Voodoo Chicken Salad

Supposedly, this is the Rumbi Island Grill Voodoo Chicken Salad Recipe, but I've never actually had the salad in the restaurant so I can't say if it tastes like it or not.  But, what I can say that this recipe is really good.  It is a nice simple salad, with a great dressing.  The dressing has a nice kick and lots of flavor!

Salad:
3 cups lettuce mix
2 T. feta cheese
2 T. diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tortilla strips
1/2 cup voodoo dressing
1/2 cup chicken breast, diced

Voodoo Dressing: (I halved this dressing, it makes a lot)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chili paste
2 T. crushed red pepper
3/4 cup lite mayo
1 1/2 cup sesame oil
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/3 cup pureed ginger

Place all ingredients into blender and mix.

(this is a picture of the salad before I put the dressing on)

Naan

This recipe it sooooo delicious, we had it last night and Shawn and I already want it again (Brooke you need to try this).  Shawn and I like Greek/Mediterranean food.  It is usually pretty fresh, healthy stuff with lots of flavor.  I found this recipe for Naan and really wanted to try it, but traditionally in Greek Cuisine these are served with lamb and Taziki sauce (for those of you who have had a Gyro, they are the same thing).  While Shawn likes lamb, I haven't conquered my fear of cooking it. I've promise Shawn one year for Christmas I'll make a big roasted lamb, but until then I'll just stick with chicken:)

Here is the Naan recipe.  The dough is really simple, like any yeast dough, but it does take time rolling each one out.  But, I PROMISE, it is totally worth it.  It is like having homemade tortillas, they are pain to make, but sooo worth it.

NAAN
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp. yeast (make sure to always use good yeast, it makes a difference)
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg

In a large bowl, stir together the water, yeast and sugar.  Let stand for 5 minutes or until foam so you know the yeast is working.  Stir in flour, salt, canola oil, yogurt, and egg.  Mix together and knead until smooth.  Cover with towel and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll out into thin circle.  Cook each Naan in a nice hot skillet drizzled with oil and a dab of butter.  Cook about 2-4 minutes until golden and the surface has blister looking things, then flip is over and cook the other side.


You can serve these many ways, but I decided to mix my Greek Food with Mexican.  So I made some taco spiced chicken (I'll post that recipe someday because it's good), and served it with the Naan, Guacamole (Shawn's homemade, I'll have to post that also someday), lettuce, Colby/jack cheese, and my own Mexican Cilantro Taziki Sauce.  I actually make up my own sauce.  I have a recipe for a lime/cilantro vinaigrette, so I made that and added about 1/2 cup plain yogurt to it to thicken it up.  The base of Taziki sauce is yogurt, so I made it the base of my vinaigrette, and I think it turned out delicious.  Here is the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Recipe (from www.ourbestbites.com).

Cilantro-Lime Viaigrette
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2-3 limes)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. sugar
3/4 cup canola oil (the recipe actually calls for 1 cup, but I decreased it because I knew I wanted to add the yogurt and wanted a thicker texture)
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Mix all ingredients in blender, except oil.  Blend together and gradually add oil.  This vinaigrette can be served with salad greens, on any type of Mexican dish, or use it ask a marinade.

ENJOY!

Sweet Rice and Spicy Cilantro Dressing

I have been searching for a copycat recipe for the sweet rice that Bajio's makes. They actually use fruit juice-probably pineapple, but I can't find their recipe anywhere. This is a close second. I served this tonight on tortillas with bean, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and a yummy new spicy cilantro-lime dressing (recipe below).

Sweet Rice
1 T. oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 1/3 cup white rice
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup sugar (you can add more or less depending on how sweet you like it)

Put a little oil in bottom of pan and saute chopped onion until translucent. Add the cilantro and saute for a minute more. Add the rice and cook until light brown-be careful not to burn. Combine the chicken broth and sugar so that the sugar dissolves (I actually put these two ingredients together in a Pyrex bowl and microwaved for a minute to make sure the sugar dissolved). Then stir the chicken broth mixture into rice. Bring to a boil and then cover the pan. Turn the heat down to low and let cook for 25-30 minutes, or until done. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Spicy Cilantro Dressing
tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 whole green onions, coarsely chopped
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Place lime juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro, green onions, and jalapeno peppers together in a blender or food processor. Process until well blended and smooth. Add sour cream and mayonnaise. Process again until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the container as necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cafe Rio Chicken, Rice and Dressing

This recipe is a little different from one I have used in the past, but I like it a little better. I use either the shredded pork or the chicken from this recipe.

Rice
3 cups water
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon
4 teaspoons garlic-minced
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles (or equivalent fresh)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 onion-chopped
3 cups rice
Blend cilantro, green chiles and onion together in a food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all the ingredients. Simmer covered for 30 minutes and then stir and serve.

Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno
Use the food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
3 cloves garlic-minced
5 lbs. chicken breasts
Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours. Shred meat and cook one additional hour.