Herby Chicken Salad on Multigrain Bread

I bought a lovely multigrain loaf from Bliss Chocolates. Yes, yes…they now bake loaves, pita, lavash, foccacia and a host of other yeasty delights. And their packaging is quite nice as well and you know I’m a sucker for such things anyway. After I polished off half a loaf with just olive oil and some balsamic vinegar, I was left thinking how wonderfully this bread would lend itself to my chicken salad. I know it’s winter and a Chicken Salad is more of a light summery meal. But in Bangalore, the sun still shines nice and bright and the skies are awash with my favorite shade of blue. It’s not fair is it? :P

This basic recipe has many tricks up it’s sleeve. a. You can make this ahead and keep it in the fridge, the flavors just get better. b. So needless to say, it’s a great picnic staple! c. Serve it on some cucumber roundels and you have a fancy cocktail snack at a party! d. I ate this for lunch, so yes it’s hearty enough. And finally e. even though it’s a salad, it dosen’t feel like punishment at all because it’s so yummy! If all this is not enough to make you try this right away … look at the pictures!

Grilled Chicken Souvlaki

It’s been a Greece obsessed month. Started with Tzatziki, then to the Cucumber Cooler and now to the famous Souvlaki. Maybe it has more to do with summer and the fact that Greek cuisine is so suited for hot balmy weather. When you scrutinize their cuisine, it’s filled with light and fresh recipes packed with flavor. Lemons are abundantly used, as are olives, yoghurt, herbs and cheese. Souvlaki is actually Greek fast food – Meat on a skewer. But unlike the fast food of the west (burgers and fries), this one is a lot more healthy, wholesome and delicious! Greeks generally use pork/ lamb for souvlaki but chicken is popular as well. The grilled skewers can be eaten as a starter or combined with Pita, tzatziki, lettuce and tomatoes to make a super sandwich! The most refreshingly light and filling lunch for a hot day! Now to complete the picture ….I’m on a Greek island overlooking the aquamarine ocean and have a gorgeous Greek God for company …. Sigh! (Yes, I remember I’m married already, but a girl can day dream can’t she?!)

Grilled Chicken Souvlaki

Prep Time: 10 mins

Marinade time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

What you need:

500 gms Boneless Chicken breast

Olive Oil for basting

Marinade:

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Lemon, Zest and Juice

2 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Chilli flakes

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp Yoghurt

1 Tbsp Cream

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

What to do:

Soak bamboo skewers. Mix the marinade ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Use thick yoghurt to ensure it is not too runny. Flatten the chicken breast and cut diagonally into strips of 1" width. (You should get about 4-5 strips per breast). Toss the chicken strips into the marinade and mix well. Marinate for 30 mins or longer in the fridge.

Preheat the grill for 10 mins or heat charcoals till red hot. (I used my oven - ran the grill function for 10 mins to get it to the desired heat, before putting my skewers in). Now skewer the chicken strips in a wave onto the bamboo sticks. (This allows for maximum area to be exposed to the grill.) Baste with olive oil. (I used a spary can. So much fun!) Place the skewers on a wire rack with a dripping pan below and grill for 15 mins, turning once in between to baste. Check for doneness. Take off the heat and serve with some warm Pita bread, Onion rings, tomatoes, lettuce and Tzatziki (Click here for recipe)!

Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich

Some days you are just so lazy that the only option to a fulfilling meal = a Maggi. I have no shame in admitting that the choice for a meal for one, when the co-resident is away is to shove my face with the noodles in front of the telly. Their byline does it for me – Ready in 2 minutes. It’s another matter that its 400 calories of zero nutrition! (I still love you though, my darling Maggi Noodles!) What can I say, old habits die hard! One sunny Saturday afternoon (that’s when laziness is at its peak), I reached into the store cupboard for my customary lazy meal when … Gasp! I had run out of Maggi. Now the paramount rule of laziness restricts me from getting dressed to go to the store down the road to buy one. So my brain had to think of an alternative which would be ready in two minutes. That’s when I made my Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich! (Well technically two minutes for the assembly, as I already had boiled eggs). Also this one packs in loads of the good stuff – salad leaves, eggs, tuna. A high protein healthy lunch, if you ever needed one! I can feel myself getting leaner already ;)

Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich

Prep time: 5 mins

Grilling time: 5 mins

Serves: 2

What you need:

8 slices of Bread (use wholegrain, if you want to up the health quotient)

200 gms can of Tuna in water, drained

4 hard boiled Eggs, sliced

4 Tbsp Mayo

2 cups Mixed Salad leaves

For the Vinaigrette:

3 Tbsp Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp white wine Vinegar

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

What to do:

Put all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar, close the lid and shake well until blended. Pour over the salad leaves and mix to combine.

