Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Hula Salad


What you need:
(This recipe is for 4)
1 bag of fresh salad spring mix (or one large handful for person)
2 Ripe Mangos
1 Red Onion
1 Red Pepper
1 Cup of Macadamia Nuts
2-3 Boneless skinless chicken breast
Salt and Pepper to season chicken
Wonton Wrappers
2 Cup Vegetable Oil
And Mango Passion Vinaigrette Dressing


First, rinse lettuce and lay in a towel rolled up and placed in the fridge so the lettuce can get crisp.  On a cutting board, open up won ton shells and cut across into strips.  They typically come stacked on top of each other, so i just cut across them all and then separate them.  While doing this place oil in a pan and let it get hot.  I know you should always check temperatures of oil, but sadly I never do.  I just place one won ton shell in the oil and if it frys up your good to go, just dont let it get too hot and burn them.  Fry up all the won ton shells, flipping them over in the oil to make sure you get both sides golden brown, and only do a few at a time.  Place on paper towels to soak up the oil and let rest.

In a hot skillet, place a tablespoon of cooking oil and spread around the pan, then place the Chicken breasts on the pan.  Season with salt and pepper and let them cook on medium heat until done.  Make sure there not pink in the middle.  Set aside and let rest about ten minute.  While chicken is cooking or after, dice up mango, red peper, and red onion so they look about the size of confetti.  

So here is a little trick of the trade secret.  Most restaurants are more than happy to sell your there salad dressings.  So most weeks, my Mother will stop by a restaurant and gets one of our favorite dressings in a soup container for us to use throughout the week on different salads.  So i'll confess we never made the salad dressing.  We just went to Rumbi's Island Grill and picked up the Mango Passion Vinaigrette dressing.  But this salad is actually made with a honey-balsamic vinaigrette, I just dont like it as much as the mango one. So you can pick, I have put a Mango Vinaigrette dressing below, but you can also use your favorite Balsamic dressing. If you do, I would add strawberries to the salad as well.

Mango Vinaigrette Dressing

 In a blender container or food processor bowl, combine the 1-1/2 cups peeled mango pieces, 1/4 cup orange juice, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar or white wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons honey, and 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Cover and chill until serving time. Makes about 1-1/4 cups.

The recipe can be found here.

So to assemble the salad.  Place a large handful of lettuce in a bowl.  Add a couple tablespoons of dressing and mix the the salad so the vinaigrette is throughout the lettuce then place on a plate. I did not do this on the photo so that you can see the actual dressing, but I always like a light covering of salad dressing. Next sprinkle a few tablespoons of all the ingredients on top of the salad, top with won ton shells and your done!  This salad is typically served with a flat bread.

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