summer salad
Orange Chicken Salad
I have been making this recipe for over 10 years! It is filling enough to serve for dinner or a luncheon. It is very refreshing and makes a great summer meal! It pairs nicely with a light white wine.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 large seedless oranges
1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups water
3/4 cup vinaigrette dressing (separate recipe below)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 pound cooked chicken, diced
3 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 cup roasted cashews
salt and black pepper
cucumber slices to garnish
1. Thinly peel 1 orange, taking only the colored part of the rind and leaving the white pith
2. Combine the rind, rice and water in a saucepan. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over very low heat for 15-18 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the water has been absorbed.
3. Peel the remaining oranges and cut out the segments, reserving the juice. Add the orange juice to the vinaigrette dressing (recipe for dressing below). Add the mustard and sugar and whisk to combine well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
4. When the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and cool slightly, uncovered. Discard the orange rind.
5. Turn the rice into a bowl and add half of the dressing. Toss well and cool completely.
6. Add the chicken, chives, cashews and orange segments to the rice with the remaining dressing. Toss gently. Serve at room temperature, garnished with cucumber.
Vinaigrette Dressing
Makes just over 3/4 cup
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
1. Put vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to dissolve the salt. Gradually add the oil, stirring with the whisk. Taste and adjust seasoning.
This recipe was taken from a Barnes and Noble cookbook titled: The Cook’s Encyclopedia of Chicken
Greek Orzo Salad
A few years back my friend Marie asked me what she could bring to my daughter’s summer birthday party as a side dish to BBQ foods. I wasn’t sure what she should bring and she suggested an Orzo Salad. Since everything she makes is amazing, I said, “Sure!” It was such a huge hit! Everyone loved it and since then it has earned a permanent place on my food table for my daughter’s birthday parties. I am sure there are similar recipes floating around the internet, this one was clipped out of a local newspaper.
Ingredients:
1 cup Orzo
6 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 small red onion, minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup minced parsley
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 English cucumber diced
12 Greek olives, halved and pitted
6 ounces feta cheese
In large saucepan bring 2 quarts water to a vigorous boil. Add orzo and cook until slightly at dente (8 to 10 minutes). Rinse, drain, and place in 2 quart serving dish, toss with 1 tablespoon oil.
Whisk together remaining olive oil, vinegar, onion, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley. Pour over orzo, cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. Toss remaining ingredients with orzo mixture before serving.
Serves 8
Notes:
It’s important to use fresh parsley rather than dried because the fresh parsley is part of the great flavor.
I have made this recipe the day before by following the instructions above and refrigerating. I also chopped the cucumbers and tomatoes and put them in separate containers in the frig. Right before serving I added the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and feta. This ensures those ingredients stay fresh and don’t get soggy soaking in the marinade overnight.
The Well Organized Mom 