Recipe(s) of the week...

A yummy red bell pepper. Note the bite marks. It was once an ingredient for my lunch, sitting whole on the counter...until a little boy helped himself to 2/3 of it when I wasn't looking.

Yummmmmm....

Chinese Chicken Salad (a.k.a. Issy's Favorite Dinner Ever)

1 head of romaine or green leaf lettuce, chopped

2 cups of snow peas, rinsed and sliced on the bias

1 cup of sliced carrots or matchstick carrots

1/2 pkg of rice noodles, cooked according to directions and rinsed/cooled*

*buy these in the Asian food section of any grocery store

2 chicken breasts, grilled and sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced

1/4 c sliced green onions or thinly sliced red onions

1 can mandarin orange slices, drained

Asian dressing of your choice--we love the Briana's Ginger Mandarin.

sliced almonds for garnish

cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Blanche peas. (Bring saucepan of water to a boil, submerge sliced peas for 1 min, drain them and then plunge them into a bowl of ice water. Once they're cool, drain them again.)

Blanche carrots . (Same as the peas, except if they are sliced--not matchstick--boil them for 1 1/2 - 2 min instead.)

Layer plates with lettuce, peas, carrots, oranges, peppers, rice noodles, then top with chicken slices, onion, cilantro, and almonds. Drizzle dressing and pig out. YUM. Makes 4 HUGE salads or 2 adults plus a few kids. :)

Another use for kale/swiss chard...Potato Chard "Au Gratin

Kale and swiss chard are in season around here so recipes calling for either one have been a hot topic at work (especially with Rebecca the garden queen). If you haven't tried either one, go for it (or just substitute spinach)! This recipe is so yummy and not intimidating. :)

Preheat oven to 350.

2 large potatoes (or equivilant in red potatoes), sliced thin

1-2 bunches of swiss chard or kale (don't fret about actual measurement here--go big or go small, it's good either way)

3ish Tbsp butter

S&P

dried thyme

2-4 oz of swiss cheese, grated or diced small

1/2 cup milk

Butter an 8x8 casserole or baking dish.

Place 1/4 of the potatoes in a layer on the bottom of the casserole dish. Sprinkle with S&P, add 1/3 of the chopped kale/swiss chard, dot with 1/2 Tbsp butter and sprinkle with a pinch of thyme and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times, then end with a layer of potatoes. Pour the milk over the top, cover with foil, and bake 1 hour or until the potatoes are tender. (When I made this, I cheated and softened the potatoes a bit on the stovetop first then baked for about 35 minutes.)