"Cooking School"- Chopped Steak Salad

My daughter picked salad for our next "Cooking School" experience. We decided to make at least 2 kinds of salad. This was the first one we picked because it was a main dish salad that had lettuce as a main component. I also thought it would be fun to make a homemade Italian dressing since I prefer homemade dressings to bottled ones.

Also, please notice that I made a salad that contains beef. We cooked a flank steak. I am amazed. And it was easy. And it was tasty.

My daughter helped chop, rinse, cut and prepare the dressing. This was a great one to make together because there were lots of steps that she could help with.

This salad was fairly easy and perfect for a main dish salad. I don't think it would have been as good without the homemade dressing, but that is obviously just my opinion. Fresh herbs really made this dressing delicious.

Here is the recipe for Chopped Steak Salad from Real Simple Magazine
* I cooked the flank steak for a few more minutes than the recipe called for


Here is the recipe for Homemade Italian Dressing using Fresh Herbs
* I used fresh Italian Parsley, Basil, and Thyme
*I only used olive oil
*I didn't measure my vinegar or oil- just mixed it until it looked right

Roasted Potato Salad with Parmesan-Herb Dressing

I took my Mom to the airport yesterday afternoon. She has spent the last 3 weeks here with us and it was a blast. My Dad was here for one of the weeks and I really enjoyed their visit.

While they were here we had a Easter dinner a week early with our family members that live nearby. I came across this salad and figured it would be a good side dish for our dinner.

We don't eat lots of potatoes, but when we do, I like to roast them in the oven. I have never thought of putting roasted potatoes in a green salad, so I was intrigued by that concept.

My Mom and I worked together to get this salad ready and we were in a rush. We didn't measure the lettuce and potatoes exactly. I think this made it so the dressing was spread a little too thin, although the salad was still tasty, I think the flavor would have been better if we had been more careful in our measurements. I didn't get a pretty picture of this salad either because we rushed off to the dinner and I had to snap a quick photo so I could share it here. Go ahead and check out the recipe below and you will find better pictures and a little bit more information about this fun salad.


Here is the recipe for Roasted Potato Salad with Parmesan-Herb Dressing from Perry's Plate
* My only mistake here was not being accurate when measuring the amount of potatoes and lettuce that I used. I think it would have been more flavorful if I had used the appropriate amounts.

Greek Salad with Orzo and Black-Eyed Peas

So many things are going on in life right now. We have had a 24 hour stomach bug that is making it's way through our family. The third child had it this morning and had to be checked out of school. Fun times all around! Cross your fingers that it skips over the parents!

Anyway, I wanted to share this salad really quickly. This was something that I saw on epicurious and I thought it was so cute because they served it in little mason jars.
Greek salad is a serious favorite around here and I loved this take with black-eyed peas. I made a couple of changes to the recipe which are noted below.

This salad turned out really great. The first night I served it on top of romaine. There were enough leftovers that a few nights later I mixed in a can of tuna and a little more lemon juice and we were able to eat it again. Very good. I have to say that the peperoncini really made this delicious. They are definitely becoming a favorite of mine.

Recipe for Greek Salad with Orzo and Black-Eyed Peas
* I reduced the amount of feta cheese
* I used black olives instead of kalamata
*I omitted the red onion
*I didn't mix the tomatoes into the salad because some people don't care for them. I placed them on top for those of us who do like them

Chicken, Kiwi, and Mango Salad

Finally, it is beginning to warm up around here! I think Spring might be right around the corner. I'm so happy about this because the cold is going to leave and go away for a really long time!

The sun is shining and it is beautiful outside. Those two things make me think of fresh, springy (or summery) salads.

This is a salad that will make you feel happy and it is really easy to make. You just need a handful of ingredients. The dressing is made with mayo, but I used lowfat greek yogurt instead and it is flavored with ginger and lime. The kiwi and mango are delicious with the chicken and those cashews add just the right amount of crunch. Yum.

Recipe for Chicken, Kiwi, and Mango Salad
* I used greek yogurt instead of mayo

Southwestern Pumpkin Patties

One of my favorite things about fall is canned pumpkin. I opened a large can of pumpkin a couple weeks ago and starting making some great pumpkin recipes.
I wanted to make something savory and I found this recipe for Southwestern Pumpkin Burgers over at Eating Well. I changed the name to patties because it didn't seem right to call them burgers.

