After the Crunchy Chicken Chinese Salad, I still had over half the bunch left. Luckily, Bok Choy keeps well… I decided to pair it with shrimp this go around, and came up with this Asian inspired salad. We’re salad lovers around here, if you can’t tell… So, I made this salad, and guess what? I STILL have Bok Choy left. What now??

Salad Ingredients:

Note: I don’t measure for salads. I throw stuff in a salad bowl until it looks balanced. That said, I’ll try my best to give you approximate measurements for feeding two people.

shrimp, about 15-20 small or 10 large
Bok Choy, about 5-6 cups
purple cabbage, shredded, about 1 cup
red pepper, 1 small- medium, diced
won ton wrappers for fried won-ton strips, see method below

Dressing Ingredients:

lemon juice, about ¼ cup
lemon zest (optional), from 1 lemon
peanut oil, about ¼ cup (use olive oil if you don’t have peanut oil)
rice vinegar, a couple tbsp.
fresh ginger, a 1-2 inch chunk, peeled and grated
brown sugar, a tbsp. or two, depending on taste
salt and pepper to taste

Fried Won Ton Strips:

Grab a stack of won ton wrappers, about 6-8, and cut them into strips. You should get 3-4 per square, and it’s easier to run your knife through the entire stack, not one won ton wrapper at a time. That way, you only make 3-4 cuts.

Fill a small fry pan ½- ¾ of the way full of canola oil or peanut oil. Heat over high until hot, then reduce the temp to medium or medium-high.

Working in batches, fry the strips. They take about 30 seconds per side before they burn, so don’t walk away from them!

Using tongs, remove the strips from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Salad Guidelines:

Start with the dressing, so the flavors have time to meld. Whisk the ingredients in a bowl and let stand until ready to use. Give it a final vigorous whisk before dressing the salad.

Prepare the won ton strips.

Cook your shrimp. If they are uncooked, they will take 3-5 minutes, depending on size. If they are previously cooked, you can warm them, or use them cold. Make sure they are de-thawed and the tails have been removed.

Wash and chop the Bok Choy. Place it in a bowl along with the shredded purple cabbage and the diced red pepper.

Dress the veggies with the salad dressing, and plate. Add shrimp and won ton strips to individual plates.

Wine Recommendations:

Washington State Riesling or a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Ancho chiles are dark and fruity tasting. Rachael said they have a raisin flavor, and I’d have to agree. They are also very mild. I removed most of the seeds, but I have a feeling I could leave them in with no problems. If you’re at all sensitive to spicy foods, go ahead and remove them, however. For me, I could almost add heat to this dish, but it’s not necessary. The flavors are great, and you certainly wouldn’t want to overwhelm the dish with heat. But I digress…

My first attempt at making these didn’t go so well. Well, it went fine except for one thing—I forgot to make the enchilada sauce! Ha! I made sauce all right, but I added every last drop the chicken mixture, and it needed it. So, I needed to make another batch, but I didn’t have any more ancho chiles. We ended up eating those as quesadillas, and the next day, I went to the store to buy more anchos. In this case, the second try was a charm.

Important Note: I made homemade white flour tortillas for this, and I think that quality of tortilla is essential to the recipe. I’d steer away from traditional store-bought tortillas, but if you have a bakery or local restaurant that will make them and sell them to you, that’s an option. Otherwise, try making your own. It’s fun!

Ingredients:
about 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
6-8 dried ancho chiles
6-8 cups chicken stock
8 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 oz. Queso fresca cheese, crumbled
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
1 cup green cabbage, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, cubed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. canola oil
homemade tortillas (see important note above)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. oregano
2-3 tbsp. cumin
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. cocoa powder

Guidelines:

Make or purchase some form of homemade white flour tortillas. They really do make a difference in taste and texture! Buy or make 16-20.

Bring a large pot of water to a strong simmer. Add chicken breasts and salt and pepper. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until chicken shreds easily. Remove from pot, let cool, and shred.

To make the ancho chile sauce, reconstitute the chiles in the chicken broth. Bring the chicken broth to a simmer (you can use the same pot you took the chicken out of, unless you want to prepare them simultaneously, just be sure to drain the water) and add chiles. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until chiles are softened. Remove from chicken broth, but reserve chicken broth. Let chiles cool, then remove stems and seeds.

Working in batches, blend the chiles with the chicken broth. Reserve half of the mixture for the enchilada sauce. The other half you will use with the chicken.

In a large sauté pan over medium-low heat, sauté the minced garlic in the canola oil until just fragrant. Add shredded chicken and half of the ancho chile sauce. Add half the oregano, cinnamon, cumin, and cocoa powder. Mix well and let simmer on low while you prepare the rest of the dish.

In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining ancho chile sauce with the other half of the herbs and spices. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes, to let flavors marry. Keep warm.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. On individual plates, place one to two tortillas. Top each with a handful of cheese and a large spoonful of chicken. Place tortillas over the top and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Don’t spread the sauce over the top at this point. You don’t want it to dry out.

