Chinese Chicken Salad

This one's perfect for your upcoming Memorial Day BBQ.  There are lots of these Chinese Chicken Salad recipes floating around the blogosphere, and this one just happens to be the one that I  made up and loved - it has a much more orange color from extra carrots than most recipes, and I really loved it.  It's simple, healthy, and so delicious freshly made, or as a leftover (if it lasts)  This recipe will feed 6 adults as a main dish.

Salad Ingredients
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 package Ramen noodles, broken up
1 small head cabbage, shredded (I shredded mine in a food processor, along with carrots below)
4 large carrots, shredded (about 1 cup shredded)
2 green onions, chopped
3 leftover grilled chicken breasts (marinated in teriyaki sauce), diced

Dressing Ingredients
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground Chinese ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 seasoning packet from Ramen noodles

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.  Toast sesame seeds and almonds for 10 minutes; set aside to cool.  Meanwhile, place dressing ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  Place in fridge.

Place the cooled sesame seeds and almonds in a large bowl. Crumble the Ramen noodles into the bowl and add the cabbage, carrots, green onions, and chicken. Directly before serving, add the dressing to the salad ingredients and toss to coat.  Serve immediately, or after a day of marinating/softening in the fridge, either way is delicious!

Caesar Wraps

Be still my beating heart.  Anything with caesar salad in it is like heaven for me, and this brought back lots of memories of a favorite college eatery.  I used to get these delicious Chicken Caesar Wraps for lunch, and they were sooooo yummy, with lots of flavor - and croutons to boot!  Can't go wrong with croutons - but in this wrap they add a nice crunch!  You can also serve this warm or cold, depending on the season.

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup of prepared Caesar  dressing (I suggest Brianna's Asiago Caesar)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 TBS. lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
16 romaine leaves, washed and left in whole pieces
1 c. sliced roma tomatoes
sliced avocado (optional)
8 Whole Grain Tortillas
1 c. caesar salad croutons
additional caesar dressing & parmesan, if desired

1. Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 1 cup of water, cover and cook on low heat for about 5 hours.

2. Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon and drain water.  Shred chicken, discarding any fat, and return to crock pot.
3. Add dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, lemon juice and pepper over the top.Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour.
4. To assemble, place out a tortilla or wrap and cover with 2 long leaves of lettuce, a few slices of tomato and avocado, and then spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture onto each wrap.  Cover with additional dressing and cheese, if desired, top with croutons, and serve.

St. Patty's Green & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

7/8 Cup butter (1 3/4 stick), softened
3/4 Cup white sugar
3/4 Cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour, bleached preferred
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C. green & white chocolate swirled morsels

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Add soda and salt; mix well. Add flour; mix well by hand or use a dough hook. Add chocolate chips and combine until evenly distributed. Make dough into small balls. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and no longer wet on top. Approximately 7-11 minutes.