Lunch is Served

Having lunch with my daughter is always a pleasure. Most of the time I cook for her, but sometimes she cooks for me which lets me know that I’ve done something right. Alyssa is an excellent cook already at the ripe old age of 17!

We had lunch together this weekend at Panera Bread. Nothing fancy, but it was delicious and for the most part healthy in comparison to fast food. I won’t mention Alyssa’s very Chocolate Chip Cookie.

I thought I would share my recipes of the same food that we enjoyed together.

Napa Valley Chicken Sandwich

Napa Valley Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound diced and cooked boneless chicken
2 stalks diced celery
1 cup seedless red grapes cut in halves
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
3/4 cup Poppy Seed Dressing, homemade (directions below) or bottled
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine chicken, celery, grapes, celery, green onion, pecans in a medium bowl. Stir in Poppy Seed Dressing. Serve on sour dough bread.

Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Prepare Poppy Seed Dressing by mixing all dressing ingredients together by hand using a wire whisk. Best if made several hours earlier and refrigerated before use.

Toasted Chicken Sandwich

Toasted Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 skinless, grilled chicken, shredded
1 tomato sliced
1 slice Swiss Cheese
1 slice Pepper Jack Cheese
4 onion slices
2 slices toasted sour dough bread
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Arrange all ingredients on bread in any order. Can also be toasted open-faced to melt cheeses.


Caesar Salad

Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

1 head Romaine lettuce
3/4 cup homemade croutons
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 thoroughly smashed anchovy fillet
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon drops Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of coarse salt
Black pepper to taste
3+ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Clean and dry lettuce with paper towels. Keep refrigerated.
In a bowl or jar combine mayonnaise, garlic, anchovy, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper with a wire whisk until well mixed. Add olive oil slowly, whisking vigorously until completely blended into dressing.

Combine torn lettuce, croutons and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with dressing and toss until everything is coated well.

Enjoy!