I happened to have one cob of fresh corn left in the fridge, so I used that. I kinda eyeballed the amounts of onion, corn, red bell pepper, etc. and I ended up having to use more pumpkin puree than the recipe originally called for to make the patties hold together.
I found these fun looking Flatout FOLDits and so we used them to hold our patties and toppings.

These were pretty good. The flavor was very similar to a savory sweet potato recipe, if you are looking for some sort of comparison.

This was a fun way to use pumpkin.

Recipe for Southwestern Pumpkin Patties
* I used panko instead of bread crumbs
* I used Flatout FOLDit Artisan Flatbread because it looked fun and different

Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips

I don't usually get posts up this quick, but somehow I did with this one.
We had this salad for dinner a couple of days ago and it was really good.

The salad caught my eye in a recent issue of Vegetarian Times. It looked too delicious to pass up and seemed like the perfect summer meal.

First you crisp up some lightly seasoned corn tortilla strips in the oven. While that is happening you mix up a quick, light dressing. The dressing starts with warming some olive oil, garlic and spices, which is then combined in the food processor with lime juice, scallions, and cilantro.
The dressing was really good!

Then all sorts of veggies are chopped and added to a bunch of romaine. You've got celery, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, fresh corn kernels, roasted red peppers and really, whatever else you want to add. I decided to add sliced mushrooms since my family likes them. Oh, and don't forget the pinto beans, for some protein.

My son doesn't like dressing on his salad, but this time I decided to go ahead and dress the entire salad before serving it to my family. I gave everyone a large bowl of salad and we all dug in.
The kids really liked this salad, even my son- with the dressing.
I loved it too. It was really fresh and delicious.
The tortilla strips gave just the right amount of crunch and the dressing was the perfect compliment for all the veggies. I had the leftovers for lunch today. Wish there was more for tomorrow!


Recipe for Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips
* I seasoned half of my tortilla strips with chili powder and half with paprika (for the kids)
* I used grape tomatoes, halved, in the salad
* I added sliced mushrooms to our salad
* I omitted the red onion

Vegetarian Taco Salad

The most recent issue of Eating Well had a section of great salads. I wanted to make every single one of them. So far I have made 2. The Spiced Eggplant-Lentil one that I posted a few days ago and this take on taco salad.
I liked the idea of a vegetarian taco salad and knew that if I played around with this recipe a little bit it would be a great dinner for us and no one would even notice that there wasn't any meat.

Usually when I make tacos I use lean ground turkey and reduce the amount by 1/2, adding a can or two of black, kidney or some other kind of bean to fill in for the "missing meat". Not that I miss it at all.
So, I was really happy when I saw this version which had beans, corn, whole grains and other things as the main event.

I had to make a couple of changes since my husband doesn't like tomatoes. I used red peppers instead and didn't combine all the salad ingredients. I just layered them on everyone's plates, since some of my kids don't like salsa, I just added that to my hubby's salad and mine.

I also used quinoa instead of brown rice just because I already had some that was cooked in my fridge.



Recipe for Vegetarian Taco Salad
* I used quinoa instead of brown rice
* I added cumin, subbed red bell pepper for tomatoes and mixed my salad together differently than the recipe advised.

Spring Chicken Salad

Pictures are often the reason that I want to try certain recipes.
Cookbooks and magazines are fun for me to look at and pictures of certain recipes will make me want to try them.
That is what happened here. Partly. I saw the picture for this recipe in Food Network Magazine and was happy about the word Spring in the title. Plus, it looked yummy.
This time of year always makes me want to eat more salad, so everytime I find a good salad recipe that the entire family enjoys I am excited.

I also happened to have most of the ingredients for this salad on hand, which is unusual since I don't usually have potatoes in the house.
I liked that the dressing was made with greek yogurt, which is something that I usually sub for mayo, so the fact that it was already in this recipe made me happy.

I don't really love fresh tarragon, simply because it has that anise/licorice flavor, but in this salad it wasn't too strong since it was mixed with the fresh chives. It was subtle enough that I didn't mind it at all. This was a super fast dinner, that didn't require any cooking, which is always appreciated by me on a weeknight.

I used some cooked turkey breast that I had in my fridge instead of chicken. I also reduced the olive oil by 1/2. Quick and delicious!

Recipe for Spring Chicken Salad

Warm Seven-Layer Salad

I saw this recipe in Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine. Every month there is a feature in that magazine, I think it is called Kid Zone, and it showcases a recipe that is easy enough for kids to make with a little bit of help.
I thought this Warm Seven-Layer Salad looked really good and loved how there were different veggies/ingredients than the usual ones that you would see in a salad like this. I also liked the fact that it was served warm, so it would make a great dinner.

