Salads | Ginger Smoothy and Otto Pilot

Ladies and Gentlemen. Today Ruth has opened the secret vault and let everyone in on her special Smokey Chicken and Potato Salad. Oh yes my friends this is a special occasion, no one has ever seen this recipe, and it is definitely a keeper.

~Ruth’s Smokey Chicken and Potato Salad~

Ingredients

4 Yukon Gold potatoes, ( about 2lb./1kg) ,peeled, cut in 1/2 ,and cooked in boiling water, until just done
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery ,chopped
2 green onions ,sliced
2 apples , cored and chopped
1 lb or 1/2 kg cooked leftover chicken, chopped *

Dressing

3/4 cup (175mL) real mayonaise
1/3 cup ( 75 mL) lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup(50mL) fresh cilantro or parsley chopped
2 tbsp(25mL) minced chopotle peppers in adobo sauce (or more if you like the heat)
1/2 tsp(2mL) ground cumin
1/4 tsp(1mL) salt
1/4 tsp(1mL) ground black pepper
1/2 tsp(2mL) smoked paprika, or more to taste
2 tbsp (25mL) dijon mustard

Preparation

Chop the potatoes into 1 inch(2.5cm) cubes. Place in a large bowl. Add the peppers, onions, celery, chicken and apples to bowl.

Dressing

This is going to be mixed into the potato mixture. Whisk together the dressing ingredients, taste test.

Pour half of the dressing over potatoes and gently toss together , add more if you need to, otherwise you an save the rest of the dressing to put on at a later time , since the potatoes soak up the dressing , you may want to freshen it up the next day . If it lasts that long .

*I love using chicken from the previous night , cooked with a montreal spice. It gives the salad a great boost of flavor.

The dressing is a general guideline , and some people may like more mayo , some people may like it more smokey. So don’t be afraid to play with it and have fun. You could also add some bbq corn to it to dress it up with a little more color too . Let your imagination guide you .

~Israeli Couscous Salad~

Israeli couscous is larger than the regular couscous, and makes a fabulous salad with great texture. It’s versatile and easy to make even if you don’t have much time. I use the recipe as a guideline but usually end up adding a little more of the things I like or have on hand. It is a very refreshing salad to serve with a nice spicy dish as it compliments it and is cooling on hot days.

Ingredients

1 cup (250mL) Israeli couscous

1 engilsh cucumber diced or any other seedless cucumber

handful of small tomatoes

1 cup (250mL) or more of fresh coriander leaves washed , dried and chopped

1 sweet red pepper , diced

8 green onions sliced thinly on an angle

( chopped radishes are a good option )

Dressing:

1/3 cup (75mL) cup lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

4 cloves garlic crushed

1/2 cup (125mL) good olive oil

Preparation

1. Bring a medium sized pot of water to boil with a pinch of salt . Add the Israeli couscous and boil until they are Al Dente or just soft about 5 or 6 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water. To cool faster you can put bowl sitting in another larger bowl with ice in it , otherwise just cool and put in refrigerator until putting together with other ingredients.

2. Dice cucumbers

3. Cut mini tomatoes in half

4. Dice red peppers

5. Put the cucumbers, tomatoes, coriander, green onions, red peppers and other veggie and herbs you like into a large bowl. Add the cooled couscous .

6. Whisk together lemon jice, garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil and pour over the vegetables and couscous in the bowl. Stir well, taste adjust if needed add more lemon or salt .