Every year I wake up on this day and vow to spend the day doing only fun things.
Maybe I’ll sit in the shade and read.
Maybe I’ll spend the day with my pencils and pastels and watercolors.
Maybe I’ll watch old movies.
And this year, maybe I’ll spend the day lounging around the pool.
Every year it’s the same…. I plan on taking the day off but life has other ideas.
Today, after picking the ripe vegetables from the garden, I blanched, peeled, chopped and bagged 3 kilos of Roma tomatoes for the freezer and turned another 3 kilos of small, yellow tomatoes into tomato juice.
Then, as my tolerance (which is considerable) had reached its limit I vacuumed the spiders and webs from the walls and ceilings and windows – and might as well do the floors, too.
Now – I’m going to finish this post and go for a swim…..
Really.
I am.
In the meantime – one more salad, but with cabbage rather than lettuce.
Dare to be different
Sesame Chicken Cabbage Salad
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- Chicken:
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tbs walnut or sesame oil
- 1 tbs peanut butter
- 1 tbs sherry vinegar
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp dried, powdered ginger
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Salad:
- 1/3 cup (2.4oz, 65gr) quinoa
- 2/3 cup (5oz, 150ml) chicken stock
- 3 cups shredded cabbage, cut very finely
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 1/2 green or red bell pepper, julienned
- 3oz (90gr) snow peas (mangetout), trimmed, cut into thirds
- 1 tbs fresh snipped chives
- 1 tbs toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- Peanut Dressing:
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 2 tbs peanut butter
- 3 tbs sherry vinegar
- 1 tbs fresh parsley. chopped
- 1 tbs oil – sesame or walnut
- 2 tbs salad olive oil
- 1 tbs soy sauce
Instructions:
- Cook quinoa in stock for 15 minutes, fluff when done and set aside.
- Chicken:
- Put soy sauce, walnut oil, peanut butter, vinegar, 1 tbs olive oil, chili powder, ginger and garlic in a small bowl. Whisk well to combine.
- Slice chicken breasts into strips and toss with marinade.
- Allow to marinate for 15 minutes while you make the rest of the salad.
- When ready, heat remaining 1 tbs olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- When sizzling, add chicken and stir-fry 4 – 6 minutes, or until done.
- Salad:
- Put cabbage, carrot, pepper, snow peas and chives into a large salad bowl.
- Whisk all ingredients for dressing, add to salad and toss well.
- Add quinoa, and toss to combine.
- Allow to rest and the flavors to blend while cooking the chicken.
- When the chicken is done, arrange on the salad, sprinkle with sesame seeds and almonds, serve.
Note: Toast sesame seeds in a dry, nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat, 3 – 6 minutes. Start flipping them or shaking the skillet after 1 – 2 minutes and remove as soon as light brown.
Reprint from the past – but today is The Glorious Twelfth.
I first heard of The Glorious Twelfth when we moved to Andorra.
Andorra has a large and varied Expat Community.
When we moved there, we were given a warm and enthusiastic welcome from all of the English-speakers.
In a country where more than 75% of the residents are not ‘locals’ a common language is the glue that binds.
The first summer we were there I was truly amazed at the attention to detail exhibited by some of our new friends…
It was my birthday and we went for lunch in the village. People kept greeting me with references to The Glorious 12th!
I know I am, personally, rather fond of my birthday, but to have my new friends actually refer to it as the Glorious 12th, well, that did warm the cockles of my heart. Not to mention give me an, ever-so-slightly, inflated sense of my own self-worth.
You can imagine how far off my pedestal I fell when I found out that The Glorious 12th actually refers to the opening of grouse hunting season in Britain.
Do you think it was, maybe, just a tad arrogant of me to think that the entire British Empire had set aside a day to honor my birth?
You might also consider how frantically I was searching my memory, hoping that in my new-found, albeit temporary, exalted state I hadn’t embarrassed myself / offended others during the few days of blissful (arrogant) ignorance about the true meaning of The Glorious 12th!
On the other hand….. No one in Andorra ever forgot my birthday….
Ever…..
Did I mention that today is my birthday?
Happy birthday for yesterday – I trust you did get your swim in the end and weren’t sidetracked by another chore!
Thank you – and I did get a swim in. It was lovely….
Happy Belated Birthday!! I saw your post yesterday, but didn’t sit until late last night. I hope the evening brought a nice, quiet, relaxing time with some wine 🙂
Today, I canned banana peppers. I thought, oh…it will take me an hour or so. I only have three or four jars worth. Did you know it takes just as long for three or four as it does for a dozen or more? *sigh*
Thank you – it was a lovely evening. And I know all about canning – and thinking I can get something done in half the time because…. (fill in reason here) I’ve peeled enough tomatoes in recent weeks I should have the timing down – still think I can do it more quickly than I ever have lol
I love your stories…not a glorious day for the grouse !!!
Thanks – and the grouse mostly get away lol
A pool!! You have a pool! (I’m most suitably envious – as if I’m not already about your Shangrila existence)
Happy birthday!
It’s been so hot here this summer we are very grateful we finally gave in and put in the stupid pool lol
Thank you 😉