Recipe(tried): Chinese Chicken Salad and The New Cobbler

Graduation Day! Went to a party for a friend's daughter and then came home to a light supper - it's warm and humid so I really appreciated a crunchy salad. The salad will be delicious at work tomorrow, too - lightly marinated but still crisp. A bowl of fresh sliced strawberries and some just-baked knot rolls from the local bakery were great additions. The cobbler is for later - when I watch my favorite show, "Doc Martin" - there's nothing like TV and snacks!

Chinese Chicken Salad
Sliced Strawberries
Knot Rolls
The New Cobbler

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CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 medium heads romaine lettuce, washed
2 to 3 cups finely chopped red or green cabbage
1 1/2 cups julienned or shredded carrots
1 bunch green onions, very thinly sliced on diagonal, green parts only
1/2 English cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, seeded/ribs removed, thinly sliced
2 pkgs ramen noodles - discard seasoning packets
Dressing (recipe follows)
1 1/2 cups lightly salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 jar mandarin oranges [about 25 oz], drained well

Place chicken in pan and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer 10 minutes. Cover pan and turn off heat. Let sit 25 minutes. Remove chicken to plate and cool 30 minutes. Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cover and refrigerate.

Cut romaine cores off about 2 inches from end. Then, holding romaine leaves firmly together, cut cross-wise with large sharp knife every inch to inch and a half - to get "chopped salad" effect. Combine with the other vegetables; refrigerate all vegetables after preparing.

Leaving ramen noodles in package, break up well with fingers. Empty into glass bowl. Stir in enough dressing to coat all noodles. Let sit up to 1 hour at room temperature, stirring frequently.

TO SERVE:
Combine all salad ingredients in large bowl, including the dressing mixed with the ramen noodles. Add remaining dressing to taste and mix well. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate any leftovers.

You can halve this recipe easily. Extra dressing makes a great marinade for later in the week; try pork tenderloin before grilling.

DRESSING

I usually double the following recipe for the amount of salad above:
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup peanut or canola oil
5-6 Tbsp brown sugar, to taste
1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp chili-garlic sauce [can find in Asian food section]

Mix all ingredients in blender or food processor, or by hand with whisk, until smoothly blended. Best if refrigerated at least 4 hours before using in salad.

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THE NEW COBBLER

I had this dish three different times last summer, from 3 different cooks; all of them said it was a new recipe for them. This cobbler combines stale bread and a sort of custardy mixture to make the topping, a kind of 'New Age French Toast'. It's really delicious on top of fresh fruit in summer, but you can also use unsweetened frozen fruit in the winter.

6 cups fruit, peeled and sliced [I used strawberries and blueberries] or (2) 16 oz frozen bags of fruit, like peach slices
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour, divided use
1/2 tsp almond or vanilla extract
5 slices stale white bread
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, melted
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Stir together fruit, 1/4 cup flour, extract, and place in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish.

Trim crusts from bread and cut each slice into 5 strips. Arrange bread strips over fruit.

Stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons flour, sugar, and last 3 ingredients. Drizzle over bread strips.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

VARIATION:

THREE BERRY COBBLER:
Mix together 1 pkg each of frozen raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, about 10 oz each. Use vanilla and 1 tsp lemon juice in fruit mixture.

Enjoy!