Posts by Rachel Schultz

(NO MAYO!) CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES

June 11, 2018

At this moment, I am trying to think of if there is a recipe on this entire site that calls for mayo. It’s just not my thing! I like a nice fancy aioli. And once I did make homemade mayo, which was nice enough I guess. Therefore chicken salad sandwiches have always been a clear red flag as a tricky one (although I have had some I like.) Here is a mayo-less version that I am very into! And it feels completely right for what I hope to be as a citizen of summer.

(No Mayo!) Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Serves eight sandwiches

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 ounces greek yogurt
2 avocados
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 cup halved grapes
8 slices wheat bread
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup gorgonzola (optional)

Cook chicken in whatever way is your preferred method. For this, I used a portion from when I do a bunch of chicken breasts in the slow cooker all at once and then divide it up into dinner serving sizes and freeze. I do the chicken breasts plus about 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth on high for 7-8 hours.

Roughly chop or slightly shred chicken. In a separate bowl, stir together greek yogurt, avocado, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Fold chicken and grapes into mixture.

Spread on to one slice of wheat bread. Top with green onions, gorgonzola (optional), and second slice of wheat bread.

(NO MAYO!) CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES

Author: Rachel Schultz

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 ounces greek yogurt
2 avocados
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 cup halved grapes
8 slices wheat bread
3 green onions, sliced
½ cup gorgonzola (optional)

Instructions

Cook chicken in whatever way is your preferred method. For this, I used a portion from when I do a bunch of chicken breasts in the slow cooker all at once and then divide it up into dinner serving sizes and freeze. I do the chicken breasts plus about 1 and ½ cups vegetable broth on high for 7-8 hours.
Roughly chop or slightly shred chicken. In a separate bowl, stir together greek yogurt, avocado, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Fold chicken and grapes into mixture.
Spread on to one slice of wheat bread. Top with green onions, gorgonzola (optional), and second slice of wheat bread.

Ingredients for Chicken Salad Sandwiches with no Mayo

JAMBALAYA

May 28, 2018

Rachel Schultz

I like figuring out how to make foods that are complicated or that I love at restaurants just as well in my own home. I’ve learned a lot about cajun recently and our weeknight dinners are the better for it. (Red beans and rice, here.) Jambalaya! This one has a lot of cajun flavor while still feeling fresh. Plus working with andouille sausage is a treat because I buy the kind that is fully cooked and just brown it up a little in oil. Because I pursue going as many days at a time as I can without having to handle raw meat.

Jambalaya
Serves five to six

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 andouille sausages (about 12 ounces total)
1 onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
A pinch of red pepper flake
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup white rice
4 green onions, sliced
Fresh parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add andouille sausage and brown for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set sausage aside.

Add onion and celery to pan with remaining oil. Saute for 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and grape tomatoes, sautéing for 2 more minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add vegetable broth, hot sauce (optional), salt, pepper, red pepper flake, thyme, oregano, paprika, and rice to pan. Stir and increase heat to high. Bring to boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 13-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in andouille. Remove from heat and cover pan. Let stand 15 minutes. Top with green onion and parsley.

JAMBALAYA

Author: Rachel Schultz

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 andouille sausages (about 12 ounces total)
1 onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 and ½ cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
A pinch of red pepper flake
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
1 cup white rice
4 green onions, sliced
Fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add andouille sausage and brown for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set sausage aside.
Add onion and celery to pan with remaining oil. Saute for 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and grape tomatoes, sautéing for 2 more minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Add vegetable broth, hot sauce (optional), salt, pepper, red pepper flake, thyme, oregano, paprika, and rice to pan. Stir and increase heat to high. Bring to boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 13-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in andouille. Remove from heat and cover pan. Let stand 15 minutes. Top with green onion and parsley.

(Really Inexpensive!) Greenery Garland

May 17, 2018

Rachel Schultz

From observing what I am drawn to in my pinning tendencies, I can hardly resist a full garland of greenery as a table runner. It feels full and beautiful and classic. I like it with a lot of color palettes, but greenery plus black and white might be my favorite and I think it is a scheme that’s hard to mess up. I was recently wanting the lush green garland look for a big party I was helping host. I quickly found that this look is usually expensive. THEN I found the trick lays with a plant called salal.

Those are the generic green leaves that are usually just used as the default leaf in bouquets. They are cheap, but when they are strung together in pretty garland form, they are an inexpensive way to get a full feel of lots of gorgeous greenery.

Really it looked so good I didn’t even miss ruscus or silver dollar eucalyptus.

My greenhouse sold salal in bundles. One bundle was about $15 and included 15 stems. So for your quantity buying purposes, 1 bundle = 15 stems = 12 feet finished garland.

The only other supplies needed are wire and wire cutters. For the wire, I bought some nice thin kind for floral arranging at the same place I got my greenery. It was only like $3 for a spool. Nothing heavy duty is needed on the cutters because the wire is so thin.

Then you just make your garland by wiring pieces together, covering the stem of the previous piece with the leaves of the next one. Then to finish attach a couple reverse pieces to cover the last stem. The process is very forgiving and you can easily make tweaks and fill in as needed.

If pieces come apart, (which they definitely can if your garland is long) it is no problem because they would be easy to reassemble on site (if you are transporting).

The greenery naturally curves on its own during assembly and looks lovely and sculptural. Making my twelve bundles for about 144 feet of garland took 2-3 hours. And maybe best of all, salal lasts so long. You can do it in advance. Even if you aren’t having a big occasion, you could make a garland for your summer table in an instant.