Crunchy Chicken Salad Sandwich

Chicken salad has been one of my favorite sandwich fillings since I was a child. Earlier this month, I tried experimenting and came up with my own version, sans the mayonnaise that is a staple of chicken sandwiches.

I boil chicken breasts in some onions, garlic and celery -- this helps the chicken absorb some of the good flavors while being boiled. I then remove the skin and bones, then dice the meat. Not too finely though, as I like some heft and texture to my sandwich.

Minced onions and diced apples provide an interesting contrast to the chicken - the crunch and the tang really appeal to me. The photo below shows that the apple has begun to oxidize already -- I should have added some citrus juice to it earlier on.

Interesting bit of trivia: I read somewhere that an onion and an apple would taste the same, if not for their smell. Hmmm, does that mean then that if I have a really bad cold, I could munch on an onion happily? Well, I guess those I would talk to wouldn't be so happy...

Mix the dry ingredients and add a pinch of salt, as well as a teaspoon or two of lemon, calamansi, or other citrus juice.

Instead of mayonnaise, I use plain yogurt (as with my mayo-less thousand island dressing). The blend of plain yogurt and mustard here just complements the chicken-apple-onion mixture.

The mustard in the salad gives it its yellow hue.

One time I layered some shredded lettuce on a slice of wheat bread, spread the chicken salad filling on top, and added some grated carrots -- the colors were just so delightful.

Chicken salad is really still one of my favorite fillings, ever.

Veggie Salad with Mayo-less Thousand Island Dressing

We usually have a vegetable salad at home every two weeks or so. Crunchy lettuce, shredded carrots, cool cucumber slices, juicy tomatoes, tangy onion, and sweet corn kernels all provide a delectable feast to both the eye and the palate. To have a counterpoint of salty to the sweet and hint of sourness, we also add in some hard-boiled egg slices and grated or cubed cheese. I have also been known to sprinkle some walnuts on top. This hefty salad has at times even become my main meal, instead of an accompaniment.

What about the dressing though? Our preferred mix was the thousand island dressing, a mix of tomato catsup and mayonnaise. I have discovered recently though that plain yogurt is actually a very good substitute for mayo. So I tried that and came up with a mayo-less thousand island dressing that was every bit as yummy!

I'm looking forward to further discoveries.

Not-So-Sinful Choco-Chip Cookies

Our older daughter has been hankering for home-baked chewy choco-chip cookies since last week. I made her a promise to bake a batch this weekend. This Sunday afternoon, I finally did.

I scouted around for a lower-calorie alternative to my original recipe, which had lots of butter and sugar. One interesting alternative I read about was to use applesauce instead of oil or butter. I did not have applesauce on hand, but I did manage to find a seemingly less sinful recipe for this universal favorite.

This new recipe (from Spark Recipes) had less butter -- and I used the 'light' variant of Magnolia butter as well. It called for just the egg whites instead of the whole eggs. I also purposely did not use the whole quantity of sugar as directed. I was a bit worried about this, but the cookies still turned out sweet! Next time I might just reduce the sugar a bit further.

A side note: the original recipe mentioned a yield of 26 cookies. I doubled the quantities, but was only able to get 40 cookies in all. I guess the size of the dough balls assumed for the recipe was smaller than what I had done. But they were just right for us!

The little girl insisted on "helping" -- which to her meant pouring the ingredients into the mixing bowl. I let her "help" with some of the ingredients.

The dough came out a bit crumbly at first, so I added a splash of milk just to bind the mixture. It came together nicely, and became quite thick. This is how the dough looked like. Don't the dark-and-white morsels look tempting?



The little one also requested that two kinds of chocolate chips be included in the cookie dough -- the dark and white ones. So I put them in, plus I added a bonus of chocolate-covered crunchy morsels on top of the formed cookie dough balls as well. 

One thing I learned in baking cookies for several years now -- it helps to use an ice cream scoop to have uniformly-sized cookies. Spoons just didn't work for me. Using my hands was also an option, but they just got quite sticky and messy. And so I still stick with the ice cream scoop for nicely rounded cookies.

This was how the first tray of cookies looked while baking. I just love looking at the cookie dough balls rise into decadent cookies!

After 10 minutes per tray in a 150 deg C oven, I took the cookies out of the oven and placed them on the table to cool, then transferred them onto a cookie rack. The cookies gave off a warm, comforting aroma that was just so tempting. The little one helped herself to a warm, chocolate-still-melting cookie and declared it wonderful!

After they had cooled sufficiently, the cookies were put into a trusty Lock & Lock container (our equivalent of a cookie jar). I'm just not sure how long the cookies will stay there though -- but then again, isn't the speed at which they disappear the measure of yumminess that we all would love to have?

Oatmeal Galore!

I never realized there were quite a lot of oatmeal flavors in the market!

