Romaine Salad with Chicken, Apricots & Mint

Ingredients

Marinade & dressing

• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 cups loosely packed mint leaves, (about 1 bunch)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 4 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
• 1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (10 cups)
• 6 fresh apricots, or plums, pitted and cut into wedges
• 1 cup loosely packed mint leaves, (about 1/2 bunch), roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  

 

Preparation

1. Preheat grill.
2. To prepare marinade & dressing: Soak dried apricots in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer apricots to a food processor. Add 2 cups mint, orange zest, orange juice, honey, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. With the motor running, gradually drizzle in oil. Reserve 1 cup for the dressing.
3. To prepare salad: Transfer the remaining marinade to a large sealable plastic bag. Add chicken, seal and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
4. Lightly oil the grill rack (hold a piece of oil-soaked paper towel with tongs and rub it over the grate). Grill the chicken over medium-high heat until no longer pink in the center, 6 to 8 minutes per side. (Discard the marinade.)
5. Meanwhile, combine lettuce, apricot (or plum) wedges and chopped mint in a large bowl. Add the reserved dressing and toss to coat. Divide the salad among 4 plates. Slice the chicken and arrange over the salads. Sprinkle with almonds and serve.

Moonlight Breakfast

As the semester is coming to a close, one of our traditional end-of-the-semester events is approaching! This Thursday night we will be hosting another Moonlight Breakfast to congratulate all of the students on a great job this semester and wish them luck on their finals! Students will receive free breakfast from 10pm to midnight at the Marketplace, and they will be served by Faculty & Staff. In addition to free breakfast, there will also be a live DJ and prizes!

Spring Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 green onions
• 2 green garlic stalks, or 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 pound baby potatoes, or Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
• Salt
• 1/2 pound artichoke hearts (fresh or frozen), chopped roughly
• 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
• 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 cups greens (dandelion, chard, spinach, kale, arugula, etc), sliced into thin ribbons
• Up to 1/4 cup pesto
• Grated parmesan or pecorino cheese for garnish

Method

1. Chop the green onions and green garlic and separate the white and light green parts from the green tops. If you are using regular garlic cloves, put them with the white parts of the green onions. Slice the potatoes and artichoke hearts into chunks you would want to eat with a spoon.
2. In a large pot set over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the white parts of the green onions as well as the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, stir to combine and cook 1 minute.
3. Add the diced tomatoes with their liquid and the quart of vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, add salt to taste, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Add the artichoke hearts and cook another 5 minutes, then add the chickpeas and green peas and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the cover from the soup and add the asparagus. Cook 2 minutes. Add the greens and the green parts from the green onions and green garlic, if using. Stir well to combine and cook 1 minute.
5. Turn off the heat and stir in the pesto. Serve topped with grated cheese.

Middle Eastern Night

Students who went to the Marketplace last Tuesday got to experience traditional Middle Eastern foods at dinner! There was a special table set up for Middle Eastern Night that was covered with different Middle Eastern foods and decorations. There were colorful paper lanterns, baskets and many beautiful patterns on the centerpieces. Some of the food students were able to enjoy included Middle Eastern donuts, cookies and fruit!

April Superfood - Leeks

Leeks are vegetables that belong to the onion family, and are considered one of April’s Superfoods! This vegetable is full of flavor, but mild compared to onions themselves. Some of the nutritional benefits that leeks have include high levels of potassium, folate and vitamin C. Studies have also been conducted that are suggesting this vegetable may help in reducing the risk for heart disease!

Many use leeks as a side dish with salmon, or combined in a pasta recipe!

Penne with Chicken and Asparagus

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package dried penne pasta
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bunch slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
2. Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until chicken is cooked through and browned, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to paper towels.
3. Pour chicken broth into the skillet. Then stir in asparagus, garlic, and a pinch more garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cover, and steam until the asparagus is just tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet, and warm through.
4. Stir chicken mixture into pasta, and mix well. Let sit about 5 minutes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, stir again, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

 

Iron Chef Finale

Throughout the semester, we've been holding Iron Chef Competitions in the Campus Center. Last week was the finale round between the Faculty and Students teams! These teams worked at cooking stations set up in the Campus Center, complete with all of their cooking tools and ingredients. Some of these ingredients included chicken, oranges, pasta, asparagus and plenty of other veggies. The final dishes were presented to a panel of judges, who then named the Faculty the winning team! Each member received a special prize basket!

Congratulations to the winning team!