Once the plates come out of the oven, spread the ancho chile enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cabbage, the queso fresca, and chopped tomatoes and avocado.

My husband suggested Chow Mein noodles for next time, so I’ll probably buy some and see if they work out, though I usually think they taste like bad grease. Ugh. Perhaps I’ll fry up some fresh wonton skins instead… But really, I don’t think this salad needs them. The peanuts are sufficient enough for me.

Ingredients:

Note: I cook for 2. If you’re cooking for more, adjust accordingly.

1 cup green cabbage, shredded
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
2 cups bok choy, sliced, diced, torn, or however you like it
2 tbsp. cilantro
1-2 bone-in chicken breasts, shredded (see note in intro)
1-2 large carrots
1-2 celery ribs
peanuts (add a palm-full to individual plates so they don’t get soggy)

Dressing Ingredients:

1/8-1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 tbsp. sesame oil
6-8 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated or food processed

Muddle all ingredients and let sit while you prepare the salad. Give a final vigorous stir before dressing the greens.

Guidelines:

If you’re using bone-in chicken breasts, heat a large saucepan of water over medium-high heat. Add salt and pepper. Once the water starts to boil, add the chicken breasts, turn the heat down, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the meat pulls away from the bone easily. Remove from pan, let cool, shred.

Toss green cabbage, red cabbage, and bok choy with the cilantro.

Chop the celery and carrot. Add to cabbage and bok choy.

Add shredded chicken.

Toss all ingredients with the salad dressing.

Put on individual plates and top with peanuts.

You can stuff calzones with any pizza topping ingredient. In this recipe, I choose to roast sweet cherry tomatoes with olive oil and sea salt. Along with mozzarella, that was my main ingredient. Simple but delicious. For the sauce, I made a basil marinara sauce which lent a bright, fresh flavor to the calzone. It’s not necessary to use fresh mozzarella in this recipe, either. Not that it wouldn’t work, but it doesn’t melt as well, and will cost you twice as much for the amount you’d need to buy.

Ingredients:

one batch of pizza dough, divided into fourths; I LOVE the recipe on Julie Jams, available here
1 bundle or container of cherry tomatoes
olive oil
sea salt
¾ -1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated

Basil Marinara Sauce Ingredients:

A word of caution: I didn’t measure these ingredients exactly… Feel free to adjust as you see fit.

one large bunch basil, about 2 cups, roughly chopped
3 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
large spoonful of tomato paste
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
olive oil, about 3 tbsp.
fresh ground pepper
salt to taste

Guidelines:

Make your pizza dough several hours before you plan on using it. It will need time to rise.

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Place cherry tomatoes in a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle the tomatoes with sea salt just as they begin to burst. Roast tomatoes for another 15-20 minutes, or until they have completely burst. Once the tomatoes have come out of the oven, keep the oven on to this temperature to bake the calzones.

In the meantime, prepare your basil marinara sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients except for the tomato paste into a blender or food processor and blend until relatively smooth. Transfer to a small sauce pan, add tomato paste, and heat on medium-low heat. Stir until the tomato paste is incorporated. Keep warm while calzones cook. You will use the remaining sauce for dipping.

Grate the mozzarella.

Once the dough is ready to be worked with, divide it into four equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, stretch the parts into relatively round shapes.

Over the entire circle, spread a thin layer of the basil marinara sauce.

On one half of the circle, place a mound of cheese. Place about 5 cherry tomatoes on top of the cheese, then top with more cheese.

Fold the other half of the dough over the stuffed half and press the edges shut. Prick several times with a fork so it will release steam and not burst. Sprinkle top with sea salt.

Repeat for each calzone. Makes four large calzones.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Within an hour or so, all four of us had our limit and the guys were soaked. We cleaned up as best we could, piled in the Jeep, and headed for town to eat clam chowder. Nope, not homemade. Not yet. We still had to clean our score. It was a great day, one of the best I’ve had in this part of the world. And eating the clams we dug hasn’t been so bad either. In fact, if I’m being honest, I think we’ve kind of overdosed on them! Even my husband, who isn’t a seafood lover, chowed down.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, or visit and have the chance to go razor clam digging, do it! Here are two ways you can then enjoy your hand dug clams.

Clam Fettuccine

This is more an idea than a recipe. It’s very versatile. Use whatever pasta you have on hand—linguine, spaghetti, penne, anything will do–and any style of tomatoes and fresh herbs. Well, not any fresh herbs. I wouldn’t recommend dill, for example. But basil, parsley, a small amount of oregano, maybe even chives, would probably taste good. You can even add pine nuts if you’d like. Or zucchini, yellow squash, onions… you see what I’m getting at, don’t you?

