Chicken Meatballs Salad with Mediterranean Flavors

So what salads have you been enjoying lately ? Lavish ones with creamy dressings or simple ones with lots of veggies, fruits, greens and a simple citrusy vinaigrette. We here have a new favorite.  This Chicken Meatball Salad .....

Like our other favorite,  Wheat Berry and Chickpea salad, this salad is inspired by a recipe from Around the French Table, Salade Niçoise. Back in October, the Doristas made Salade Niçoise for French Fridays with Dorie. I too had assembled the salad for myself.  However substituting the canned tuna and anchovies with Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs, I prepared this version for my non-fish-eating husband and then tasted a spoonful of both and thought... hmmm.. "the Niçoise salad is good but this is DELICIOUS !" Ever since the has become a staple for Sunday lunch and each time we seem to enjoy it even more.. 

The salad is actually quite simple to prepare and gets done in no time provide you have the meatballs ready. The first time, I had prepared the salad with leftover chicken meatballs  from the previous day. But it is worth the effort to make these meatballs just for the salad...  Here is how I make them...

Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs Recipe Adapted from The Kitchn
Preparation Time : minimum 1 hour +10 minutes                   Cooking Time: 22 minutes                        Yields: 20
Ingredients 1 cup cooked black or green lentils (see notes) 3 tbsps Port wine 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 clove of garlic grated 1/2 pound ground chicken 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2/3 cups bread crumbs (see notes) 1/4 cup feta cheese 1 small onion, chopped (and caramelized if you have the time) 8 black olives, chopped 1 tbsp capers, chopped 4-5 strings of cilantro, trimmed and chopped 1/2 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp dill 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground pepper oil for glazing -  Instructions Put all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix them well. I use my hands for mixing. You can however use a wooden spoon if you like.  Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour. When ready to make the meatballs,line 2 baking trays with parchment paper, center a baking rack and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  With well oiled hands, shape the refrigerated mixture into 2 inch round balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Since the balls do not spread much you can place them close by. Now transfer the trays into the preheated oven and bake for 20-22 minutes until the meatballs are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before proceeding further.... -  Notes :  I have this recipe with both  green lentils and black masoor . I my opinion the one with green lentils taste better. If using black masoor, use only half the quantity as they tend to make the meatballs very dense. To make fresh bread crumbs, toast a day old bread in the oven at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Then pulverize in the food processor till you have the bread crumbs.

The chicken meatballs are delicious appetizers by themselves. So if you are not a salad person, you can skip all the veggies, greens and vinaigrette (basically, the rest of the post) and enjoy the meatballs as appetizer with Tzatzaki  or bake it in yogurt sauce and enjoy it with stuffed Naan, the way we did till the salad happened... 

In case you are a salad person then read on....

Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs Salad Inspired by Salade Niçoise from Around the French Table
Preparation Time : 30-45 minutes                     Assembling Time : 10-15minutes                                Serves : 2
Ingredients 8 Mediterranean chicken meatballs, quartered (prepared as above) 6 small potatoes 1/2 cup green beans, trimmed 2 large eggs 1 big tomato, cut into 16 parts 1 medium sized onion, chopped 8 black olives, halved or quartered 4 oz baby spinach, chopped for the vinaigrette 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tsp Dijon mustard (you can use more or less according to taste) 3 tbsps extra virgin oil 1 tbsp capers, crushed or finely chopped 1 clove garlic, grated (optional) salt and pepper to taste -  Instructions Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing all the ingredients and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. You can either boil the potatoes in salted water or  roast them in the oven. We like the taste of roasted potatoes, so if I have enough time in hand I roast it. To roast the potatoes, peel them and soak in water for at least an hour. Then toss them in oil, sprinkle salt and pepper and bake in oven at 450 degrees F for 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut the green beans into 3/4-1 inch long pieces. Toss them in a pot of boiling water. 6 minutes later drain the beans and run them under cold water. Pat dry and keep aside. In case you do not mind the boiled yolks, hard boil the eggs and slice them as you please for the salad. We do not like boiled yolks, so I separate the egg white and the yolks, save the yolks for later and boil the eggs whites using the method for Ruffly Poached Eggs.  To assemble the salad, toss the greens in half of the vinaigrette and lay it on the plate. Then place the quartered meatballs, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, onions and olives in any fashion you like. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette on top. Now serve, dig in and enjoy !

I shall be sharing this at the following parties.