Now, this recipe starts out with cooking bacon and then cooking the green beans and summer squash in the bacon fat. Sorry- ya'll, I just couldn't do it. I don't like cooking real bacon and I certainly am not going to cook vegetables in bacon fat. I don't have anything against people or recipes that use this method, I just wasn't excited about that at all. I don't like bacon.
I decided to buy the precooked bacon that you just warm in the microwave and crumbled that for the top.
I just sauteed my green beans and summer squash with a little water, cooking spray, salt and pepper. It worked out fine. I also warmed my beans with these veggies.

You layer the cooked green beans, summer squash, tomatoes, white beans, romaine lettuce, and sprinke some shredded cheese (I used a combination of cheddar and mozzarella) on top of those layers. Then you top that with a dollop of plain yogurt and sprinkle some crumbled bacon pieces on the very top, to finish the whole thing off.

I made mine into minis, so that everyone had their own serving and we all really liked this combination of veggies turned salad.

The fact that the green beans, summer squash, and white beans were warm added a nice contrast to the crisp, coolness of the romaine lettuce and tomatoes, which was again contrasted by the yogurt and bacon. Lots of flavors that really complimented each other. This was good!
And the kids enjoyed layering their own servings into the mini trifle dishes.
I will make this again. It would be great for a potluck or get-together.


Recipe for Warm Seven-Layer Salad

One Year Ago-Lavash Crackers and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Vegetable-Stuffed Rice-Paper Rolls with Curry Peanut Dipping Sauce and Steel-Cut Oats with Pomegranate Molasses + Almonds

It is kind of embarrassing to admit this, but I actually tore this recipe out of a magazine about 4 years ago. I made it last week. I just kept coming back to it and finally rolled these little guys up. Glad I did, too.
I have used rice paper sheets before-in these Spring Rolls and these Rolls. So, I already had those in the pantry. Everything else was ready to go.
This dipping sauce was divine. The best I have tasted. It is almost identical to the sauce they use at my favorite Thai restaurant, except this one uses chunky peanut butter. We used the leftover dipping sauce as a salad dressing the next day. It worked wonderfully. I loved these spring rolls. I shared some with a neighbor the next day and she loved them too. It doesn't get better then veggies and peanut sauce. They would have been great with some chicken or shrimp rolled up alongside the veggies.

I also saw a great way to serve steel-cut oats in Super Natural Cooking. The author of that cookbook said that drizzling pomegranate molasses on top of the oatmeal and sprinkling it with walnuts was one of her fave breakfasts. So I got out my molasse and drizzled away. It melted deliciously on top and I threw on some sliced almonds just cuz that is what I had in the pantry. Yum.

Vegetable-Stuffed Rice-Paper Rolls with Curry Peanut Sauce
Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tbls each freshly squeezed lime juice and fish sauce
1 tsp each red curry paste, sugar, and grated fresh gingerroot
1 Tbls minced fresh cilantro
Garden Rolls:
6 rice-paper sheets
2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
2 large carrots, peeled and julenned (I used matchstick carrots)
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
1/2 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
1 red pepper, julienned
3 scallions, julienned
1/4 cup whole basil leaves
1/4 cup each whole fresh cilantro and mint leaves

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine first eight ingredients and cook, stirring, until well blended. Stir in minced cilantro, remove from heat, and set aside.
Fill a wide, flat bowl with warm water and soak one sheet of rice paper for 30 seconds, until pliable. Remove paper, blot it on a clean towel, and lay flat.
Lay 1/3 cup lettuce in the middle; top with one-sixth of the remaining ingredients. Fold front third over the mound and pull filling toward you a bit to compact into a tight roll. Roll over once, then fold the sides over the middle and continue rolling away from you until secure. Place seam down on a paper plate lined with waxed paper, sprayed with cooking spray.
Repeat with remaining rolls. Slice in roll in half on the bias and serve with peanut sauce.

Up Next- CEiMB- Garden Risotto

Cooking Light Night- Chinese New Year- Stir Fried Shrimp, Stir-Fried Bok Choy, Chinese Dumplings, Long Life Noodles, and Double Mango Pudding

Happy Chinese New Year!

