Sue Doeden is a food writer based in Bemidji, Minn. Her columns, recipes and photos appear weekly in select Forum Communications Co. newspapers. She also appears on Lakeland Public Television's Wednesday newscast at 10 p.m., and teaches cooking classes.

Make it a chicken salad wrap



My mom taught me how to cook. I was lucky she was the kind of mom who encouraged me to be in the kitchen. She would often turn her favorite room over to me, making me feel as though I was a scientist working in my own private laboratory. I would pretend I was testing recipes in the Pillsbury kitchens.
My mom did have one rule, though, that she insisted I learn and practice. When dirty bowls and pots and spoons and measuring cups started to pile up on the kitchen counter, she'd quickly remind me of the rule: "Susie, clean up as you go."
Mom believed that as long as you stayed on top of the mess, you'd have a pleasant experience in the kitchen. And everything would turn out much better. I'm pretty sure she was right about that.
I was thinking about my mom as I prepared her favorite chicken salad. And I could almost hear her reminding me to clean up after each step.
It's a recipe that has evolved over the years. I often add new ingredients and sometimes take out the old standby ingredients. Mom thought it was a real treat when I would sandwich the chicken salad in a split luncheon-size croissant. That serving style came to an end, though, sometime in the 1980's when I attended a lecture by New York Times health columnist, Jane Brody. She said that eating a croissant was like eating one stick of butter. I haven't enjoyed a croissant since. I've eaten a few -- but I haven't enjoyed them. Thanks a lot, Jane Brody.
Anyway, when I could no longer serve my mom her favorite chicken salad on a stick of butter, I began scooping the salad onto a wedge of sweet, juicy cantaloupe for her. Much more healthful, but not quite the same as chicken salad on a croissant.
At some point, I discovered the chicken salad was quite delicious when wrapped up in a whole grain tortilla. Sometimes I add fresh baby spinach leaves to the wrap.
The chicken salad starts with chopped cooked chicken, of course. You can use leftover grilled chicken breasts, rotisserie chicken from the deli or prepare some chicken using your favorite method. I like to roast some seasoned chicken breasts and then chop them up for the salad. I share directions for the roasting procedure below.
I recently discovered Spectrum organic olive oil mayonnaise. It's rich and creamy with a bit of a nutty flavor from the extra-virgin olive oil. It's a delicious new twist to my chicken salad.
As you prepare this chicken salad, remember to clean up as you go. And go ahead -- eat it on a croissant if you want to. But I'll bet you won't stop thinking about the butter. I'd make it a wrap.

Chicken Salad Wrap
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 teaspoons orange juice
2 teaspoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2/3 cup olive oil mayonnaise
3 to 4 slices bacon, chopped, fried until crisp

Stir chopped chicken in a mixing bowl with orange juice, vinegar and salt. Add water chestnuts, shredded carrots and green onions. Mix well. Blend in the mayonnaise. Add bacon just before serving. If added too soon, the bacon will get soggy.

To roast chicken breasts:
2 large organic chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (should weigh about 2 pounds total)
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon of your favorite dried seasoning (I used Penzey's salt-free Sunny Paris seasoning)
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil to drizzle

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Measure salt and herbs onto cutting board. Add garlic and mince all together.
Loosen skin on chicken breasts. Spread garlic mixture under the skin of each breast, using all of it. Tuck 2 slices of lemon under the skin of each breast.
Place chicken breasts on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with freshly ground pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and the chicken breasts rest for 5 minutes. When chicken has cooled off, remove meat from bones and chop.

To make it a wrap:
Spread some chicken salad over a whole grain tortilla. Add fresh greens if you like. Roll up tightly. Cut in half. Eat. Enjoy. Guilt-free.






