Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Chicken Mango Salad and Friends



Here’s to friendship!

I had this salad at Julienne’s To Go Restaurant, a lovely sidewalk restaurant in San Marino, California. An author friend of mine, Georgia Jeffries, turned me on to it. Georgia and I met way back when she was writing TV series and I was just getting started as a writer. While waiting for my first novel to get attention, I was transcribing scripts for people that wrote novels and screenplays by hand. Georgia was one of those people. She preferred pen and yellow lined paper. What a wonderful spirit she has. What a career she has had. I’m thrilled to have reconnected with her. She’s now an instructor at USC as well as a budding novelist.

Julienne’s offers a wide variety of things on its menu. It also has an adorable deli, with fabulous bakery
goods, and delicious takeout – straight off the menu. In addition, they offer cookbooks and cute plates and cookware for sale. Oh, gee, why would I have been interested in this place, right?  LOL   It’s like a mini Cookbook Nook! Delightful.

I hope you enjoy the remix of the salad. I did my best to create it as served.

Chicken Mango Salsa Salad

Salad Ingredients:
Serves 2 as an entree

2 cups Romaine lettuce
2 boneless chicken breasts
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
8 asparagus, cooked al dente
1 mango, peeled, pitted and sliced
Mango salsa *recipe below
4-8 baby tomatoes for decoration

Directions:

Make mango salsa, *recipe below.  Set aside.

To cook asparagus al dente:

Remove stalks from asparagus (snapping to do so).
Bring sauté pan with an inch of water to a boil. Add the asparagus. Cook for 2 minutes, no more. Remove from heat. Pour off hot water. Rinse asparagus in cold, cold water. Set aside.

To cook chicken:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Set chicken breasts in foil. Douse with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Cook for 30 minutes.



Remove from foil and put on a hot grill for 5-10 minutes a side, depending on your desire for charred exterior.  Remove from heat. Cut into 6-8 slices.

To construct salad:

Place torn Romaine lettuce on plates. Lay out slices of avocado, asparagus, mango, chicken, and baby tomatoes. Heap mango salsa on top of chicken.



Serve with a crisp pinot grigio!


Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
½ yellow or red onion, chopped fine
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon cinnamon or cloves
4 thick slices mango, chopped
½ tomato chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Cook chopped onion in oil until wilted.  Add brown sugar, vinegar, thyme, cloves.  Cook one minute.  Remove from heat.  Toss in mango, basil and tomatoes and toss until combined.



Ooops. Forgot to get picture of the salsa other than on top of the salad. Revert to top of blog to see. :)


* * * * * * * * *

The first book in A Cookbook Nook Mystery series is out!!


FINAL SENTENCE
You can order the book HERE.

It's set in the fictional coastal town of Crystal Cove, California and features Jenna Hart, a former advertising exec who returns home to help her aunt open a culinary bookshop and café.

The 4th in A Cheese Shop Mystery series is out, too! 
TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE
Click here to order the book.  

Next up: DAYS OF WINE AND ROQUEFORT, coming Feb 2013. Click here to preorder. INHERIT THE WORD, coming March 2013. Click here to preorder.


You can learn more about Daryl by clicking this LINK. "Like" my page on Facebook and "follow" me on TwitterAnd if you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests! You can also follow and "like" Avery Aames the same way:  Facebook and Twitter

















8 comments:

  1. This sounds amazing Daryl/Avery, I love the mixture of avocado and mango. Isn't it fun to have friends who have been around forever--that way you can see how they've changed and they knew you back when!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Roberta, it's delightful. Some friends are like benchmarks. Especially lifelong friends.

      Hugs,

      Daryl / Avery

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  2. This looks beautiful. Nice presentation

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  3. Mangoes are among my very favorite foods. They're just so fresh and juicy. I've never thought about mixing them with tomato before, or asparagus for that matter. This is a salad that I have to try!

    ~Krista

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    Replies
    1. Krista, I know. They're a lovely fruit that blends with so much. Fun.

      Daryl / Avery

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  4. Daryl/Avery - It's fascinating how you transcribed scripts from written notes. That must have been very interesting and illuminating to see how various writers work. Your longtime friendship with Georgia sounds lovely (rediscovering old friends is a wonderful thing). And that salad looks amazing. I can almost taste the fresh goodness of the mango salsa (great on fish, too, I'll bet). Thanks for sharing it all with us today.

    ~ Cleo

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    Replies
    1. Cleo, I came up with a dandy story because I transcribed notes. Still haven't written it, but it's on my to-do writing in the future.

      Daryl / Avery

      Delete