Six Week Project: Day Twenty Five

Simple, fresh and delicious. It was a balmy 72 degrees here in Southeast Ohio today, and balmy is no joke. Rainy, humid with passing rumbles of thunder and storms that blew through like so many people do each day up and down one of the two lane State Routes that transverse this county, leading from one bigger city to another. Warm spring days call for fresh food that bursts with the promise of summer's color and celebrate some of the season's earliest arrivals. For us tonight, that meant a big, big salad.

Tonight's meal was an Asian influenced salad chock full of local ingredients. It is no joke, and I am not ashamed to say that when I saw two small, strawberry boxes full of tender green pods labeled "Snap Peas," at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, I gasped aloud and skipped like a school girl, making a B-line for the lovely woman with what always appear to be soft, tender gray curls and a table full of sprouting pots and freshly cut herbs from Duff Farms. Finally, spring vegetables are slowly beginning to arrive as we're on the downhill side of the snow hump, and these freakishly warm days become less and less freakish. If you have access to locally grown spring vegetables, make up your own salad! Throw things together, cook without abandon, do not fear the ideas you come up with. Salads are meant to be bowls of stuff, tossed with dressing. Make it your own. Of course, always remember to buy local and eat well.




Tonight's Dinner:

Asian Style Salad with Grilled Sriracha BBQ Chicken
Sesame-Ginger Dressing
Grilled Bread

For the Salad (this made enough for a big meal for two):
Approximately 4 cups of chopped local lettuce (Green Edge Organics for me, of course)
2 cups of micro-greens (I used Sunflower micro-greens from Green Edge)
4 small, local radishes, sliced thinly
2 large, local carrots, shredded
2 local green onions, chopped
1 cup of locally grown snap peas, stems removed and chopped in half
1/2 cup whole raw almonds
1 organic orange (1 tsp. zest reserved for the bread), peeled and cut into segments
1 organic avocado, sliced
2 cooked grilled Sriracha BBQ Chicken thighs, sliced (recipe follows)
Sesame-Ginger dressing (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, micro-greens, radishes, carrots, green onions, snap peas, almonds and orange. Toss together with the dressing. Divide onto two plates equally, then top with grilled chicken slices and avocado slices. Serve with Grilled Bread (recipe follows). Enjoy!


A bowl full of just local ingredients: lettuce, micro-greens, radishes, carrots, green onions and snap peas. Yum.

Sriracha BBQ Chicken thighs (For 2)
1 TBS. soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 TBS. pure, local maple syrup
2 TBS. sriracha
1 TBS. local, raw buckwheat honey (or other honey that you have)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
2 locally raised, free-range chicken thighs (I used bone-in skin on from King Family Farm, you could use boneless, skinless, or even chicken breasts or drumsticks, it's up to you)

1. In a shallow dish, whisk together the soy sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sriracha, honey, onion powder, garlic powder, ginger and salt. Add the chicken thighs and coat. Allow to marinate at least one hour, overnight would be best.

2. Heat your grill to around 400 degrees, medium heat, typically. Cook the chicken thighs skin side down for 10 minutes, basting at least twice. Flip the chicken, basting again, and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the marinade is caramelized and the juices run clear from the meat. Allow to cool before slicing for the salad.

Sesame-Ginger Dressing
2 TBS. low-fat, natural mayonnaise
1/4 cup low-fat, organic yogurt
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 TBS. rice vinegar
1 TBS. honey mustard
1 TBS. local, raw honey
1 TBS. tahini
1 TBS. orange juice
1 TBS. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsps. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt

In a small jar or liquid measuring cup, whisk all ingredients together until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes enough for the salad above, about 3/4 cup.


Grilled Bread
4-3/4in thick slices of crusty bread (I used Italian Whole-Wheat from the Village Bakery)
2 TBS. extra virgin olive oil
1 TBS. local, raw honey
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. grated orange zest
A few grains of salt

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, cardamom, orange zest and salt. Brush one side of each slice of bread liberally with the oil mixture. Grill oiled side down until the slices are golden, brown around the edges and have lovely grill marks. Flip and toast the opposite side until it is also golden and marked.