Posted by: sdoeden on 5/11/2008 at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Roses, lavender and shortbread for mom



About a month ago, I shared a recipe for buttery shortbread on this blog. In a cooking class I taught recently at my local natural foods co-op, we made the same shortbread, only rather than using 1/2 cup cake flour as my original recipe instructed, we used brown rice flour. It gave the shortbread a much creamier, more tender consistency. It was delicious. I thought it couldn't get any better. Until today.
I crushed some dried lavender buds, minced up some crystallized ginger and worked them into the rich dough. A sprinkling of Mrs. Kelly's Lavender Rose Sugar was the icing on the cake, or the cookie, I guess.
I first discovered dried lavender buds when a friend of mine from Pennsylvania, who also teaches cooking classes, shared a recipe for an appetizer of lavender infused honey over goat cheese. At that time, I wasn't able to find the culinary-grade dried lavender locally. Eventually, I bought a jar from Wayzata Bay Spice Co. I had so much fun experimenting with the lavender. It's delicious mixed with anything lemon. I developed a recipe for a lemon-curd type filling that I added lavender to and then baked it in a shortbread crust. It's been a favorite in my springtime cooking classes. These days dried lavender buds are much easier to find. In fact, McCormick's has added it to their Gourmet Collection. I received a bottle of it at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference that I recently attended in New Orleans. Food-grade dried lavender buds can also be purchased from places like The Spice House and Penzey's.
Lavender can be added to sugar cookies, pound cake, sauces. Add it just a little at a time, though. A little goes a long way.
Crystallized ginger is available in most grocery stores. Chunks of ginger root are simmered in a sugar syrup and then dried, leaving a coating of sugar on chewy, candy-like ginger. It adds bright, fresh flavor to this shortbread and marries nicely with the unique flavor and fragrance of the lavender.
You may be familiar with Mrs. Kelly's Teas. But, you might not know about the unique sugar blends that she has available on her web site. Her Lavender Rose Sugar is a blend of raw sugar, ground rose petals and ground lavender. It adds wonderful flavor to sugar cookies. And try stirring it into a cup of tea. If you make your own ice cream, use this delicious sugar for half of the sugar in your favorite vanilla ice cream recipe. That vanilla ice cream will become very gourmet.
Shortbread is not difficult to make. I like this recipe because it makes 16 triangle-shaped cookies. For a Mother's Day gift, wrap each individual wedge of shortbread in plastic wrap. Pack them into a pretty tin. Put the tin in a basket along with some tea -- Earl Grey is nice. Add a handwritten note. Watch mom smile.

Lavender-Ginger Shortbread

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown rice flour or cake flour
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dried food-grade lavender buds, crushed (a mortar and pestle works well)
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
  • 1 cup butter, chilled
  • 3 tablespoons very finely minced crystallized ginger
  • 2 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling, divided (I used lavender rose sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper so that it comes up over the sides of the pans. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, place both flours, powdered sugar, salt and crushed lavender. Stir to mix. Cut butter into small cubes and add to dry ingredients in bowl. Use hands to mix until crumbly. Add ginger and continue to mix with hands until mixture comes together. Gather dough together and place on a work surface. Divide dough in half.

Pat each half into prepared pans. Flute the edge of each with your fingers. Pull out of the pan by holding edge of parchment paper. Place on work surface. Prick each round all over with a fork, then score with a sharp knife into 8 wedges. Pick up each round with parchment and place back into baking pans. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar over dough in each pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle remaining sugar over baked shortbread, 1 1/2 teaspoons on each. Cool on wire rack. (The smell of warm butter, sugar, ginger and lavender will be seductive and you'll want to start eating the warm shortbread. But don't. The shortbread will taste best when it reaches room temperature.) Remove shortbread from pans by pulling up on the parchment paper. Use sharp knife to cut the shortbread where it was scored, forming a total of 16 wedges.






