Ginger-Peanut Chicken Salad Wraps

As far as I’m concerned, this post could very well be titled “ginger peanut lime sauce.” Because one taste of this sauce – this amazing, Asian-inspired, creamy dreamy sauce – will cause you to forget all about making wraps and instead instinctually ladle it into a gigantic soup bowl and slurp to your heart’s content, stopping only to wash it down with an icy cold pint of more wonderful ginger peanut lime sauce.

After all, what’s not to love about peanut butter, aromatic fresh ginger, lime juice, soy, garlic and red pepper whirled together into a fresh, citrusy, heavenly sauce? If you’re worried that a liquid meal would deprive your teeth of their God-given potential, give them something to sink into by filling in the blank.

“_____ with ginger peanut lime sauce.”

You choose. Beef? Pork? Tarantulas? I’m not one for exotic fare, but I swear, even raw, slimy snails would be nothing short of stupendous smothered in a sauce like this.

Or, of course, you could make these chicken salad wraps, because after all, they’re delicious, no matter how outshined they are by their own sauce. Chicken, cucumber, red pepper and cilantro make a perfect combo of flavors smothered in peanut butter based goodness and swaddled in lettuce and tortilla. 
 

I recommend making a double batch of sauce. Since this is a light recipe, the wraps surely won’t be drowning in sauce and if you like a little extra for dunking, you’ll be left empty handed. Plus, once you taste it, you’re going to wish you had extra to pour over veggies, noodles or shrimp later in the week.

Another tip: Store leftovers separately or all your sauce will soak into the chicken and the water from the cucumbers will dilute the flavors. Instead, store cucumbers and peppers together, and store the sauce separate from the chicken, then mix right before serving.

We absolutely loved this dish. I’m already contemplating future additions and tweaks. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that fresh, crunchy bean sprouts, matchstick carrots or chopped peanuts would be heavenly in this wrap. Next time, I’m definitely adding a little of each, maybe in lieu of the red pepper as it’s not my all-time fave veggie.

And for an extra healthy lunch, I may just loose the tortilla and make lettuce wraps. (No tortilla means room for more sauce!)

As I licked every last drop from my plate and fork, I wondered to myself if the chicken was a little jealous that the sauce, something that is supposed to merely enhance it, but instead stole the show? One will never know. However, I for one got jealous (enraged) when my hubby took it upon himself to lick the sauce bowl clean. He can have the brownie batter-lined bowl and the frosting-coated spoon, but don’t come between a girl and her ginger peanut lime sauce.

Ginger-Peanut Chicken Salad Wraps

Cooking Light, June 2000

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wrap)

Cookbook Note: You can substitute slices of breast meat from prepackaged rotisserie chicken, which makes the preparation easier, but the dish will be a little higher in fat and sodium.

Ingredients:

1  teaspoon  olive oil

6  (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves

1  cup  chopped seeded peeled cucumber

3/4  cup  chopped red bell pepper

1 1/2  tablespoons  sugar

1  tablespoon  minced peeled fresh ginger

3  tablespoons  fresh lime juice

1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce

1/4  teaspoon  salt

1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper

1  garlic clove, crushed

1/4  cup  creamy peanut butter

2  tablespoons  water

3  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro

8  (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas

4  cups  chopped romaine lettuce

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the chicken from pan; cool. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Place chicken, cucumber, and bell pepper in a large bowl; set aside.

Place sugar and the next 6 ingredients (sugar through garlic) in a blender, and process until smooth. Add peanut butter and water; process until smooth, scraping sides. Add peanut butter mixture to chicken mixture; stir well. Add cilantro, and toss well. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla; top each serving with 1/2 cup lettuce, and roll up.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 280 (19% from fat), Fat: 5.9g (sat 1.1g,mono 2.7g,poly 1.6g), Protein: 25.8g, Carbohydrate: 30.5g, Fiber: 2.4g, Cholesterol: 49mg, Iron: 2.5mg, Sodium: 572mg, Calcium: 29mg.

