The complete salad

We had enough leftover mac and cheese for lunch today but leftovers are hardly exciting unless recycled into a new dish or unless paired with something else. Unlike yesterday, I had a lot of options this time. I had just been to the supermarket and I was armed to the teeth with meats, seafood, cheeses and vegetables.

A salad would go nicely with the mac and cheese. By “salad”, I don’t mean those token servings of tasteless vegetables. I like my salad to be filling. And exciting. And tasty. No hospital food stuff. And no tasteless diet stuff either. I like salads with everything in it.

What do I consider a complete salad? Well, it has to have vegetables. Lettuce is always a good base, tomatoes add color and texture, finely sliced onions give the salad a kick. But that’s not enough. I took the cold leftover lechon manok (roasted chicken) from the fridge and chopped the still substantial amount of breast meat. I took some cheese and cut them into slices. Then, I cut 4 slices of bread into one-inch cubes, tossed them in a baking tray, drizzled a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil over them, and popped them in the hot oven for five minutes (the oven was already hot because I reheated the mac and cheese).

While waiting for the croutons to crisp and brown, I made the dressing. In a bowl, I mixed half a cup of mayonnaise with 2 tablespoonfuls of fresh lemon juice (from about half of a lemon) and 3 tablespoonfuls of honey.

Then, I assembled the salad. I tore the lettuce leaves into thirds and laid them on a plate. I scattered the tomato wedges over the lettuce then added the cold chicken, half an onion (thinly sliced), half a cup of roughly chopped walnuts, cheese strips and croutons. Then, I drizzled the dressing over everything and served lunch. Delicious, no kidding. Probably would have been even better if I hadn’t forgotten to add freshly ground black pepper just before serving.

In the mood for more food?

1. Ostrich chop suey
2. Vietnamese spring rolls
3. Drunken chicken
4. Chicken and straw mushrooms in coconut milk
5. Butter-fried chicken with basil
6. Pork and beans
7. The perfect barbecue sauce/marinade
8. Lo mein in less than 15 minutes
9. Chopping boards — wood or plastic?
10. Lo mein, not chow mein

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