Chicken and Mango Rice Salad

Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend!

Back to work, and back to the routine....so I've been on a salad kick lately and made a few more so I could take them to work for lunch. It is just too dang hot here to go outside...ever!  

You are gonna love this salad!  Plus, it's quick and easy to make.

The wonderful people at Tasty Bite sent me some samples to try and review.  Please note, that all opinions are my own.  Tasty Bite invites you to "Explore all natural, exotic flavors from around the world. Enjoy Tasty Bite by itself as a quick and easy bite, as a side dish. Tasty bite is your solution to a delicious and flavorful meal, ready to eat in 90 seconds!"  They have wonderful prepared packaged Indian and pan-Asian dishes.  

I chose to use the Thai Lime Rice to make a wonderful Chicken and Mango Rice Salad.  I just love rice salads.  Since they are served cold or at room temperature you don't have to fuss with heating them up.  I love the flavors of Thai food, so I decided to keep that theme and jazz up the salad a bit with some fruit and a protein.  Leftover chicken is perfect for this dish, or you can poach some chicken breasts as a quick fix.  The addition of cilantro keeps with the Thai flavors as well, or you can use basil.  The rice itself is steamed in coconut milk, ginger, lemongrass, garlic and basil.  This was a wonderful tender, flavorful rice.  All combined together this made a wonderful rice salad!

The rice is easy to make, just heat the pouch in the microwave for 90 seconds and your good!  Love the ease of having ready made ingredients handy to make these quick dishes.  I was pleasantly surprised by the  ingredients.  See for yourself.

INGREDIENTS
Water, Rice, Coconut Milk, Sunflower Oil, Raw Sugar, Lemongrass, Salt, Lemon Juice, Natural Flavoring(Soy, Vegetables), Basil, Kaffir Lime, Onions, Garlic, Green Chilies, Galangal, Spices. Contains: Coconut. 

I've spotted Tasty Bite pouches recently at Sprout's and Cost Plus World Market, however, they are also in most main grocery stores such as Ralph's, Von's, Whole Foods, Super Target etc.  Be sure to check the site for stores in your area.

All in all, this made a quick meal.  Tasty and fresh, with a good flavor profile.  I look forward to using some of their other items including this rice again.  I'm thinking it would make and excellent side dish to some Thai Basil Chicken Kabobs!  Don't you think?

Chicken and Mango Rice Salad

serves 2

1 pouch 8.8oz Tasty Bite Thai Lime Rice
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1 chicken breast, cooked 
2 T cilantro, chopped

Cook rice according to package directions.  Place in a medium bowl or container and allow to cool slightly.  Meanwhile peel and chop a fresh mango into bite sized pieces.  Add to bowl with rice.  Chop cooked chicken breast into bite sized pieces, or shred if you like.  Add to bowl.  Add chopped cilantro to bowl and stir to combine.  Rice may be refrigerated and served cold or at room temperature.

Old Schooling It! : Old School Sloppy Joes

 

What do you do with that leftover ground beef from your Labor Day grilling?

Make my Old School Sloppy Joes!

Do you remember Sloppy Joes?  There is something wonderfully fun about getting to eat a burger/sandwich that is messy by nature.   Memories of the mix in the can or the mix in the package made me seek a way to create these by hand and make a tastier sandwich.  I've tested these many ways, tweaking the ingredients until I found the variation that I favor best.  These are my "Old School Sloppy Joes"!

 

The secret to wonderful Sloppy Joes in my opinion is the ratio of ingredients creating that unique flavor.  Oh, and a soft bun is a must! (I used a soft kaiser roll) Some like to add bell peppers or beans to their meat mixture.  I'm more of a plain Jane in that aspect, but to me it's all about the flavor of the sauce.  Some people add brown sugar, and mustard, which really creates a BBQ sauce.  I like it more tomatoey with a bit of tang.

Try my version, and bring out the kid in you!

Remember, use up your extra or leftover ground beef.  They are quick and easy to make, inexpensive, and kid friendly.


Old School Sloppy Joes

serves 4


1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt and ground pepper
1 pound ground beef
3/4 - 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns or soft kaiser rolls, split (toasted optional)

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds.

Add ground beef to skillet. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir 3/4 can of tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce into beef mixture in skillet. Taste for flavoring.  Add more tomato sauce or Worcestershire sauce to adjust flavor to your liking.  Simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes.

Season the mixture with more salt and pepper, if desired. Spoon onto buns, and serve.  

Labor Day Ideas: Chipotle Steak Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

Labor Day is upon us and what better way to celebrate than to share good times and good food with friends and family.

I know it's "Burger Season" and I've been posting some great options which you can check out here...
The Best Stuffed Grilled Cheeseburger
Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers
Grilled Santa Fe Burgers
The Ultimate Burger Starter from Williams-Sonoma

But today I'm introducing a dish that is man pleasing (hence the steak) and woman pleasing as well (hence the salad).

Now my man is a rabbit by nature. He'll eat salad 10x more often than he eats steak. He can't get enough, so this dish was heaven for him. Actually the best of both worlds rolled into one.

The flavors of this dish are perfect. You have a spicy, touched with heat, chipotle rub on the steak. The salad is touched with the sweetness of fig jam and raisins, but also carries a touch of heat with the chipotle seasoning as well.

Flank steak was chosen because it cook's fast, and the result is tender, juicy steak.  Make sure to cut against the grain in thin slices to achieve tender pieces. 

I love Mrs. Dash's salt free seasoning blends. I think that rubs and marinades don't need all that salt, which is usually the first ingredient, that is put in most seasoning blends. To me, these are just perfect, and I can control the salt. So, I chose to use her Southwestern Chipotle seasoning in this dish. Perfection! You can certainly switch this up to a BBQ rub or other spicy rub of your choosing. 

So grill burgers if you like, but maybe on second thought try something different and make this salad.  Surprise everyone!  This dish is perfect for a party, and will be enjoyed by all!

Happy Labor Day!

Chipotle Steak Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

serves 6

1 – 1 ½ lbs flank steak
3 T chipotle seasoning (such as Mrs. Dash)
3 T fig jam
3 T olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T raisins
1 t stone ground mustard
½ t chipotle seasoning
Salt & pepper
6 c chopped romaine lettuce
2 c sliced English cucumber
1 c shredded carrot
1 c red cabbage, shredded
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
½ c cilantro, chopped

Rub flank steak with seasoning. Heat grill pan over medium high heat. If using a skillet add 2 T oil. Cook meat 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from heat and allow to rest 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl add jam, oil, raisins, mustard, and seasoning. Whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Combine lettuce, cucumber, carrot, cabbage, tomatoes, and cilantro in a large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette.

Slice steak thinly against the grain. Arrange salad on each plate and top with steak. Serve.