After my operation (gallbladder removal), I started to scout around the grocery aisles to check what healthier options there were. I discovered a whole gamut of oatmeal flavors and variants that would endeavour to remove the "umay" factor when eating oatmeal day after day with nothing to break the monotony of the smooth, creamy texture.

So far I have tried the banana-honey, honey-hazelnut, and fruit-and-nut variants. Next on my list: the chocolate (guess it will be like champorado) and strawberry flavors.

I really liked the fruit-and-nut flavor, primarily because of the texture provided by nuts and raisins -- they contrasted beautifully with the oatmeal. Of course, I can also do this for home-cooked oats by adding in fresh or dried fruits (apple, banana, pear, kiwi) and nuts (walnuts, cashew, almonds) myself.

Hmmm.. thinking about this is making me hungry now.

Guiltless Potato Chips

Hubby and I are trying to stay away from packaged chips, since these are usually loaded with salt and fat. But of course, the little ones still hanker for some of these crispy, salty treats.

Since there weren't any potato chips to be had in the house one evening, we started wondering: why not make our own? It shouldn't be too difficult -- some potatoes, a bit of salt, an oven. We all had that, so off we went to the kitchen to experiment.

I sliced a couple of potatoes into 1/8-inch thick portions. I then lined a baking pan with parchment paper, and used a paper towel to dab on a very small amount of canola oil on the paper. I then arranged the sliced potatoes on top of the parchment paper, then dabbed on a little bit more of oil on top of the potato slices. A dash of salt on top, and they were ready for the oven.

After around 12 minutes in the 260 deg C oven, the potato slices had transformed into perfectly crispy potato chips. Not as salty as the commercially packaged ones, but healthier and satisfying just the same.

The whole family loved it! I'm now thinking of using camote (sweet potato) next time...

Oh-So-Creamy Mac & Cheese

When the weather turns nippy and the compulsion to go out of the house plummets down to zilch, it's just so comforting to snuggle up in a corner of the sofa with a bowl of creamy mac & cheese.

It's not a hoity-toity dish, nor does it presume to be anything reeking of "gourmet". But its appeal lies in its simplicity, in its ability to satisfy one's longing for a hearty, filling treat. So my tastes run to the pedestrian -- nothing wrong with that, eh?

One day our older daughter wheedled and cajoled for me to make her some macaroni and cheese from scratch. I used to cook this for myself when I was still single, but I had not done so in quite some time. I usually relied on boxed pasta mixes -- hey, they were ready in a jiffy, right?

But since it was a request that I was hard put to decline, I rummaged in our cupboard to see what ingredients were available: butter, milk, pasta, cheddar cheese, parmesan, Cheez Whiz, corn kernels. Hmm, it appeared as if everything was going to go her way after all.

And so I melted a bit of butter with some milk, brought the mixture to a boil, then poured in some pre-cooked pasta (I used macaroni). Then I mixed in some grated cheddar, some parmesan, and a couple of teaspoons of Cheez Whiz. After everything got to be nice and gooey, I added some corn kernels -- simply because the little one loved mixing corn with her pasta.

The result: creamy macaroni and cheese that hit the spot for the little girl. Sure, it's not a guilt-free treat for those on low-calorie diets. But hey, this one's for a growing kid, after all.

Next time though, I may just add some carrots, peas and broccoli.

The Stones that Spurred a Change of Heart

Who would've thought that Hubby and I could be so serious about our regular brisk evening walks (~4 kilometers every night) that we would even consider doing it in the midst of a light drizzle? A few months ago we would most likely have found a dozen excuses to just sit back and stay glued to the computer or TV screens if there was even a hint of rain in the air.

Times have changed. And so, I hope, have we.

It took a week and a half of excruciating abdominal pain, a date with the surgeon (for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, to remove my gallbladder), and the sight of all 20-odd gallstones (the largest of which was 1.5 cm) for us to take a really hard look at our lifestyle.

To say that I was scared would be an extreme understatement. Sure, the operation was a success, my gallbladder had been removed, and there didn't seem to be any long-lasting ill effects. The doctor even told me that I could eat everything, in moderation.

I remained worried though: if I continued with the way things were, would there be any symptoms and illnesses that could rear their unwelcome heads down the road and attack any other organs? Did I want to spend time in the hospital once again and have someone cut into me again?

I have 2 kids, both under the age of 8. I would like to be there to see their shenanigans while they are still young, to see them graduate from grade school, high school, and college. To be with them when they get married, and to hold my grandkids in my arms.

This proved to be a powerful objective, one that spurred me, and Hubby as well, to change our lifestyle. Gone are the numerous bottles of Coke Zero that used to be a ubiquitous accompaniment to our meals. In the past month and a half, we've consumed maybe a glass each -- and only during a birthday party, at that. The generous handfuls of M&Ms are now a thing of the past -- maybe 2 or 3 pieces in a week, and only if the little ones insist on offering us some. We've also managed to drastically cut down on chips & dips -- no more one-bag-a-night habits!