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Butter Crunch Lemon-Cheese Bars

As much as I love summer, and all the potlucks, picnics and family reunions that come standard, there’s one thing I believe should be banished forever, as it’s the true bane of bikini season...

The dessert buffet.

Maybe plate upon plate of glorious, gluttonous goodies are ok in the presence of super skinny self-control toting types, but put a homemade confection-clad table in front of me, and my fat five-year-old inner child will surely go buck wild, piling her flimsy styrofoam plate with a superfluity of sweetness.

Because why settle for just one cookie when I can have three cookies and a brownie? And…a lemon bar? Oh, and a cupcake. And a teeny, tiny slice of apple...pumpkin...and lemon meringue pie. And c'mon, it just isn't summer without Aunt Marcy's banana trifle and grandma's pumpkin roll! Heck, I can even squeeze room for that green Jell-o fluff that I don’t even like. A few more wedges of this and smidgens of that and you can bet I'll turn from the table with a teetering five-pound plate of sugar and not an ounce of self restraint.

So with all my friends and family to bear witness, I take my seat ala the walk of shame, fending off stares and smirks with an “Oh this? Of course it’s not just for me,” then scarf down that mountain of sugary shame until my belly is boated and the smears and crumbs on my plate resemble a homicidal crime scene at a bakery.

Am I the only one who gives in to this torturous temptation? Is there any hope to change my summer dessert destiny?

Why yes, actually. Enter, the two-in-one dessert dream bar. Part cool, creamy cheesecake. Part tangy, gooey lemon bar. All atop a crumbly, buttery pastry crust, this is TWO desserts, cleverly and deliciously disguised as ONE. So you feel like you're pigging out, when in reality, you're staying quite human. And at just 140 calories, it comes with a much appreciated side of self-control, too.

And you can make this fabulous dessert faster than you can load up a plate with ten others! Just a quick crust blended with a hand mixer, followed by an even quicker filling whipped up in a food processor. Bake, let it chill and you're ready to gorge...err...daintily nibble.

Top with blueberries, sliced strawberries or a little fresh lemon zest and I bet these would make beautiful little desserts at an afternoon tea or baby shower. Although, the pregnant guest of honor will most assuredly prefer the aforementioned dessert buffet.

Fruit topped or naked, you won't be disappointed. These are delicious. Perfectly lemony, wonderfully creamy and cheesecakey. They really do taste like two amazing summertime desserts melded into one. And the crust is ahh-mazing. I will be definitely be making these again and again, especially for all those family gatherings this summer. That way I can secretly splurge while still looking all proper and ladylike. (Well, maybe just one brownie...and a cupcake...and...)

Butter Crunch Lemon Cheese Bars
Adapted from…Greg Patent, Cooking Light, JANUARY 2001
Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 square)

Cookbook Note: You can substitute fresh orange juice and grated orange rind for lemon, if you wish. These are best served chilled.

Ingredients:
Crust:
1/3  cup  butter, softened
1/4  cup  packed dark brown sugar
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  ground mace or nutmeg
1  cup  all-purpose flour
Cooking spray

Filling:
1  cup  1% low-fat cottage cheese
1  cup  granulated sugar
2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
1  tablespoon  grated lemon rind
3 1/2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
1/4  teaspoon  baking powder
1  large egg
1  large egg white

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare crust, place first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Add 1 cup flour to butter mixture, and beat at low speed until well-blended. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving enough excess at the edges to create handles to later lift out. Spray with cooking spray, and press crust firmly onto foil. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

To prepare filling, place cottage cheese in a food processor; process 2 minutes or until smooth, scraping sides of bowl once. Add 1 cup granulated sugar and remaining ingredients, and process until well-blended. Pour filling over crust. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until set (the edges will get lightly browned), and cool. Cover and chill for 8 hours.

While holding the edges of the foil, carefully remove dessert from pan and place on cutting board. Cut into 16 squares. Chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information: Calories:140.5, Fat: 4.5g (sat 52.6g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.3g), Protein:3.35g, Carbohydrate:22.25g, Fiber:0.25g, Cholesterol:24.5mg, Iron:.55mg, Sodium:149mg, Calcium:20mg.

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Grilled Jalapeño Poppers with Goat Cheese

A fair warning: This recipe is not intended for fickle stomachs, young taste buds or digestive tracks teetering the golden years.

That being said…

Are you the type to throw back raw chilis and shots of Tabasco to watch others squirm? Do you laugh in the face of triple pepper icons on Mexican menus? Devour platters of Indian and Thai at heat levels only Indian and Thai locals can tolerate?

Tell me…must your pizza hide under a blanket of red pepper flakes, your nachos drown in hot sauce and every bite be saturated in something spicy to merely gain entrance into the rockin’ hot party that is your mouth?

Then fire-loving friend, read on, because these little poppers are one heck of a delicious punch in the mouth.

Never once did I dare ponder improving the jalapeno popper. Who doesn’t love a deep fried, cream cheese-stuffed pepper just the way it is? 

Well...my waste line, that’s who.

Thankfully, this lightened version ditches the oil and takes raw, unbattered peppers to the grill, stuffed with a mouthwatering mix of goat cheese, cream cheese, cheddar (or parmesan), tomato and sage. A smokey-charred pepper with gooey, melty, flavorful cheese and a sprinkling of cilantro? Um, yes, poppers can definitely be improved.

To start, wash and slice the jalapenos in half, then rip out the seeds and tap the back of the peppers over the sink to release any strays. Those babies are hot and you want them all out of there. You may also want to wash out the peppers' insides to reduce the heat.

And remember that your taste buds are not all that can be burned from this meal...please, please wear rubber gloves when cutting and cleaning the peppers. Especially if you wear contacts. No one likes a burning eye socket. Or anything else for that matter. (See below.)

When I was a teen, my youth pastor’s wife told me the story of her husband’s near death-by-salsa experience. He was chopping peppers, ungloved, when nature called. So after a quick hand rinse with soap-less water, into the bathroom he went. Remember that he is a guy, and guys are a little more hands-on in this department. His screams still haunt the family at night.

So wear gloves.

While the peppers drain on a paper towel, mix the stuffing. It's quite effortless, really, if you don't mind chopping a tomato and a few green onions. I used rather large jalapeños, so I doubled the filling recipe to ensure proper mile-high cheese mountains.

And for those who simply can’t take the heat (wussies!) you can tame the torture by baking the peppers before you stuff and grill them. Basically, the longer the peppers cook, the less severe they become. We baked some of our leftovers and they were much milder.

When the peppers are stuffed, hand them off to the grill master in your domain and let those babies sizzle. They tend to be a bit wobbly, so leaning them on each other for support will help prevent any cheese from escaping.

Once the peppers are black on the bottoms and the cheese is melty, you'll have something serious to bite into. Think “stuffed pepper meets jalapeno popper.” At a smoky bar. In hell. Where they plotted revenge on your mouth for every distasteful, foul, mocking, saucy and sarcastic word ever sputtered.

But as hot as they are, they're equally as addicting. Bite after torturous bite, I couldn’t find an ounce of restraint in my being. My eyes were watering. My face was flushed. My sinuses were beyond cleared.  But I ignored my body's surrender signals and continued to stuff my face with gooey, cheesy, peppery grilled goodness like my life depended on it, stopping only to fan my eyes and gulp down water, which, by the way, only fed the flame.

Seriously, don’t blame me if you singe your nose hairs with every plate-to-mouth motion. And if you dare try these delicious peppers, I recommend you first make sure you have on hand an icy cold glass of milk, a starchy food, and above all, a ton of guts.

