Recipe: Chicken Salad

I was tempted to call this, “Everything But The Kitchen Sink Chicken Salad,” but as you can see, that name is WAY too long. lol… I came up with this recipe this morning, basing it off others I’ve made before, but changing it up a bit and it was so delicious, so I have to write it down [or… type it out]. I’m only going to include the ingredients and method for the chicken salad itself. I ate it over a regular green salad with a light oil & red wine vinegar dressing. I’ll have a picture uploaded when I eat the rest of it – this made 2 servings for me. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast, shredded into chunks
1 Tbsp Miracle Whip [use whatever mayo you prefer]
1-2 Tbsp Greek-Style Yogurt [to your desired creaminess…]
2 Tsp Whole Grain Mustard
1 Tsp Frank’s Hot Sauce
1 Med Celery Stalk, diced small
2 Mini Kosher Dill Pickles [or use one regular sized pickle], diced
1 handful Red Seedless Grapes, diced [8-10 grapes]
1 Tbsp Fresh Italian [Flat Leaf] Parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp Feta Cheese, finely crumbled
1 Handful Roasted Hazelnuts, coarsely chopped 
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Method:
– Shred up some pre-roasted chicken breast into bite-sized pieces [room temp to cold]
– Add mayo, yogurt, mustard, hot sauce and mix until incorporated
– Chop up the rest of the ingredients and add them in, folding in as you go
– Sprinkle feta and freshly ground black pepper over the top and serve 

 Notes:
– You can sub out anything you don’t like – leave out the hot sauce and/or mustard if you just like a creamy chicken salad
– I usually use walnuts in chicken salad, but didn’t have any on hand – substitute your favorite roasted nut for hazelnuts, or leave them out if you don’t like added crunch to your chicken salad
– I like parsley for that added freshness, but it can be left out if you’re not a fan…
– You can sub out the grapes for granny smith apples – which is what I normally use, or any semi-crunchy fruit – pears would work, too…
– this makes for a great sandwich, or as part of a salad, or it can be eaten as-is
– I didn’t add salt because I had the pickles and the feta cheese in there… but if you leave the feta out, you may want to add a little salt to taste – you could use blue cheese or gorgonzola in here, too, or goat cheese – this is a versatile recipe that takes well to changing things up so you can have it fairly often and not get bored with it…

Recipe: Italian Egg Scramble

I’m always looking for quick and yummy ways to get protein in the mornings… I love eggs, but I can get bored with them, so I’m constantly trying new things. Not that this recipe is new or innovative, but more of a reminder that simple is sometimes just plain delicious – and fast! 

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 Tsp Milk [I use whole milk – you need the fat for this or else you’ll get weepy, watery eggs]
1/4 Cup grape tomatoes, diced
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian [flat leaf] parsley
1-2 Tsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste 

Method:
– Turn burner on to MEDIUM and heat up pan
– Add olive oil and toss in diced tomatoes – you can use any tomato, I just love grape tomatoes for their flavor and how easy it is to dice them up…
– In a small mixing bowl or cup, whisk up egg, milk, chopped parsley and salt & pepper
– Add egg mixture to tomatoes in pan, stir with rubber spatula until desired doneness

Note:
You can certainly add some cheese in this and it would be that much more delicious [mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, goat cheese… whatever you love!]. I didn’t have any on hand at the time, and it was delicious without, so I figured why add in the calories if I don’t have to. That doesn’t mean I won’t next time, though…   =) 

Enjoy!