Valley Dish

I will be making this fall-inspired dinner for an upcoming Valley Dish program. It’s so difficult to even imagine beautiful, cool, crisp weather when it’s still 100+ degrees out there, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl has gotta do! To tell the truth what inspired me was a huge bag of carrots, from “you know where” in my fridge.  That said, I’ll be making a carrot soup too. In the recipe I suggest using purchased pre-julienned carrots for convenience; but feel free to peel, slice, and julienne your own – if you already have a bag of carrots hanging around at your house. By the way, I’ll be on Valley Dish tomorrow (9/30/10), where I will be judging a seafood cook-off instead of cooking! So if you have any desire to see me eat instead of cook, tune in at 3:30 PM, NBC channel 12.

Fall Slaw with Teriyaki Chicken

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup tablespoons teriyaki sauce, divided
1 small head Napa cabbage
1 bunch of green onions, green portion only
2 cups (6 ounces) of snow peas
10-ounce package purchased shredded/ julienne-cut carrots
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
1 tablespoon pickled (sushi) ginger, drained and thinly sliced
8-ounce can crushed pineapple, well-drained
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Toasted peanuts or slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.

Place chicken in a baking dish and toss with 2 tablespoons of the Teriyaki sauce, cover with foil, and place in the oven while you prepare the slaw.

Cut cabbage in half lengthwise and cut out the core.

Thinly slice crosswise into shreds (you should have about 6 cups) divide in half and set aside. Cut green onion tops into 3-inch long pieces, stack, and julienne. Stack and julienne the snow peas, lengthwise.

Whisk vinegar, garlic, honey, and red pepper flakes together in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Place all prepped items (except the chicken) next to the stovetop.

Heat a wok or a large skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil and swirl the pan. Add the pickled ginger and carrots and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the green onions and snow peas and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add only half of the Napa cabbage and the dressing and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove from heat, toss in pineapple, cilantro, and the remaining Napa cabbage, and season with salt and pepper.

Remove chicken from the oven and toss with the remaining 1/2 cup of Teriyaki sauce. Mound the slaw on a serving platter and ring the chicken around the slaw, sprinkle with nuts, and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6