Posted by: sdoeden on 5/4/2008 at 12:01 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

It's the raspberries



OOOOh, that is red salsa, isn't it? It's the raspberries.
I must say I would have never thought to make a spicy salsa using raspberries rather than tomatoes. But when I was in New Orleans for the annual conference for the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) I actually tasted this kind of salsa.
Each year at the conference, one afternoon is dedicated to a Culinary Showcase. It's a foodie's dream world. It offers a unique opportunity to sample food products and discover new technology, merchandise and services available from corporate, small business and cooking school members of the Association.
It was easy to make my trip down the aisles my dinner for that evening. Tastes of pork, shrimp, beef and chicken all prepared to perfection. New yogurts. Beignets with little bits of Washington apples tucked inside, chocolates, stewed peppers on crostini made with Pompeian olive oil, Tabasco Bloody Mary's -- and this is only a small fraction of what was available.
Driscoll's was there with lots of their plump, fresh berries to sample. And this is where I came upon the raspberry salsa.
It tastes fresh, with a little heat. The raspberry flavor does not stand out, but gives the salsa body. The recipe for Driscoll's Raspberry-Cilantro Salsa that I tasted that afternoon is on their web site.
I've adapted the recipe just a bit. For one thing, I had to use frozen raspberries. I thawed and drained the juices from the berries before gently mixing them with the remaining ingredients. If you can get fresh berries, splurge. You'll get the most fresh and flavorful salsa. I won't be making this salsa again until I can buy plump, fresh, fragile raspberries from my local farmer's market.
Allow the salsa at least an hour in the refrigerator before serving. That resting time gives the flavorful ingredients time to bloom and blend.
A spicy and deliciously different salsa with no tomatoes, but still so red. Oh, those raspberries.
If you're planning a Cinco de Mayo celebration, your guests can nibble on chips and Raspberry Salsa as they sip margaritas. But be sure they save room for South-of-the-Border Chicken Kabobs and Rice.

Raspberry Salsa

Combine all ingredients. Mash slightly with a potato masher or a wooden spoon. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. At serving time, stir the salsa, season to taste and serve with tortilla chips.


Posted by: sdoeden on 4/27/2008 at 12:01 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Morning. Coffee. Where are the beignets?



Morning. Coffee. Morning. Coffee. Must have morning coffee.
Call it a habit or call it an addiction. Whatever it is, I have it. It's the first thing I want in the morning. Hot, dark and strong coffee.
Now, I must say I can make a good cup of wake-you-up, knock-your-bed-socks-off coffee, especially since I've started using a Toddy cold brew system.
Some might call me a coffee snob. I'm pretty sure I started my coffee habit with little sips of my Dad's cup of Folgers with quite a bit of cream in it. I remember my Dad taking the first gulp of coffee from his cup, then he'd look at my mom with a smile on his face and say, "Good coffee, Mrs. Olson." (No, her name wasn't Mrs. Olson. Remember the Swedish woman from the old Folgers commercial?)
I didn't really drink much coffee until I went back to college to further my education. Caffeine helped me stay awake to study through the night.
Finally, coffee became a partner to socializing. You know. Come on over for a cup of coffee. Let's meet for a cup of coffee. At that time, I think there was one real coffee shop near my home that served the best coffee my palate had ever come across. That was the beginning of my snobbishness.
Maybe a coffee habit turns into an addiction when it becomes the thing you want first when your feet hit the floor in the morning. That's where I'm at. But, it must be good coffee.
It's really tough to travel when you're a coffee snob who likes a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Before motel rooms started having little coffee-makers in each of their rooms, I would bring my own, along with coffee that I would grind just before leaving home and the #2 filters that just fit my coffee maker. Traveling by car wasn't so bad. Packing all this stuff up for a plane trip was a challenge. These days it would be impossible. Try packing these kinds of things for flying while still keeping the weight of your bag below 50 pounds. Not easy. I mean, really, I do need those 4 pairs of shoes, too.
Now I drink coffee made from organic beans that I grind and turn into a rich coffee concentrate with my Toddy. Oh, and look at me, drinking this coffee from my Dunn Bros or Starbucks mug each morning. What a brat.
Last week, my morning coffee came after a brisk walk from my hotel on the Mississippi in New Orleans. I'd nestle into a chair at a small table at the original French Market Cafe du Monde on Decatur Street. I'd start with a cup of their dark coffee with chicory as I nibbled on my first beignet (ben-YAY) loaded with powdered sugar. After downing the first cup, I would switch to a cup of cafe au lait that they are famous for, half coffee and half hot milk. Light and creamy, it goes down oh, so easy. It made the last bites of my puffy Louisiana-style donuts perfectly dreamy.
This morning I sit in my office sipping strong, smooth coffee. No people-watching. No live music. Just me and my morning coffee. Oh, how I long for some of those warm, powdered sugary beignets.
I'm doing research trying to find a recipe for a good Cafe du Monde-type beignet. One of my colleagues was in New Orleans recently and brought back a beignet mix. One day soon we plan to serve a Beignet Breakfast at the newspaper offices. Mix versus from-scratch. And, of course, cafe au lait for all.
If you're looking for a special coffee drink to serve at your next brunch, try this punch. It's great for spring and summer gatherings because it is a cold, rich and creamy treat. I got the recipe years ago from a friend. I think she may have taken it from a church cookbook, but I'm not sure. What I do know for sure -- it's deliciously indulgent.
Hmmm. Morning. Cold coffee. Why not? Especially when it's brimming with cream and more cream, like a pumped-up cold Cafe du Monde cafe au lait.
Morning. Coffee. Morning. Coffee. Where are the beignets?

