How To Make Great Football Fare: Travis Marmara’s Cranberry Chicken Salad

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travcranberry.With today marking the first official day of the Autumn season, I figured this week’s recipe should be a tribute of sorts to summertime cookouts with friends and family, but more importantly to distract us, at least in the northeast, from the idea that this is only a few months away.

Below is my fresh take on chicken salad, a summertime staple and favorite of barbequers across the country. One of the main differences in my interpretation is that it utilizes fresh cranberries, which are harvested in the fall (therefore linking the summer and autumn in one fell swoop of a recipe. See how clever I am!), and have shown the ability to prevent urinary tract infections. In addition, researchers are investigating whether the potent berries are beneficial in the prevention of stomach ulcers.[1] Needless to say, cranberries can have a profound impact on your health, which only makes this delicious ingredient even sweeter, and worthy of a highlight in my interpretation of chicken salad.

Now, without further ado here is the chicken salad that will make you think twice on this traditional barbeque staple.

Ingredients:

Canola oil for coating
Salt and pepper
Garlic and onion powders
1-1/2 chicken breasts
¼ of a red onion
1 clove garlic
1 small stalk of celery
½ jalapeño pepper
5 leaves fresh basil
1 tablespoon of parsley
¼ cup unsalted peanuts
¼ cup fresh cranberries
1 wedge lime
1 cup of mayonnaise

Method:

Step1: Clean the chicken wash and dry.  Rub oil over it (preferably canola oil because it does not add flavor to the chicken, but will help to tenderize and break down the protein), sprinkle some salt, black pepper, onion, and garlic powder to both sides of the chicken.

Step 2: Grill chicken on the barbeque.

Step 3: While chicken is cooking, cut up the vegetables including onion, garlic, celery, jalapeño, fresh basil and parsley.

Step 4: When chicken is finished cooking, let cool to room temperature, cut into cubes and mix in with the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for an hour and serve cold.

*In this recipe the mayonnaise acts more as a binder rather than a central ingredient. This is to highlight the rest of the ingredients in the recipe, while still staying true to form as a traditional chicken salad*

Makes about three servings                                                                                       

[1] http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=145

Travis Marmara’s Balsamic Fig Glaze For Chicken Kebabs

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If you are planning to have a special, healthy menu that satisfies those with discerning tastes, I suggest that you make this dish part of your Sunday NFL celebration.  You definitely will be a hit, and win or lose, everyone will be happy and smiling.  Figs, especially the fresh ones, are a good source of potassium.  They help lower the blood pressure (which is especially important if your team is losing).  They are a rich source of manganese and Vitamin B6.  Also 8 oz of figs have only 37 calories.

Balsamic Fig Glaze for Grilled Chicken Kebabs

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Ingredients

  • 5 lbs of fresh organic figs
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • ¼ Spanish onion
  • ½ jalapeño
  • ¾ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Serving size 10 cups

 Directions

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Step 1: Place figs on the grill on high heat for 15 minutes or until figs have a nice char on the outside and begin to break apart

Step 2: in a large pot sauté the chopped onion, garlic and jalapeño in olive oil for five minutes.

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Step 3: Add whole grilled figs, balsamic and apple cider vinegars, along with cumin, coriander, paprika, ginger, salt and pepper into the pot. Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to low and allow mixture to simmer for 30-45 minutes until desired texture.

*Note: this recipe also works well if you desire vinaigrette for a salad with the desirable cooking time being 25 minutes.

Step 4: Allow glaze to cool for 15-30 minutes.

Step 5: Blend mixture until smooth.

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Step 6: Place grilled chicken on skewers, dip in fig glaze and enjoy!