Chicken Orzo Salad

With the warm weather here, this is a good recipe to make and eat cold on those warm evenings when you just don't feel like cooking. It can be made in the morning while it is still cool and then just pulled out at dinner time.  


Once I discovered hoisin sauce and rice wine vinegar last year I started adding it to all kinds of recipes including just plain vegetable stir-fries. Here is another great way to use it.

Ingredients:
1 pkg orzo
2-1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 pkg sugar snap peas, fresh or frozen
3 green onions, chopped
1 med. red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1/8 cup  rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

Directions:
Cook and drain orzo and sugar snap peas in separate pots.

In a large bowl, combine first seven ingredients. Then in a small bowl, whisk together oil, hoisin sauce, vinegar and soy sauce. Pour over into the large bowl with the other ingredients and mix together. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Chicken Stew with an Island Flare

Ingredients:
3 lbs. chicken thighs
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoon ginger powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 shallots, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon mixed seasonings (ie: Italian, Greek which ever is your favorite)
1 onion, thickly sliced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 8 oz. can pineapple chucks in light juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 red bell pepper
2 cups frozen peas

Directions:
Mix soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, shallots, red pepper flakes and seasoning. Place chicken in a slow cooker and pour soy sauce and seasoning mixture on top. Add onions and broth and cook for about 4 to 5 hours on high and 10 hours on low.

When chicken is completed remove just the chicken from the slow cooker, leaving all of the juices. Mix pineapple juice, hold back pineapples for now, with cornstarch and red wine vinegar. Stir cornstarch and vinegar into the slow cooker with remaining juices. Add bell pepper and peas. Cover and cook on high until boiling, about 15 minutes. Add chicken back to slow cooker and mix thoroughly.

Serve with rice.