When I got the January 2009 issue of Cooking Light, the Chinese New Year menu caught my eye. It looked like the perfect menu to serve up at a party. I have never celebrated Chinese New Year, but thought that this menu was a good excuse to invite people over and have a party. We actually celebrated the Monday before since everyone was out of school and a few people were off of work. We had 12 adults and 5 kids that ate with us and the amount of food was perfect. This menu appealed to me because we love to eat stir fry and potstickers are also a family favorite. Also, all of these dishes came together really fast, so we didn't have to spend all day in the kitchen. I made the Mango pudding the night before and got the potsticker filling ready early in the day.

Overall, we loved this menu. The stir fries were delicious and the sauces were flavorful. We topped the pudding with whipped cream when we served it and it was a big hit.

I asked my husband if he liked these potsticker more than the ones that I make very frequently (Check them out HERE) and he wasn't sure because these ones were really good. If you need something quick to celebrate Chinese New Year tonight, try one of these- any or all of them are real crowd pleasers!

Just click on these links for the recipes:

Chinese Pot Stickers
Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Lettuce with Mushrooms

Long Life Noodles
Stir-Fried Shrimp with Garlic and Chile Sauce

Double Mango Pudding from Cooking Light January 2009

Orange mangoes symbolize gold and riches. Prepare and chill pudding the night before. Whip the cream just before serving, and allow guests to dollop some on their own desserts.

3 mangoes, peeled and divided

2 1/4 cups water, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup whipping cream

1. Coarsely chop 2 mangoes. Dice the remaining mango.
2. Combine coarsely chopped mangoes and 1/4 cup water in a blender; process until smooth. Press puree through a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids.
3. Bring 3/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add sugar to pan, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in the remaining 1 1/4 cups water. Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over water in the saucepan; let stand 1 minute. Add the mango puree, stirring with a whisk. Pour the mixture evenly into each of 8 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups. Cover and chill overnight or until set. Top evenly with diced mango.
4. Place cream in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Serve with pudding.

Up Next- Tuesday's with Dorie- Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Pecans and Warm Cider Vinaigrette and Liz's Bowtie Pasta Salad

I love salad. And if you have been reading my blog recently, you will know that I love squash. I recently bought The Barefoot Contessa's new Cookbook- Back to Basics, and this butternut salad was the first thing that caught my eye. (The Chive Risotto cakes I made last week were another that looked fabulous) I decided to try the salad when we were celebrating my baby's birthday last week and I loved it. I used pecans instead of walnuts, because I love pecans and made a few other changes, but it was really good. And really pretty- all the colors and flavors were wonderful together.
Liz's Bowtie Pasta Salad was a salad that we sampled at a get together a couple of weeks ago. My husband actually told me that he loved it and so I had to get the recipe. Trust me, if he ever tells me such information and the food didn't come from McDonalds, I am making it at home. I got the recipe and changed it a little. I reduced the amount of mayo and miracle whip and used fat-free mayo, which resulted in a little less dressing, but it was still enough. I also used the mini bowties, because they are so cute.
I dressed a little bit of the salad with Light Balsamic Vinaigrette, but we all liked it better with the mayo dressing, which is saying something, because I am not a fan of mayo, usually. So, if you need a salad, try one of these- they are crowd pleasers!

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

from Barefoot Contessa- Back to Basics

1- 1 1/2 pd butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch diced

good olive oil

1 Tbls pure maple syrup

salt and pepper

3 Tbls dried cranberries

3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice

2 Tbls cider vinegar

2 Tbls minced shallots

2 tsp Dijon mustard

4 oz baby arugula, washed and spun dry (I used mixed greens that included arugula)

1/2 walnut halves, toasted (I used pecans)

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used aged Asiago and reduced the amount)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. (I roasted mine at 425 degrees)

Place squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 Tbls olive oil (I used 1 Tbls), the maple syrup, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Toss. Roast squash for 15-20 minutes (I added 10 more minutes to the roasting time), turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Place the arugula in a large bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten, and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Liz's Bowtie, Peas, and Bacon Salad by Liz Harris

1 head romaine lettuce, washed and chilled

16 oz. box bowtie pasta, cooked and drained (I used the mini bowtie pasta)

1/2 c. fat-free mayo

a couple Tbls miracle whip

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 t. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 bag peas ( thawed)

6 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 small bag parmesan cheese

Combine lettuce and bowtie pasta in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine mayo, miracle whip, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the peas, bacon, green onions, and parmesan cheese to the lettuce/pasta mixture. Toss lightly. Add the mayo mixture to the lettuce and mix until mayo dressing evenly covers the lettuce. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve

Coming Tomorrow- TWD- Linzer Sables

Slider Caesar Salad and Veggie Manicotti

Sliders are just too popular around here. My kids love them and they make a great, little lunch-I often sneak the leftovers into the lunchbox, if there are any leftovers.
We had a Rachael Ray night, combining two of her 30-minute meals. The salad was delicious- I swapped out the ground beef for lean ground turkey and used fat free mayo in the dressing. The kids were loving their little sliders on a stick. The veggie manicotti was a quick dish to throw together and these 2 dishes went really great together. As she would say, Yum-O!