Grilled Jalapeño Poppers with Goat Cheese

(Grilled pepper poppers; Jill Hough, Cooking Light, June 2009)

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 2 pepper halves)

Ingredients:
1/2  cup  (4 ounces) soft goat cheese
1/2  cup  (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (or shredded cheddar)
1/2  cup  finely chopped seeded tomato
2  tablespoons  thinly sliced green onions
2  tablespoons  chopped fresh sage
1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
16  jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Cooking spray
2  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:
Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well. Spoon about 2 teaspoons cheese mixture into each pepper half. Place pepper halves, cheese side up, on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill peppers 5 minutes or until bottoms of peppers are charred and cheese mixture is lightly browned. Carefully place peppers on a serving platter. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 84, Fat: 4.8g (sat 3.1g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.2g)
Protein: 7.1g, Carbohydrate: 3.5g, Fiber: 0.9g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Iron: 0.6mg, Sodium: 334mg, Calcium: 117mg.

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Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

My name is Rachel and I'm addicted to crunchies.

What are crunchies? They're the tidbits of burnt cheese left on the pan after you bake a pizza. The fried-to-a-crisp fries that sneak their way into the carton. They're anything poppable and crisp that I can get my hands on, be it in a box, a bag, or scraped from a casserole dish.

The name was coined by my worried husband, who many a night followed the faint noises of a rat crunching away at crumbs, only to find me, eyes gleaming in a dark kitchen as I nibbled away on burnt bacon from that night's omelet or the broken remains at the bottom of a Doritos bag.

What's wrong with me? Why can't I be content with the actual meal on my plate instead of scrounging for things that go crunch in the night?

I didn't realize how serious my crunchies problem was until one afternoon at my grandmother's house. There I was, neglecting her delicious roast chicken while maniacally sneaking crunchies from the platter when no one was looking. I thought I was enjoying delicious pieces of crisp, fallen meat. I later found out it was burnt lard. Oh the shame.

Yes, sadly, my taste buds are about as refined as those of a street dog. But alas, I've learned to curb my crunchies cravings with an elegant, more acceptable food. One that can be followed with sips of iced tea. Not Pepto Bismol.

These cookies are great. They're actually a little chewy on the inside, with a wonderful crisp crust and crunchy cornmeal bits throughout. Along with their great lemony zest, they make the perfect summertime cookie.

And they're so simple to make. Just a little zesting, a little mixing, and a little baking for a light lemony cookie fitting of a lazy afternoon.

And yes, I rolled each spoonful of batter into balls instead of just dropping them like a normal person. That's because I'm also addicted to things that look as close to perfect as possible. But that's for another post.

So grab a plate of cookies and ditch the milk. These are perfect with ice-cold lemonade or tea. And there's no shame! Such a lovely cookie at only 55 calories, I didn't have to crunch away at them in the dark. In fact, I think they're best enjoyed in the fresh air of a front porch.

They definitely satisfied my crunchies craving. Although, I did sneakily scrape off some of the crust that stuck to the pan. And ate it. And it was wonderful. (Please don't tell Luke.)

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
Kathy Farrell-Kingsley, Cooking Light, MAY 2008
Yield: 3 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

Ingredients:
1  cup  all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/3  cup  yellow cornmeal
1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  ground ginger
3/4  cup  plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6  tablespoons  butter, softened
1  large egg
1  tablespoon  grated lemon rind

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through ground ginger); stir with a whisk. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Scrape sides of the bowl occasionally. Add egg; beat well. Beat in grated lemon rind. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat at medium-low speed just until blended.

Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons batter 2 inches apart onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned and almost firm. Remove from oven. Cool on pans for 2 minutes or until firm. Remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 55 (34% from fat), Fat: 2.1g (sat 1.3g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.1g), Protein: 0.7g, Carbohydrate: 8.6g, Fiber: 0.2g, Cholesterol:11mg, Iron: 0.2mg, Sodium: 49mg, Calcium: 2mg.

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