Peggy's Thai Chicken Pasta Salad

For a recipe to make it into The Nelson Family cook book, you know it's going be good. The Nelsons love food, and they love good food. This is Peggy's famous Thai Chicken Pasta Salad. It's a wonderful cook ahead meal that refrigerates well and makes delicious left overs. Its full of healthy vegetables and proteins and has a subtle asian flavor to it. 

Ingredients: 

Marinade: 

1 tbs seasame seed oil

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 clove garlic

1 tbs grated ginger root

1 tbs lime juice

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Dressing: 

1/2 cup oil 

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs sesame oil

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

 1 tbs fresh grated ginger

1 tbs peanut butter

2 tsp fresh lime juice

10 drops hot sauce (optional)

Salad: 

8 ounces vermicelli

1 bunch green onions (sliced) 

1 ted pepper (thinly sliced) 

1 cup carrots (shredded)

1/4 cup roasted peanuts

Directions: 

Combine marinade ingredients. Marinate chicken for 1 hour. Cook chicken until juices run clear or until white inside. Chop into small pieces and chill. Make dressing and mix well. Refrigerate and allow flavors to blend. Cook pasta, drain, and run cold water over the pasta to cool. Combine noodles, veggies, chicken. Just before serving, mix in the dressing and peanuts. Makes 6 servings. 

Broccoli Mac and Cheese

I recently got this wonderful organic broccoli. So naturally I decided to make it into a fattening unhealthy Mac and Cheese. Mac and I are in a long term no good for you relationship. I love him so much, I want him everyday, but deep down I know he's no good for me. But on the days I give in, Wowzas. 

I made this gorgeous baked macaroni and cheese, but my husband dove into it before I remembered to take a photograph. So all I got was a shot of a few noodles on my kids high chair. If you want professional blog photos, I am not your gal. 

Boil 8 oz of macaroni noodles in salted water until al dente. You could use rotini or penne noodles as well. Just something that clings to the sauce. 

Boil or steam 1 head of broccoli that has been chopped into bite sized peices.

While that boils make a bechamel sauce. That is a fancy name for a white sauce. This recipe will make 2 cups of bechamel. 

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. 

Whisk in tablespoon by tablespoon a total of 4 tablespoons of flour. 

Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 2 cups milk. 

Return to heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue cooking until thickened (about 2 minutes.) 

Add salt and pepper to taste

Add 1/4 tsp nutmeg 

Add 1/4 tsp sweet paprika 

Then add 2 bay leaves and stir

Then add 1/2 a finely diced onion and stir

Set sauce aside until broccoli and noodles are done boiling. 

Preheat oven to 375

Grate 2 cups of cheddar cheese set aside

Remove the bay leaves from the sauce and mix with the noodles and broccoli with the sauce and cheese. 

Salt and pepper as needed.

Dump mixture in greased 9x13 pan 

Top with 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Then spray top with olive oil spray so it will get nice and golden. 

Bake until bread crumbs are browned, about 30 minutes. 

This is the hard part, you can't eat it for 5 minutes after so it can set up and cool! 

This macaroni is the bomb dot com. It's not good for you by any means but hey, at least we added broccoli, right?