I'm kidding of course. The opposite is actually true. I've been so wrapped up in eating my foods that the idea of pausing ever so briefly to take a picture of my meal suddenly became very unattractive to me. Who wants to hover a camera over a meal when you can hover your mouth over it instead? And by hover, I really mean hoover. Somebody stop feeding me...please!!
Anyway, in a rare moment of self-control, I actually managed to snap a pic of this super tasty Oriental Chicken Salad before ripping into it. I spotted a cookbook from California Pizza Kitchen's recipes in my thrift store about a year ago, and thought I'd sample some of their recipes despite never having gone to the restaurant. I was a big fan of this salad, especially the inclusion of fresh basil and the crunch of slivered carrots and crunchy noodles on top. If you're looking for a main-course salad, this is a good one!
California Pizza Kitchen's Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad
For the grilled chicken:
1/4 cup good-quality bottled teriyaki sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-Marinate chicken in the following for 20 minutes, then grill.
For the dressing:
1 1/2 cups bottled hoisin sauce
3 ounces red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled Vietnamese chili sauce (sriracha, see note)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil
For the salad:
3/4 head iceberg lettuce, cored, rinsed, dried and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
3/4 head Romaine lettuce leaves, separated and trimmed, rinsed, dried and cut into 1/8-inch-wide strips
1 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup sesame seeds, toasted in a dry frying pan over low heat until golden brown, about 30 seconds
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 large fresh basil leaves, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 1/3 cups thinly sliced green onions (green and white parts), divided
Their recipes calls for frying angel hair pasta to place on top. I just bought some crispy noodles from an Asian grocer and called it a day. It's a 100 degrees people; I ain't frying squat.
