Crunchy Asian Salad with Sesame Encrusted Chicken Fingers

    This week my vegetable box from Purple Pumpkin Produce included a head of napa cabbage and a head of red cabbage. I have never bought napa cabbage and immediately started searching for a recipe to use it in. I found a couple of different recipes for cabbage salad and decided on using this one from Farm Flavor. I have really been on an Asian kick lately so I already had most of the ingredients on hand. I changed it a little bit just to suit my tastes and the ingredients I already had in my kitchen.
   I knew these Sesame Encrusted Chicken Fingers would go perfectly with the salad. I have made them a couple of times and they are delicious. A while back,  I came across a recipe on one of my favorite healthy food blogs, Skinny Taste, and crossed it with my famous  baked chicken fingers.   They are a great spin on the traditional chicken fingers when served with Asian inspired dishes. I am playing around with even more fun twists to put on these chicken fingers. I'm thinking buffalo chicken fingers? Sounds tasty, huh?  Stay tuned for that one.

Crunchy Asian Salad with Sesame Encrusted Chicken Fingers
(chicken fingers adapted from Skinny Taste and my chicken fingers )
(salad adapted from Farm Flavor )

For the chicken fingers:
3 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce

For the salad:
1 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup matchstick carrots
4 scallions, chopped
handful Thai basil and/or cilantro
1 pkg ramen noodles, crushed (do not use spice packet)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 Tbsp butter
1Tbsp sesame oil

For the dressing:
6 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Siracha
1 tsp hot mustard
1/2 tsp hoisin sauce


For the chicken fingers:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees and set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet; spray with cooking spray.
Combine the sesame oil and soy sauce in a bowl and marinate the chicken tenders for 15 minutes.
Combine canola oil, sesame seeds and breadcrumbs in a skillet and cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly, until browned. Remove from heat and let cool.
One at a time, remove tenderloins from soy sauce mixture and coat with the panko. Place each tenderloin on prepared baking pan and coat with cooking spray. Bake 10-12 minutes until cooked through.

For the salad:
Combine napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, scallions, and herbs in a large bowl.
Melt butter and sesame oil in a medium skillet. Saute ramen noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds until toasted. Remove from heat and let cool.
Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar and shake until well combined.

To serve:
Toss vegetables, noodle mixture, and dressing in a bowl and top with chicken fingers.

Enjoy!

Purple Pumpkin Produce and Cucumber-Tomato Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

   Alabama has more than 48,500 farms covering 9 million acres. Yet, only 5% of produce found in our grocery stores is grown in the state. That is an estimated loss of up to 50 million dollars annually. All of the beautiful produce in the picture above was grown in Alabama, so why can't you find it at your local supermarket? In the 1950's a farm bill was passed that decided state funds would only go to poultry, cotton, soybean, and beef farms. Produce farms would no longer recieve state funding. Therefore, the only way to get your hands on fresh, local fruits and vegetables is to go to the Farmer's market or find a roadside stand.
    I cook a lot of vegetables for my family. We also eat tons of fruit. I am usually dissapointed in the produce at the grocery store and I hate that I never know where it's coming from, or how long it's been since it was harvested. Did you know fresh produce starts to lose nutrients as soon as it's picked? Buying locally not only stimulates our economy, but it is also better for you, and possibly even cheaper.
   The farmer's market is a great place to buy local produce and it can be a fun family outing, too. But for me, and I'm sure many others, it isn't always the most convenient trip to make. Our local farmer's market is only open on Saturdays, in the spring and summer, for a few hours in the morning. Unfortunately, I work most Saturdays and rarely make it there. That's why I was so excited to hear about a friend's new business venture. Purple Pumpkin Produce provides fresh, local produce straight from the farm to your door. I was intrigued immediately and emailed the owner, Jake, for more information.

    I could tell right off that Jake is very passionate about about his new business venture. It was obvious to me that his primary goal is to help the Alabama agriculture business as a whole, not just to make money for himself. That was very refreshing to me and encouraged me to do the same. The sign up was quick and painless and Jake was not only professional, but also very knowledgable. There are 3 different levels to choose from depending on the size of your family and how often you cook/eat at home. I chose level one, which includes a variety of six fruits and vegetables with 2-3 serving of each. I signed up on a Thursday and received my first box the next Tuesday! They even let me know the menu a few days in advance so I could make my weekly meal plan. I have gotten two boxes so far. I have been very impressed with not only the variety of the boxes, but also the quantity. So far, I am definitely saving money, as I havent had to buy hardly any produce from the grocery store. Here is a little sneak peak of my second box from Purple Pumpkin Produce.
    

   On Tuesday afternoon, this box was hand delivered to my front door by Jake and Tiffany. They were both very friendly and told me a little about some of the farms they have been visiting. They both beamed with pride as they explained the contents of the box to me. I didn't think I could be more excited about diving into my box of goodies, but they definitely amplified my giddiness. After they left, I took the box into the kitchen to examine it more closely.

     The vegetables looked so beautiful I just had to make something with them...immediately. Enter: Tomato Cucumber Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette.

For the salad: 

1 large tomato, cut into large chunks
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 bell pepper, cut into chunks
3 green onions (green and white parts), chopped
small bunch of basil, chiffonade
small bunch of parsley, chopped

For the vinaigrette:

white wine vinegar
olive oil
dijon mustard
honey
salt&pepper

Combine salad ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine vinaigrette ingredients to taste. Pour over vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Refridgerate. Enjoy!