Language, Smoking and Leftovers.

I hope everyone who was celebrating had a great day yesterday. Me I was just eating a BLT for lunch, albeit a very good one. We joined some of the Travel League members for lunch at The Crossroads and met our Dutch friends’ friends from Holland. As usual I continue to be impressed with the ability of people from Holland to grasp the English language. We then headed to the bowling alley and the three non bowlers proceeded to show the rest of us up. I don’t know how that happens. I know two legally blind guys who can bowl better than most people I know and now the three Dutch people showed us all up!!

According to a newly released report, more than 600,000 deaths a year are caused by second hand smoke. The figures were taken from a survey in 2004, but it is still a pretty horrifying number and might have got worse in the intervening years. I am so glad both Matt and I quit smoking a long time ago. There was an excuse for us to start, we didn’t know the dangers then, but today, anyone who begins smoking needs their head examined. The article is here http://tinyurl.com/26sb8rh and the picture alone is enough to upset me.

Well more bowling this afternoon, so I need to get cracking again.

For those of you who were overindulging yesterday, here is a healthy recipe to add lots of fibre to your diet and which could be used with leftover turkey instead of chicken.

Chicken & White Bean Salad

From EatingWell: May/June 2010

Zucchini and celery give this chicken-and-bean salad a nice crunch. We like serving it over a bed of slightly bitter escarole and radicchio, but any type of salad greens will work. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

4 servings

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

1 medium clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons fresh orange juice, plus more to taste

1/4 cup white-wine vinegar or red-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salad

1 15-ounce can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken breast (see Tip)

2 cups diced zucchini and/or summer squash (about 2 small)

1 1/2 cups diced celery

1/4 cup finely diced ricotta salata, halloumi (see Shopping Tip, above) or feta cheese

1/3 cup chopped, well-drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, plus whole basil leaves for garnish

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)

2 cups torn escarole or romaine lettuce

2 cups torn radicchio leaves

Preparation

1. To prepare vinaigrette: Peel the garlic and smash with the side of a chef’s knife. Using a fork, mash the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl to form a coarse paste. Whisk in 5 tablespoons oil. Add 6 tablespoons orange juice, vinegar and mustard; whisk until well blended. Taste and whisk in up to 4 tablespoons more juice to mellow the flavor; season with more salt, if desired. Set aside at room temperature.
2. To prepare salad: Combine beans, chicken, zucchini (and/or summer squash), celery, cheese and sun-dried tomatoes (if using) in a large bowl until well blended. Add chopped basil and 3/4 cup vinaigrette; toss until combined. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper, if desired.
3. Toss the remaining vinaigrette with escarole (or romaine) and radicchio in a medium bowl. Serve the salad on the greens, garnished with fresh basil leaves.

Nutrition

Per serving : 428 Calories; 23 g Fat; 5 g Sat; 15 g Mono; 79 mg Cholesterol; 24 g Carbohydrates; 34 g Protein; 8 g Fiber; 667 mg Sodium; 648 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 4 lean meat, 3 fat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 2 (omitting basil), cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Stir in chopped basil just before serving.

• Tip: To poach chicken breasts, place about 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a medium skillet or saucepan. Add lightly salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Ricotta salata and halloumi are both firm, salted cheeses that can be found at large supermarkets and cheese shops.

Have a great day