Monday : Mix it up Monday, The Scoop, Made with love Monday, 
Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Melt in your Mouth Monday, Inspiration Monday Party Sharing Monday, 
Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop,Maniac Monday Linky Party

Tuesday : Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations, 
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home ,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings
Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles,  Tasty Tuesday @ Anyonita Nibbles,  Hearth and Soul blog Hop, 
In & Out of the Kitchen @ Feeding Big & More, Tuesday's Table @ Love in the Kitchen, 

Wednesday : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain, 
Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wine'd Down Wednesday, 
Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ All She Cooks Wednesday, Whatsit@White Lights on Wednesday, 
Wednesday Extravaganza @ Hunger Little Girl, Create & Share @ The Trendy Tree House,
What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar & Dots Look, What I Made @ Creations by Kara, Mum's Make list

Thursday: Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, 
Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity,  Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage , 
 Freedom Friday @ My Turn,  Thursday's Treasures @ Food Done Light,Pin it Thursday @ Sweet Bella Roos

Friday : Foodie Friday @ Simple Living and Eating,  Friday Linky Party @ The Pin Junkie, 
Get Him Feed @ Anyonita Nibbles, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home,  
Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm, 
Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts, 
Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club, The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog Recipes

Stuffed Whole Wheat Naan

I made these whole wheat naan a week back. Had planned to put it on the blog sooner.. but this week everything just went out of sorts. anyway... now that i am here let me quickly tell you what i did. how they were. and how well they compared to their bread flour(BF) counterparts. 

Adapting the recipe from Beth Hensperger's Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook, I made the dough for the naan in my bread machine and stuffed it with mashed potatoes and spinach. then buttered them generously and baked them in the oven. even though wheat is considered a healthier choice, in our opinion the BF ones taste much better. however with the stuffing these taste pretty good with a side of dal and yogurt. like their BF counterparts these are quite heavy, so unless you have a big appetite you'll probably not manage beyond one and a third for a meal. at least i find it difficult to have more, though Mr MN chomps down at least three every time i bake them..

GYCO Reveal ~ The Loaded Rib Cage..

Two weeks back, while making my usual rounds around my favorites in blogosphere, I stumbled upon this fun competition...  

Get your Chef On-Beer

Without thinking any further I simply signed for it... and then spent a good deal of time thinking what to cook ?? Considering the fact that I don't drink at all, coming up with a recipe that included beer seemed like a real challenge. and that is when Mr MN came into the picture and suggested a few combos. he said  " try beer bread or  a beered tandoori chicken. those combos go well.. " so i sat over his ideas for a while and then googled a little, landed on this awesome blog and thought of...... TADAAA... 

THE LOADED RIB CAGE

The experiment a super-duper hit. Mr MN and i LOVED it and we thank the host  

Jen @ Four Mars and One Venus 

 Julie @ White Lights on Wednesday  and

Co-Host Paula @ Call Me PMc 

for bringing home the GYCO - Beer Challenge that brought the chef out in us and made us create a hell of a recipe !

now ready to get a little tipsy... read and try this recipe along with me...

ingredients

for the rib cage (i used 1/2 of the dough to make a 15 inch long rib cage)

3/4 cup Guinness Draught Beer

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoon bread machine yeast 

for the chicken filling

3 tablespoons oil

3/4 cup finely chopped onions

1 cup Guinness Draught Beer

1 1/2 tablespoon Swad Tandoori Masala

3 mushroom heads thinly sliced

1/2 cup frozen peas 

4 chicken tenders, and marinated

salt to taste

for the chicken marinade

2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste 
2 teaspoons vinegar 
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons of cornflour

what i did.

• as with all my chicken preparations, 4 hours prior to cooking i cleaned and chopped the chicken tenders into 1/4 inch pieces , whisked the ingredients of the marinade in a bowl, poured it into a resealable plastic bag and added chicken pieces coating them evenly with the marinade. then sealing the bag i marinated the chicken in the refrigerator till i was ready to cook.
• making the dough for the rib cage was easy. i simply put the ingredients into the pan of my bread machine and programmed it on the dough cycle. 
• while the dough was being kneaded i began cooking the chicken. to begin with, I heated 2 tablespoons of the oil in my large iron skillet, then added the chopped onions in it. Sauteed the onions for  about 5 minutes, then added 1/4 cup Guinness to it, simmered until most of the liquid  evaporated, then repeated this three more times.
• once the onions were caramelized in the beer, i added in the tandoori masala, mushrooms and peas and let it cook till the raw smell of the masala was gone, about 4-5 minutes. then i added in the marinated chicken and salt and cooked it with the rest of the ingredients for about  8-10 minutes. i then removed it from the heat and covered it and kept aside.
• in 1 1/2 hours when the dough cycle completed, I divided the dough into 2 halves. then rolled out a 15 inch by 9 inch sheet out of one half of the dough and using the pictorial guide here, i loaded my dough with the chicken filling and braided close the open rib cage, covered it lightly with a plastic wrap and left it on the kitchen counter to rise for the next 45 minutes...

