Recipe: Watermelon and Goat Cheese Salad with Poached Chicken and Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

4 cups of mixed salad greens (European/Spinach mix)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 lb. watermelon, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup shelled hazelnuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tsp salt
3 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground sage
1 1/2 tbsp hazelnut oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp of Dijon mustard

Directions:

If chicken breast is not already cut into fillets, cut into two smaller portions. Place in the bottom of a medium pot. Coat with the salt, 2 tsp of the black pepper, the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and sage. Fill with enough water to submerge the chicken fillets plus 1/4 inch. Place pot on stove and turn heat up to high. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Continue cooking the chicken for another 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the water and shred with a fork.

In a large bowl, combine salad greens, watermelon, goat cheese, hazelnuts, dried cranberries, and the remaining 1 tsp of black pepper. Toss together lightly with tongs. In a small bowl, whisk the hazelnut oil, balsamic vinegar, and mustard together. Put the shredded chicken into the bowl. Top with the vinaigrette and toss together until fully combined. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe: Drunken Beef

I’ve been to many Chinese restaurants who have “drunken chicken” or “drunken fish” on their menu, and you likely have, too, but this recipe is nothing like that (except for the fact that the recipe does use booze ;)). I derived this from a dish I had when I was in Japan - I know this is not exact, but it’s pretty darn close and really darn good.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. thinly sliced flank steak
1 cup low-salt soy sauce
1 1/2 cup good sake
3 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. minced ginger
2 tbsp. sugar
1 bunch of chopped scallions (green and white parts)
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
2 tbsp. hazelnut oil (or almond oil)

Directions:

Combine soy sauce, sake, 2 tbsp. of the garlic, ginger, sugar, scallions, and cumin into a large bowl. Mix well. Add steak to bowl and marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Heat the hazelnut oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the steak from the marinade, the remaining 1 tbsp. of garlic, and the white and black pepper. Stir the steak constantly in the wok to prevent sticking. Once the steak has browned on all sides, add 1/2 cup of the marinade mixture to the wok, lower heat to medium, and continue to cook until most of the liquid has cooked out, stirring constantly. Remove from heat immediately and transfer to serving plate. Serve over sticky white rice.

Serves 4.