Anyway, here’s how I made it, using what I had on hand:

For two people:

½ lb. fettuccine
¼ cup pasta water, reserved from boiled fettuccine
1 cup fresh clams, cut into bite-size pieces ( I prefer the more tender digger part.)
3 tbsp. butter
1 heaping tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tomato, diced
handful of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
handful of fresh basil, chiffonade
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Guidelines:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water, then drain fettuccine.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add chopped garlic. Simmer until fragrant, taking care not to burn.

Add clams and cook in butter and garlic until they no longer look transparent, but take on a milky white color.

Add diced tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Don’t cook long, just warm through. At this point, you can add a splash of seafood stock to the pan if you have it. Otherwise, use ½ of your reserved pasta water.

In a large pasta bowl, place the pasta. Toss with the remaining pasta water. Top with the clam mixture, toss, to combine, and add freshly grated Parmesan cheese and the fresh basil.

Deep Fried Clams with Spicy Horseradish Cocktail Sauce

This is a simple breaded and fried recipe. Serve the bite-size clams pieces with the spiciest horseradish cocktail sauce you can find/stand.

For two people:

2-3 clam necks, or 6-8 diggers, cut into bite-size pieces is plenty.
2 eggs
1 ½ cup flour
1 ½ cup bread crumbs
enough canola oil to mostly fill a small sauté pan

Guidelines:

Dredge your bite-size clam pieces in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Fry in hot oil until dark golden brown. Remove and let drain on paper towels. Serve with the spiciest cocktail sauce you can find/stand. If you can only find mild, purchase horseradish and add some into the cocktail sauce.

In my house, salad night is something we look forward to. It’s an important ritual that keeps our bodies, minds, and schedules healthy and functional. Wine is also an important part of our lifestyle and daily supper. A glass while cooking, or with dinner, helps us relax, and since we only drink red wine, it’s a heart-healthy addition to the meal. As always, feel free to use the ingredients and ideas that work for you and your family. For example, if you’re worried about your cholesterol, feel free to substitute the shrimp for a white fish or even chicken.

Enjoy!

Salad Ingredients:

Note: I cook for two people. If you’re cooking for more or less, adjust accordingly. Also, adjust the amount of ingredients you use depending on size of fruits and vegetables and individual tastes.

1 tomato, sliced
½-1 red pepper sliced
½-1 avocado sliced
1/2 -1 cup black beans
15-20 small shrimp, or about 10 large, deveined and shells removed
handful of cilantro, chopped
½ Anaheim chile, cut into rings; seeds and pith removed; (optional)
baby salad greens, about 6-7 cups

Dressing Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
¼ cup orange juice
shy ¼ cup canola oil
dash of allspice
dash of salt
sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes

Guidelines:

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and let marry while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Cut all your fruits and veggies as called for in the ingredients, and set aside.

Drain the black beans and set aside.

Cook the shrimp and let cool. Shrimp are done in about 2-3 minutes per side.

In a large salad bowl, combine the greens and the chopped cilantro. Give the dressing a final whisk, then toss the greens with ½-3/4 of the salad dressing.

Top each plate with greens, then add the remaining ingredients. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing over the top. Serve.

Wine Recommendations from the Wine Editor:

Australian Sauvignon Blanc
Washington State Riesling
South American Carmenere

I made this salad as a light main dish. If you need a more substantial dinner with plenty of protein, however, it would make a great side salad. Pair it with roasted chicken or pork tenderloin, perhaps a loaf of country bread on the side, and you’d have a great, full meal.

Ingredients:

(Note: These portions are for two light meal main dish salads. Adjust the ingredients as necessary to fit your purpose and portions. )

spring greens (two full plates)
1 apple, cored and sliced
½ cup pecans
3 thick (about ¾”) slices of aged White Cheddar Cheese
1-2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs
several cups of canola oil for frying
a pat of butter

Dressing Ingredients:

(Note: The amounts you see below are only approximates. I rarely measure. Apologies!)

¼ cup hazelnut or walnut oil
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp. brown mustard
1-2 tbsp. honey
a couple sprigs of fresh thyme

Guidelines:

Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad, then give a final vigorous whisk before serving.

In a small sauté pan, heat enough canola oil to fry the cheese sticks.

In three separate pans (I use pie pans), place the bread crumbs, flour, and eggs. Beat the eggs well. Cut your cheese into thick slices (about 3/4 of an inch), then cut them in half length-wise, and width-wise, if you choose. Dip the cheese sticks first in flour, then in the eggs, then in the bread crumbs. Fry until crisp. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain.

In the meantime, slice and core your apple. Sauté the slices in a pat of butter until just softening. You can add the pecans to the apples at this point, and let them heat through, or toast them separately.

To assemble the salad, place a healthy serving of spring greens on your plate. Arrange the apple slices around the perimeter, sprinkle the pecans over everything, and drizzle with dressing. Don’t toss. Mound the cheese sticks in the center and serve.