Chickpea and Chicken Salad

So here is my unsolicited advice to new moms:  Do not limit your child's diet to "kid food."  Ever.  Start them eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies prepared in all different ways right from the time they are developmentally able.  I realize there are exceptions and that it won't work for everyone, necessarily, but with a little bit of luck and certainly persistence, your kids may someday sit down to this salad for dinner and not even bat an eye.  And if you are a mom who loves a good chopped salad, that will be an awesome day.  Because this is an awesome chopped salad.  We didn't even use salad dressing on this one - just some salt and pepper.

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil
• 2 heads Romaine lettuce
• 1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
• corn (preferably fresh, but I have used canned)
• colorful peppers (I had small sweet ones on hand when I took the picture, but generally use a bell pepper)
• tomatoes (optional) - I forgot them until after the pics were taken, but did throw them in
• shredded Rotisserie chicken
• avocado
• Feta cheese
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Chop and rinse the lettuce.  I prefer my salads chopped, and cut my greens into pieces about an inch or so square.
2. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan; add corn and peppers and heat until the peppers are slightly tender.  Alternatively, this salad is made even more awesome if the veggies are grilled.
3. Combine all ingredients, except for avocado in a large bowl; toss to mix well.
4. Top with chopped avocado, salt and pepper.  

Difficulty: easy
Time: 10-15 minutes prep
Source: Salads are one thing I don't need a recipe for!

Asian Turkey and Veggie Lettuce Wraps

My love affair with lettuce wraps began when I spent some time in South Korea in college.  While there, we would go to restaurants where the meat was cooked right at the table and was served with many wonderful Korean side dishes, rice, and leaves of greens.  It took me a bit to figure out the process, but through observation, I realized what to do - get the piece of lettuce, add some meat, some rice, some toppings and maybe some sauce, fold it all up and pop it in your mouth.  Amazing.  Ever since, I have loved lettuce wraps of all kinds.  This recipe is a very simple one, with the veggies and meat and sauce all cooked together so that there is only one final step at the table - fill the lettuce leaf  - and then enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS:

• ground turkey (~1.5 lb)
• carrot
• red pepper
• mushrooms
• green onion
• 1 cup (cooked) quinoa 
• 2 Tbs Hoisen Sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Romaine lettuce leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin cooking quinoa. (I usually add 1 cup uncooked, rinsed quinoa to 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  This makes much more than the recipe needs, but I always have a use for leftover quinoa.)
2. Finely dice veggies (or use a chopper), keeping mushrooms separate.
3. In a small amount of olive oil, saute carrot, red pepper, green onion until beginning to soften.  Add mushrooms and saute a few minutes more.  
4. Add 1/4 cup soy sauce to the veggies, allow to simmer for 5 minutes.  Transfer veggies to a bowl.
5. In same skillet, brown ground turkey.  Once browned, add cooked veggies and 2 Tbsp Hoisen Sauce; mix.  Add 1 cup cooked quinoa; mix well.
6. Serve wrapped in Romain leaves.

Difficulty: medium (the dicing)

Time: 35 minutes

Source: my kitchen experiments