Slider Caesar Salad From Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine
2 kaiser rolls, cut into cubes
4 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup fat free mayonnaise
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
20 oz. lean ground turkey, 93% lean

One 12-ounce package romaine hearts, torn into small pieces

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toast for 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons parmesan, mustard and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

3. Crumble the ground turkey into a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper and combine. Divide into 12 equal portions and roll into balls. Thread 3 meatballs onto each of 4 wooden skewers, leaving a 1/2-inch space between each; pat each meatball into a 2-inch patty.

4. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Brush the patties with olive oil and grill, turning once, about 6 minutes total for medium.

5. Meanwhile, add the lettuce and croutons to the dressing and toss. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Top with the skewers.

Veggie Manicotti from Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine
Eight 6-inch-long lasagna noodles (I used whole wheat)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 pint cottage cheese, drained in a strainer

One 16-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and 1/3 cup finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped basil leaves, plus 8 leaves, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

1 tomato, chopped

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the noodles, stirring often, until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

3. Using a food processor, puree the drained cheese until smooth; add to the zucchini along with the chopped roasted peppers and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper. Rinse the food processor bowl.

4. Lay the noodles flat on a work surface. Place an equal amount of the zucchini mixture at the end of each noodle, then roll up. Divide the rolls among 4 dinner plates.

5. Using the food processor, puree the remaining roasted peppers with the tomato until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the rolls. Top with the sliced basil.

Edamame Soup with Feta Croutons and Shrimp or Chicken Summer Rolls with Honey-Lime Dipping Sauce

This was a great tasting dinner. The soup was so simple, but very flavorful and the spring rolls were so much fun to make and eat. I made some of the spring rolls with chicken and some with shrimp (that was precooked). If you are looking for a fun, summery dinner, this is it! Hurry, time is running out!


Edamame Soup with Feta Croutons from BH&G Magazine

3/4 cup chopped sweet onion

4 tsp canola oil

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 14-oz cans chicken or vegetable broth

1 12-oz pkg. frozen shelled edamame

1 1/2 tsp snipped fresh thyme

1 egg white

1 Tbsp water

1/2 cup panko crumbs

4 oz. reduced fat feta cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1. In a saucepan, cook onion in 2 tsps of hot oil over medium heat or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add carrots and garlic; cook and stir 1 minute more. Add broth and edamame. Bring to boiling;reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, or until edamame and carrots are tender. stir in thyme.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat egg white and water with a fork until frothy. Place panko crumbs in another small bowl. Dip feta cubes, one at a time, into egg white to coat. Allow excess egg white to drop off; coat feta cubes with panko crumbs. In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 tsps oil over medium-high heat. Add feta cubes. Cook 2-3 minutes or until browned but not softened,

turning carefully to brown all sides of cubes. Drain on paper towels.

3. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with feta croutons, and if desired, additional thyme.

Chicken Summer Rolls with Honey-Lime Dipping Sauce from Health Magazine

For the dipping sauce:

2 Tbls honey

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

For the summer rolls:

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 pd. boneless, skinless chicken breast

8 8-inch round sheets rice paper

8 romaine leaves, sliced into large strips

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

In a small bowl, whisk together honey, lime juice, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken, lower heat to simmer, and

poach about 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Place chicken on a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, shred with you hands.

To assemble rolls:

1- Briefly dip on sheet of rice paper at a time into a pie plate or shallow bowl filled with warm water until soft and pliable. Lay each rice paper on a clean kitchen towel to absorb water.

2- Place romaine strips, about 1/3 cup shredded chicken, a few red pepper slices, and 2 Tbls each carrots and bean sprouts in the center of the rice paper. Sprinkle on scallions, mint and cilantro.

3- Fold the two side edges of the rice paper toward the center to hold in the ingredients and tightly roll up the paper. Repeat until you have made 8 rolls.