Dinner tonight … wait, let me back up. Can I just rhapsodize for a minute about a chain-restaurant salad? I am seriously addicted to Quiznos‘ Honey Mustard Chicken Salad. I had it for lunch again today with their Carrot Cake. I’m in a rut and not afraid to admit it.
The salad is quite simple really. Mixed greens topped with grilled chicken strips, crunchy bacon pieces, Cheddar cheese and the biggest cherry tomatoes I have ever seen (and that’s quite a statement coming from the Garden State!). Their Honey Mustard dressing tops it perfectly. I also have them add mushrooms too, for an added vegetable (you have to take the opportunities where they are). What I don’t understand is why, when I buy the exact same ingredients and assemble this at home, it doesn’t taste the same. The same is true of McDonalds Fruit & Yogurt Parfait. Buying vanilla yogurt, granola, strawberries and blueberries and putting it together just doesn’t yield the same taste. Which is why I gladly forked over another buck for the Yogurt Parfait to finish off my salad… oh, and that carrot cake too. Quiznos Carrot Cake is topped with a thin confectioner’s sugar glaze, instead of the traditional cream cheese frosting, and I think that’s what does it for me. Luckily, while I’m eating it, I can see the bits of shredded carrots … making it almost healthy, right?
OK, onto dinner tonight. Really quite a simple meal. Roasted Chicken with my House Fried Rice. The rice dish is very easy to make and quite dummy proof. Try it — you’ll find yourself making it instead of ordering from your local Chinese food joint… and with a little less “fried” than their rice, it’s better for you. Take it from me.
House Fried Rice
Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in large skillet. Add 4 cloves garlic (minced), 2 onions (chopped), 1/2 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tablespoon Tamari/soy sauce. Cook until onions are soft, about 5 minutes (might need to add a little more oil or soy sauce to keep everything “wet”). Add 3 cups cooked rice. Stir fry 5 minutes so rice can absorb flavors. Add 1 cup peas. Stir well into rice mixture. Just before serving, add 2 eggs, beaten. Over medium heat, stir carefully through rice until eggs are cooked.
Note: You might find you need to add more salt/soy to taste. For variety, sometimes I add some cooked chicken pieces (rotisserie chicken works great) or cooked shrimp.
This salad DOES sound good. I’ll try it! Don’t know if the Arby’s chain is active in the Garden State, but it has several great chicken salads too. They have become an addiction for me, especially the Martha’s Vineyard version, with upscale greens, grilled chicken breast, apples, dried cranberries, almonds and a scrumptious Raspberry vinaigrette dressing. My fear is that they someday remove from the menu. I will be bereft!
Thanks for the heads up on the Arby’s salads. There aren’t too many Arbys left in NJ, but there is one about half-an-hour away that I’ll have to stop at next time I’m in the area. That Martha’s Vineyard salad sounds great! There’s a restaurant in PA (not a chain though) that has a great salad called Christmas City salad. It’s spinach leaves, toasted candied walnuts, dried cranberries and gorgonzola with a Cinnamon Vinaigrette. Simply scrumptious!
I was just readingover your old blog entries (CLBB still down;-{)…is the restaurant you mention here in PA The Brew Works by any chance? It was our weekly haunt and I always ate a salad by the same namne!
~Gail