• 15 minutes before baking, i preheated the oven to 350 degree F, and once that was done, i put my loaded dough in the oven and baked it for 35-37 minutes. 

the bread seemed a little hard when i took it out from the oven. so i wrapped it in a kitchen towel and left it that way on the kitchen counter. 10 minutes when i unwrapped... i was excited with how soft the bread was... and don't even get me started on the chicken filling... it was AMAZING... my only regret is that i forgot to egg wash the dough surface before putting it in the oven. as a result it did not look as glazy as i would have wanted it...but with a baby clinging to your feet, such details often escape you at the right moment.... so don't hold me for that... this recipe is a real winner and you HAVE to try it to know that :)

Hope you had as much fun reading about it as i had cooking it. 

Wish me luck for the Challenge and do visit the other exciting Beered recipes at 

Four Marrs and One Venus

White Lights on Wednesday

Call Me PMc

Also Sharing this with : 

Tempt my Tummy @Blessed with Grace, Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box,  Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home

Tasty Tuesday @ 33 Shades of Green, Tuesday Talent Show @ Chef in Training
Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles, Mix it Up Monday @ Flour Me With Love's, Mop it up Monday @ I should be Mopping the Floor, What’d You Do this Weekend?  @ Tumbleweed Contessa,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm, Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss

 The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes

Chicken Polpette Casserole and Baked Kale Chips

Polpette was on my to do list ever since i borrowed the book from the library. but life kept interfering and it wasn't till last Friday that I could get it done. and then i realized that i could have cooked this up on any other weeknight... it was so simple and so easy.... and so DELICIOUS. we all loved it. and by all i mean even my little toddler.... 

though polpette is supposed to be shaped like meatballs... i simply cooked my chicken mixture in a casserole and sliced out individual pieces and served it with Annie's Noms' Caramelised onion mashed potato and  baked Kale chips. the mashed potato was yummy and the three tasted really good together. however Nishi and i both felt that the chicken tasted even better on Monday when we had the leftovers with our Indian meal of Rajma-Chawal (Rice with Red Kidney Bean Curry). don't know if  the chicken became more delicious with a two days of refrigeration or it was the combination... but we definitely relished it more on Monday.. now over to the recipe.

for the Kale chips

i used the following ingredients

1/2 bunch kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

salt and black pepper to taste

and proceeded as follows..

I preheated the oven to 350 degrees F, cut the leaves from the ribs, washed and dried them and chopped them into 1 inch pieces. i then drizzled it with olive oil and the seasoning and baked it for 10-12 minutes.

for the Chicken Polpette

i used the following ingredients

1 cup milk

6 inches from a loaf of french bread (I used French bread because that is what i had.)

4 pieces of tender chicken(marinated overnight and cut into small pieces)

3 tablespoons of dry parsley leaf

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic, finely grated

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons of Cooking Marsala Wine

10 Kalamata olives, halved length-wise

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

marinade for the chicken
   1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste 
   1 tablespoon vinegar 
   2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce 
   2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 
   1/4 teaspoon salt

and proceeded as follows...

the night before i cooked the dish I cleaned and chopped the chicken tenders into 1 inch pieces, 

whisked the ingredients of the marinade, pour it into a resealable plastic bag and added chicken pieces coating them evenly with the marinade. then sealing the bag i marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for over 24 hours.

i preheated the oven to 350 degree F. 

next, i heated the milk until warm and placed strips of the bread in the warm milk till they absorbed the milk completely. this hardly took any time. maybe a few seconds. i then transferred the bread strips to a board and finely chopped them and placed them in a large bowl.

once that was done, i added the rest of the ingredients to the pieces of soaked bread and hand-mixed them till they combined completely. then transferring the mixture to an oval casserole dish, i baked it for 20-25 minutes. and after letting it rest in the oven for an additional 10 minutes i served it for dinner....

so that was my Friday night special.... what was yours ? I'll love to hear....

Sharing this with.... 

"Flavors of Series 4 around Europe" by simply.food hosted at Divya's Culinary Jouney,  Bon Vivant #12 - Quixotic Fixes at Summee's Culinary Bites, Cook like a Celebrity Chef at Food Corner, Made with Love Monday at Sew Chatty, Mealtime Monday at Couponing & Cooking, Tasty Tuesday at 33 Shades of Green, Whats Cooking Wednessday, 
Wednessday Whatsits, Foodie Friday hosted at Home Maid Simple and Simple Living and Eating, Your Creative Timeout Party {No.71} and Saturday Dishes-Cassarole at Hammock Tracks.