the nuttiness of the sesame and the crispness the snow peas added. I have pasted the original recipe below, but I kind of just eyeballed everything and it turned out great. (If you do eyeball this, be careful with the sesame oil; it is potent.)
Sesame Chicken Salad
Adapted from Coconut & Lime
2 cubed poached chicken breasts or about 2 cups leftover roasted chicken
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used low fat)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup diced snow peas
4 green onions, sliced
salt
pepper
In a small bowl, stir together the mayo, sesame seeds and the sesame oil. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, salt, white pepper, snow peas, celery, and green onions. Stir in the mayonnaise and make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
yum, snow peas (or even snap peas!) such a good idea… sometimes chicken salad needs a twist like this… and yeah, while i can be a food snob too, sometimes i like to take a sweet gherkin and wrap it in processed cheese and eat it… in secret. i invented it and i call it the “pickle rollup” and no i am not pregnant – he he he
One of my secret shames is canned green beans doused in yellow mustard. Delicious…that pickle roll-up sounds like something I could get on board with as well.
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There’s a restaurant in Chinatown that does a tuna salad sandwich and it’s a similar take like this – except they throw sunflower seeds in it. Who knew that you could make tuna salad fun???
I love tuna so much that my childhood cat was named Tunah.
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Oh, YUM. Chicken Salad is my FAVORITE.
And I love a good Velveeta and Rotel Queso….and Slim Jims.
I have never had a Slim Jim…isn’t that weird? And dear god is Velveeta and Rotel a tasty treat.
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Ah yes… a proper chicken salad consists of chicken chunks, as opposed to like… chicken paste.
Chicken paste? WTF! Thankfully I have never consumed such a thing…is that like deviled ham or something?
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One of my absolute favorite things to eat is spaghetti with boatloads of garlic and butter with a little parmesan sprinkled on top. Not exactly high class cuisine, but oh my god I could eat that all day…and I have.
Dunno if you watch Top Chef, but I was having a conversation the other day about how the people on the show bitch about having to “dumb down” their cooking. I call bullshit on that. Some amazing chefs make simple, homey, foods and make them gourmet.
Jo, I made that exact pasta dish (with red pepper flakes) for a friend the other night. It is delicious. And I agree re: Top Chef snobbery. They always say you can judge a chef by his/her roasted chicken and eggs…You don’t need truffle oil to make that happen…
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For those of us who can’t eat any kind of seed or nut becasue of dietary restrictions, will the sesame oil give it enough zing. I love tuna salad but have always found chicken salad a little bland, but this recipe sounds like it might kick it up a couple of notches.
You can leave it out for sure and it will still be good.
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I mean look at the picture folks; I never said it would all be pretty…
Looks nasty, tastes good!
Nasty! That is way harsh, Tai.
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I say these words to you: Memorial Day weekend. Pigz in blanketz. And that is all.
And that is all I need, really.
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You remember a lot about your adolescence — most people don’t. I’m that way, and so is Irina in New York. I’m referring to the movie you’re quoting, which was a big hit when you were… 15? Most people our age wouldn’t remember a pretty obscure line from it, just what the movie was about.
And you still refer to males as “boys.” That’s because you still have a youthful way of speaking, right? — and not because you think males in their late 20s are juvenile. I mean, science has proven that we’re more mature, after all.
I have a shockingly good memory; it is a gift and a curse. I was 14 when Clueless came out…
And I am quite youthful…yes. I would never question science.
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I am seriously coveting that sandwich right now. Though, I would leave out the celery–my mom’s chicken and tuna salads never had celery, so now I’m really sensitive to that flavor and texture. Isn’t it funny how our childhood biases pop up in the most unexpected places?
I had a friend in college who would not eat pecan pie bc her mom told her it was disgusting. She never tried it her whole life.
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