We now enjoy more fiber in our meals -- oatmeal, wheat bread are now regular parts of our diet. We never realized how many flavored variants Quaker Oats had! After a month of eating wheat bread, when I was given a white-bread sandwich it seemed to be so.. insubstantial.

Yogurt became a staple as well. Kudos to those who conceptualized Nestle's Fruit Selections! I've even learned to use plain yogurt as a healthier substitute for mayonnaise -- and no, it does not detract from the taste. In fact my favorite sandwich filling now is chicken sandwich with diced apple, onions, in a yogurt-mustard mix.

The frequent trips to fast-food outlets have been lessened as well. We've learned to pause and think first if what we to order from the tops of our heads are wise choices. We need not starve or deprive ourselves. It's all a matter of having the right portions and choosing the healthier options. Fish now appear as frequently on our table as meat. I now routinely peel of the chicken skin and give it to my older daughter, who loves it (no, she does not yet need to diet, so that's still ok with her). Fried foods have given way to less fatty dishes.

Fruits and veggies are much more appreciated now, and are a large part of our meals. Rice has taken a bit of a back-seat: from the 1-or-more cups per meal before, this has now been reduced to a third of a cup. Small, frequent meals do help, instead of bingeing during main mealtimes. The stomach is, after all, a muscle, which can be trained to handle smaller portions instead of huge ones.

The transition has not been as difficult as I would have imagined, prior to the operation. It's probably because I have now learned to appreciate food now just solely for the flavor come-on, but also for the nutritional benefits they can give me.

The evening walks we used to have were infrequent and aimless, when Hubby and I just strolled around leisurely. Nothing wrong with that, really. But we kicked it up a notch now, and have brisk walks - sometimes interspersed with short jogs - every night, even during a light drizzle. We've realized that our pace has grown much, much faster than before. Our breathing has improved, and we do not get tired as easily.

The benefits are also quite noticeable: 5 kg for Hubby, and 10 kg for me! We feel healthier, we can fit into our smaller-size clothes, we do not get tired as easily as before, plus, we save a lot from not having all those junk food around!

Now, let's just hope that our will-power stays constant, and that we can continue on this road.

A Tiring, But Not-So-Ordinary Weekend

It was a hectic day at the mall yesterday. I know, we should've known better than to brave the crowds in this last-Sunday-before-the-schoolyear-starts mad rush. But hey, we had a mission as well: buy two essential things for our schoolgirl - a schoolbag (preferably big and pink) and school shoes (black and sturdy).

I had initially planned to have these things in hand well before the June deadline. Good thing the little girl's classes don't start until the 14th. However due to my being sidelined for the better part of May (stomachaches, nausea, hospital stay, surgery, recovery), we ended up in this predicament.

I do not cease to be amazed at the number of books kids nowadays are expected to bring to school everyday. At grade 2, our little girl has a 7-hour schoolday! I had a laid-back 4-hour sched until grade 6, and just slightly more than that until I graduated from high school!

And so the quest for a spacious, wheeled bag was on. Oh, and by the way, it had to have Disney princesses on it, the more the better. Good thing we were able to see one at Robinson's in Festival Mall. It was big, like wheelie luggage lying down, with 6 wheels and lots of pockets, plus a snack bag and water bottle. And it was in pink, with 6 princesses -- Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel, Jasmine, and Belle.

Whew, one down.

Then off we went to the shoes section -- just trying to navigate through the jampacked aisles was a feat in itself. Apart from the hordes of children trying out footwear, choosing the perfect style that had a perfect fit, some adults would also weave their way through the throng. Someone even had a baby stroller in tow, yes, a stroller. Imagine trying to push your way through the mass of people with that.

After negotiations on the style (nope, boots are not allowed in school) and material (leather or patent leather?), we settled down on a pair. Or so we thought. Then the little one said it was hard and it pinched her ankles.

The search began anew. Thankfully not far from the original pair was another pair that seemed to fit the bill, with the added bonus of having a thicker padding at the back of the ankle. Bingo!

We waded through the sea of people, and lined up at the counter to pay.

Of course the trip did not end there, as we made the semi-obligatory jaunt to the Powerbooks shop. Even with the advent of ebooks and with my trusty Kindle always on hand, I still did not emerge empty-handed, although I have to admit the number has dwindled from previous visits. The sales crew there recognize me and the little one now, haha!

As we drove back home, we were quite enchanted with the big double rainbow we saw along the STAR highway. You don't get to see that very often. And you don't often get to hear the amazement in a child's voice and the wonder in her eyes when she first sees that as well.

I am thankful that we found what we were looking for, that we were able to enjoy a day at the mall, that we were able to drive safely along the roads, that we saw the ephemeral beauty of a rainbow.

Magic can be found in unlikely places, in the most ordinary times.