Soup and Salad Recipes:
Meat and Seafood Salads

Pork Oriental Salad
Salad Nicoise
Baby Spinach, Crab, Tomato and Creme Fraiche Salad
Chicken and Melon Salad
Chicken Ginger Salad
Curried Chicken and Mango Salad
Gingered Chicken Salad
San Antonio Chicken Salad

Pork Oriental Salad

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound pork tenderloin

Marinade:

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce,
2 tablespoons sherry, optional
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce

Dressing:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ginger root, grated
1 dash Tabasco sauce, optional

Salad:

6 ounces vermicelli
1 cup carrots, julienned
1 cup pea pods
4 green onions, sliced, tops included
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

Marinade:

Cut the pork into very thin slices, suitable for stir-frying. Mix brown sugar, soy sauce, sherry and Hoisin sauce. Pour over the pork strips in heavy plastic bag. Place in refrigerator to marinate for up to 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.

Dressing:

Combine oils, sugar, soy sauce, ginger root and Tabasco or other hot sauce. Blend and put into refrigerator to chill.

Salad:

Cook vermicelli to desired doneness. Add the pea pods and carrots during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water. Put into large bowl and pour the dressing over vermicelli mixture. Add the green onions. Set aside while preparing pork.

Pork:

Remove the pork from refrigerator and put into a wok or large heavy skillet. Include some of the marinade. Stir pork strips until browned and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and add to the salad mixture. Mix the salad well.

Cover and refrigerate 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. If desired, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds just before serving.

Salad Nicoise

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 1/2 cups torn mixed greens or fresh spinach leaves
1 6 ounce can tuna packed in water
4 ounces fresh green beans, cooked until just done
4 cooked new potatoes, quartered
2 ripe roma tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 hard boiled eggs, halved
1/4 cup black olives
small tin of anchovies in oil
1 teaspoon capers, drained and rinsed, optional

Dressing:

9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic, smashed with salt until paste
ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large serving bowl, place the mixed greens. Drain the tuna and flake onto the greens. Add the green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, black olives, anchovies and capers if using.

Place all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Pour over the salad and serve immediately.

Baby Spinach, Crab, Tomato and Creme Fraiche Salad

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

4 ounces baby spinach
4 ounces white crab meat
3 plum tomatoes
juice of 2 lemons
2 ounces creme fraiche
1 tablespoons chives, chopped
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Pick crab of all the white meat. Wash the baby spinach well. Remove skin and seeds from the tomatoes and coarsely chop. Mix the lemon juice into the creme fraiche.

Mix all the ingredients together with the chives and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Chicken and Melon Salad

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

Salad:

3 chicken breasts, whole, boneless
1/2 cantaloupe
1/2 pound black grapes
1/2 pound asparagus
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated

Dressing:

1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Salad:

Cut cantaloupe into chunks. Halve and seed grapes. Trim asparagus, steam or microwave until just tender. Cut asparagus into 2 inch lengths.

Combine stock, wine and garlic in a pan, add chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes on each side, or until tender. Drain chicken, cool, and shred finely. Combine chicken, melon, grapes, asparagus and capers with dressing. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Dressing:

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well. Keep chilled until needed.

Chicken Ginger Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 15 ounce can of artichoke hearts
1 7 ounce can baby corn
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, julienned
sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
mayonnaise, enough to moisten
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice
1 tablespoon shredded fresh basil
1 head Bibb lettuce
2 roma tomatoes cut into wedges

Preparation:

Drain and rinse artichoke hearts and corn. Quarter artichoke hearts and cut the corn into smaller pieces. Set aside. Peel ginger and julienne into matchstick size pieces. Put ginger in a small dish and toss with a little sesame oil.

Toss chicken, artichoke hearts, corn, ginger, mayonnaise and soy sauce together with salt and pepper. Test for taste and add a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with basil. Serve over a platter of lettuce and place tomatoes around the edges.

Curried Chicken and Mango Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 quarts water
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup peeled cubed mango
4 lettuce leaves

Preparation:

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and let cool. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.

Combine yogurt, lime juice, honey, curry powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well. Add mango and reserved chicken. Toss well. Spoon salad onto lettuce lined individual serving plates.

Note: Papaya or pineapple may be substituted for the mango.

Gingered Chicken Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1 cup snow peas, julienned
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon oriental sesame oil, optional
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic finely minced
1 bunch watercress, for garnish

Preparation:

Place the chicken, scallions, peas, bean sprouts and mushrooms in a large bowl. Combine the soy sauce, ginger, olive oil, sesame oil, lemon juice and garlic and toss with the chicken mixture. If desired, transfer to a bed of lettuce on a serving platter and arrange watercress around it.

San Antonio Chicken Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 large whole chicken breasts, split, boned and skinned
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 ripe avocado
1 cup sliced celery
Bibb or leaf lettuce leaves
4 crisply cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Preparation:

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch cubes. Combine salsa, cumin and salt in 10-inch skillet. Cook chicken in salsa mixture, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer contents of skillet to mixing bowl; cover and chill thoroughly.

To serve, combine chicken mixture, sour cream and mayonnaise. Mix well. Peel, seed and coarsely chop avocado. Add avocado and celery to chicken mixture. Mix lightly. Spoon onto lettuce-lined salad plates; sprinkle with bacon. Serve with additional salsa on the side.