In the current culinary frenzy, the joys of simple green salads are often forgotten. A little selectivity at the market and proper preparation can yield a salad worthy of lingering over. A good salad is a mixture of textures and flavors. Instead of just plain iceberg lettuce, mix a soft butter lettuce with a crispy, mild flavored romaine or a stronger flavored leaf lettuce. Additionally, it just takes a few leaves of bitter radicchio, arugula, watercress, or baby organic greens to make the salad even more interesting. After bringing your greens home, wash them in cold water and spin them dry. Besides diluting your dressing, moisture will spoil greens more quickly. Store the greens in reusable bags or plastic containers with a slightly dampened paper towel at the bottom to maintain humidity. If you are serving the salad within a few hours, place the dressing in the bottom of the serving bowl and lay the serving utensils crosswise over the dressing. Pile the greens over the utensils, cover the bowl with cellophane and refrigerate to keep them crisp and flavorful until service. The addition of some freshly chopped herbs such as parsley or chives just before serving will also boost the salad’s flavor.

[Source]

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1.2 kg. sugar
55 grama preserved soybean paste
55 grams hoisin sauce
20 grams fermented bean curd
500 ml. light soya sauce
250 ml. dark soya sauce
red dye (optional)
1.5 kg. belly pork (remove skin)

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Mix the marinade ingredients. Divide pork belly into five strips (about 300 grams each). Marinate pork belly strips for about 3 hours. Carefully pierce the marinated pork belly strips vertically with a skewer. Roast pork belly in the oven for 30 minutes, basting the meat with the marinade every ten minutes.

Ingredients:

16 ounces chicken broth
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup dry wild rice
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup chopped dried black mission figs
2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

Procedure:

In a medium saucepan, mix water and broth - bring to a boil. Stir in wild rice - cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender. This might take about 45 - 60 minutes. Drain any leftover liquid. Preheat grill. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and celery - cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in cooked rice, figs, prosciutto, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and paprika. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. Season the chicken breasts with the remaining salt and pepper. Grill chicken breasts until thoroughly cooked. Portion out the rice pilaf and serve each with a chicken breast.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup instant brown rice
2 teaspoons sesame oil
16 ounces ground turkey
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped roasted bell peppers,
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 small can water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 heads worth of Boston Lettuce leaves
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons mint
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

Procedure:

In a small saucepan, add water and bring to a boil. Add rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add turkey and ginger. Cook for about 4-6 minutes, until the turkey is done, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon. Mix in the cooked rice, bell pepper, broth, water chestnuts, hoisin, five-spice powder and salt. Continue to cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Divide mixture between lettuce leaves, scatter with fresh herbs and the shredded carrot. Roll into wraps.

Ingredients:

For the dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile (canned in adobo) plus 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the salad:
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 cup fresh corn kernels
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped grilled chicken breasts (season with southwestern type spices before cooking if possible)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

Procedure:

To make the dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk together cilantro, sour cream, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, cumin, chili powder, lime juice and salt. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add corn kernels and cook 3-4 minutes until heated through and tender. Remove from heat and let cool.

To make the salad:

In a large bowl, add lettuce, chopped chicken, tomatoes, avocado, onion, black beans and sauteed corn. Gently toss together. Add dressing and toss to thoroughly combine mixture.