Spread a Tbsp of Mayo on one slice. Place a generous quantity of salad on the other. Top with the tuna and egg slices. Season with salt and pepper. Sandwich together. Repeat for the other three sandwiches.

Lightly spray a heated grill pan with some oil and press the sandwich down for about a 45 seconds per side till it looks golden and toasty. Alternatively use a sandwich maker. Sit down to enjoy a happy meal!

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwich

Why oh why do I gravitate towards recipes with pesto in it? a. What I thought was a chutney couple of years ago is now my favorite condiment. (Apart from Maggi Hot and Sweet sauce – you will always be my first love!). b. It has the most wonderful fresh flavor that can bring summertime running in! This one uses store bought pesto (for small quantities, making a whole batch seems unnecessary), but you can always use my Pesto recipe if you have the ingredients at hand. Sandwiches are looked upon as a snack in India but this one has enough going on for it to make it a light lunch. The co-resident said he would pay good money to eat this at a Deli, so I’m guessing it was good. Actually it WAS that good! So get your grill pan out (I bought a gorgeous one from Bergner… good definition) and start grilling. Yes, I don’t have a BBQ (sob sob) but beggars can’t be choosers or rather apartment dwellers can only dream of the joys of an open fire! But rest assured the grilling works rather well on the pan and if you want the grill lines to be prominent just keep a weight on the object to be grilled to push it down. Scar face would have been proud!

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwich

Prep time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves: 4 as a snack, 2 for lunch

What you need:

8 slices of Bread or 4 Panini Rolls

1 Chicken Breast fillet

2 cups Lettuce or rocket leaves

4 Tbsp Pesto

4 Tbsp Mayo

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Oil for grilling

What to do:

Lightly brush or spray a chicken fillet with oil, season with salt and pepper. Place on a BBQ or heated grill pan on the stove and cook over medium heat for 4-5 mins per side (depending on the thickness) till cooked. For more definition of the grill lines, press down with a weight. When pricked with a fork, the juices should run clear and the chicken must be opaque. Keep aside and slice the breast into pieces of ½ inch thickness.

Spread a Tbsp of Mayo on one slice. Place a generous quantity of lettuce on the other. Top with the grilled chicken breast and a Tbsp of Pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Sandwich together. I think this tastes best when the sandwich is toasted. (You can use a sandwich maker/ tava or grill pan.) Lightly spray the grill pan with some oil and press the sandwich down for about a 45 seconds per side till it looks golden and toasty. Hmmm….Yummy yummy yummy!

P.S. I really like the new Cooking Sprays. It’s slightly expensive but delivers the right amount of oil to coat the pan/ meat while grilling. You can always use a basting brush, but how fun is using an aerosol can?!

Classic Bacon and Egg Salad Sandwich

It’s called classic because it’s a timeless combination. Bacon and Eggs. I could actually have an entire blog dedicated to the dishes you could dish out of this very combination. But we don’t want to be biased now, do we ;) ?  New question… why do I need a separate blog post for the simplest of sandwiches? Because my friends it’s the little things that matter and this recipe has all the little things that will transform a slap dash sandwich into the classic it is. For a hint – it’s Mustard. Not convinced? Ok, Parsley. Still not convinced? Ok its mustard and parsley and mayo. Trust me, the combo works like a charm!

Classic Bacon and Egg Sandwich

Prep time: 10 mins

Makes 2 sandwiches

What you need:
2 rashers rindless Bacon
2 hard boiled Eggs
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf Parsley
Salt and freshly ground Black pepper
Butter or Margarine
4 slices Milk or other White Bread

What to do:
Grill bacon or fry in a dry non-stick pan until crisp. Allow to cool, then chop. Chop up eggs and mash with the mayonnaise, mustard and parsley. Stir bacon pieces through and season with salt and pepper.
Lightly butter bread, spread egg mixture on two slices and top with remaining bread.

P.S. This sandwich is also tasty when toasted. Or if you please, you can ditch the bread and have it as an Egg Salad instead!