Coffee Punch

Dissolve instant espresso powder in hot water. Cool. Add sugar and half-and-half and mix well. Refrigerate. At serving time, add ginger ale, whipped cream and ice cream. Gently stir to mix.
This fills a huge punch bowl and makes 60 (4-ounce) servings. It's easy to make just half of the recipe.
P.S. All of your coffee-snob friends will give this punch their seal of approval.


Posted by: sdoeden on 4/24/2008 at 11:10 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Something is better than nothing -- any day


Last week at this time I was flying through the sky in a fuel-guzzling plane. I was on my way to New Orleans to attend the the 30th annual conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).
One of the sessions I attended at the conference was about Environmental Responsibility in Cookbooks, Magazines and Newspaper Food Sections. Kristine Kidd, food editor of Bon Appetit Magazine, Russ Parsons, food columnist of the Los Angeles Times, and Suzanne Rafer, Executive Editor and Director of Cookbook Publishing at Workman Publishing each shared their expertise, experiences and opinions regarding the place of environmentally responsible food in our lives.
Sustainable. Local. Organic. They've become culinary buzz words. They've caused confusion. What does it all mean? Russ Parsons says there is not even a definition for sustainability. He also cautions that organic is not necessarily synonymous with small farming. He suggests visiting a conventional farm to see what they're doing.
Basically, all the buzz boils down to just eating good food. Good food is the stuff you'll find around the outside perimeter of your supermarket -- fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, fish, meat, milk, butter. It's the great food we find at the farmers' market, grown on small farms by people who care about protecting the earth and protecting the health of humans who will eat the food they grow.
That's a good step in the right direction. The next step might be to try some organic fruits and vegetables. Apples, greens and strawberries are good choices when you start buying organic. Organic fruits and vegetables cost more than conventionally-grown produce. Kristine Kidd of Bon Appetit says she buys only organic chicken. Because the cost is so high, she eats chicken less often. And she uses every bit of that organic chicken.
Sustainable, local, organic. It's about wonderful flavor. It's about health. And, it's about being responsible when making choices that will affect you, your family and the earth.
I don't want to scare anyone away from bad food. I just want to educate and gently guide you to good food. It just takes one little something, one little change. You can read my Earth Day newspaper column by clicking here.
Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivores Dilemma, wrote an essay for the New York Times in January of 2007. "Unhappy Meals" is a little long, but it's an easy read and is very interesting. Try to at least read the last two pages of the essay. Pollan offers nine simple suggestions to help point us in the direction of good health, great flavor and an earth that can allow us to enjoy those two things.
Oh, you're probably wondering about the bags in the picture. It's the one little something I did on Earth Day. I gathered all the paper bags I've been collecting in a cupboard in my laundry room and took them over to the natural foods co-op in town where they will be used again.
And, I remembered to take my cloth grocery totes into the store with me to use for packing up my purchases.
It's all those little somethings that are better than nothing -- everyday.

Posted by: sdoeden on 4/22/2008 at 5:48 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink