What a crazy week!

Both my daughters will be finishing their classes by Friday.  My eldest will be graduating from kindergarden while the other will be finishing preschool.

On top of all the things that I normally have to do, I have also been working harder to prepare all the posts not only for this week but also for the next one.  Yep! We will be spending more time in family… How I do love that!

The twenty-four hours in a day seem not to be enough to accomplish everything that I need to get done.  Truly, I am exhausted and running a little behind.  This day in particular, passed by so quickly that before I even realized it, it was already almost time to serve dinner.

“What can I make?”, I thought.

“Salpicão (Brazilian-style Chicken Salad), of course!” It is quick, nutritious, delicious, and refreshing at the same time.  Ideal for the high temperatures here in Texas.

“OK, but why not use this traditional Brazilian salad to make sandwiches?”, I asked myself.  That way I would not have to prepare any other dishes to serve along with it – as on the other hand we would traditionally be required to do in Brazil.

So I baked french bread rolls, let them cool down, and filled them with the salad.  Oh, yum!

Dinner was ready to be served in just a snap.  This was one of those ideas that made everyone happy — especially myself!   It was indeed a perfect fix…

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

　Brazilian-style Chicken Salad

(Salpicão de Frango)

Serves 4-6

Segment: Brazilian Cuisine

Ingredients:

1 lb (1/2 kg) skinless boneless chicken breast, fully cooked and shredded

1 large apple, peeled, cored, and grated

1 small white onion, grated

1 large carrot, peeled, grated, and cooked al dente

1/3 cup black or green olives, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup corn, cooked

1/2 small red bell pepper, deseeded and small diced

2 – 3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

Salt to taste

A dash of ground black pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaise or plain yogurt (for a dairy-free version, use mayonnaise)

5.3 ouces (150g) shoestring potatoes

A spring of fresh parsley to decorate (optional)

Fresh lettuce leaves to decorate (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the 8 first ingredients, season with salt, pepper, and lime or lemon juice.  Then, mix the mayonaise or plain yogurt gently.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until chilled.

Right before serving, mix 1/4 of the shoestring potatoes into the chicken salad. Place the salad into a serving bowl and decorate with the lettuce leaves on the sides and with a sprig of fresh parsley on the top.

Note: This salad is often served as a side dish for Christmas, but we also enjoy it all year round in Brazil. It can also be used to make sandwiches. In this case, use french bread rolls (preferred in Brazil), any other hard-crusted bread, or croissants.  It will serve many more than 4 to 6 people, depending on the size of bread as well as the amount of filling per sandwich.

You might also like:

Crostini with Cheese, Prosciutto, Chimichurri Sauce, and Nuts

Top Hat Bananas Sandwich

Tropical Fresh Salad with Grilled Mangoes and Pineapple tossed with Spiced Citrus Vinaigrette Dressing

______________________________________________________________

Receita em Português:

Salpicão de Frango

(Salada/Sanduíche)

Rendimento (Salada): 4 a 6 porções

Ingredientes:

1/2 kg de peito de frango cozido com sal e desfiado (sem pele e sem osso)

1 maçã grande, descascada, sem sementes e ralada

1 cebola branca pequena, ralada

1 cenoura grande, descascada, ralada e cozida ao dente

1/3 xícara de azeitona, picada

1/2 xícara passas pretas, sem caroço

1/4 xícara de milho cozido

1/2 pimentão vermelho pequeno, sem sementes e picado

2 a 3 colheres de sopa de suco de limão

Sal à gosto

Uma pitada de pimenta moída

1/2 xícara de maionese ou iogurte natural (para uma versão sem lactose, use maionese)

150g batata palha

Salsinha para decorar (opcional)

Folhas de alface para decorar (opcional)

Modo de Preparo:

Misture os 8 primeiros ingredientes, tempere com sal, pimenta e suco de limão. Depois misture a maionese delicadamente. Cubra e leve à geladeira por pelo menos 2 horas ou até que o salpicão esteja gelado.

Antes de servir, misture 1/4 da batata palha ao salpicão. Arrume as folhas de alface nas bordas do pirex, ponha o salpicão por cima e depois decore o topo central com umas folhinhas de salsinha.

OBS: O salpicão também pode ser usado como recheio para sanduíches. Use pãezinhos francês (de preferência) ou croissants. Neste caso, renderá muito mais do que 4 a 6 sanduíches. O rendimento variará de acordo com o tamanho dos pães e também da quantidade usada em cada sanduíche. Bom apetite!

________________________________________________________________________