It's Still Summer, It's Still Hot, It's Still Not Time to Sit By the Stove All Afternoon - A Super Quick and Easy Chicken Salad

While the kids are filtering back into school and summer vacations are coming to a close, the calendar shows we still have over a month of summer to go. Beyond the calendar, I can feel it. It's still hitting a hundred or above daily and the monsoons from Mexico are keeping the air sticky.

I hate summer and I hate cooking in this weather but, still, want to eat good without going out too much.

Enter the chicken salad. It's just a basic dish but, except for warming the chicken for six or seven minutes, it just takes a minute or two to put together.

Let's see what's in the fridge, hmm...

A bag of pre-cooked chicken pieces from Trader Joe's. 

I'll pop that into a skillet with some olive oil for a few minutes to heat up.

Salad mix from the supermarket.

Cherry tomatoes, also from Trader Joe's. Plus a few dried cranberries from the same place.

Throw the salad mix in a bowl, add tomatoes, chicken, and top off with the craisins. Pour on a little leftover ranch dressing that we brought home from a restaurant a few night ago, and dinner is done.

Perfect for a quick, midweek dinner when you're tired and have no time left on a hot day.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018 - All Rights Reserved

Tuesday's with Letty: California Grill Express, Azusa, California

This place has quickly worked it's way towards the top of our favorites. Formerly, California Burgers...a Greek burger stand that folded...California Grill Express (or CGX) has gutted the former burger joint, installed beer taps, and redid the menu.

Come in from the east entrance and it still looks like a burger stand pretty much but once you're asked "here or to go," upon answering "here" you're ushered over to the small but comfortable dining room or their very nice patio and you're waited on instead of ordering at the counter.

We're slowly working through the menu.  The burger is one of the best and just about a dollar more that a premium burger at Carl's Jr. gets you this very juicy and expertly prepared half pound patty.

For a couple of dollars more, you can make it a combo and add a side and a drink, such as this order of parmesan zucchini, fries, or one of the several very good craft brews on tap.

Letty likes this tuna salad to go with her hefeweizen.

It's all very good. Great food and service along with prices just a bit north of  the old burger stand it replaced puts it well up the list for our Tuesday night getaways.

California Grill Express is at 353 East Foothill Boulevard in Azusa.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

This Week's Menu: French Omelet and Spring Ham Salad

We're trying to be healthy and diabetic friendly this week with a couple of meals that actually lowered my glucose, one (the omelet) by almost 40 points!

The omelet is a super tasty and very filling entree that can be served for any meal.  The salad is a bit lighter but still very tasty and satisfying.

Recipes are at the links below.

BRUNCH: French Omelet

LUNCH: Spring Mix Salad

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

LUNCH: Spring Ham Salad

This is my go-to meal for a quick, easy, amazingly tasty, satisfying, and healthy lunch.  Super easy to throw together, low carb, good protein, and good fats for a meal you'll never feel guilty about eating.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups spring salad mix
6 or 7 cherry tomatoes
1/4 oz. shredded Mexican cheese blend
1/2 oz. sliced ham
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Simply put the salad mix in a bowl, sprinkle the tomatoes, cheese, and ham over the top.  Mix the oil and vinegar and use as the dressing.

For this one, I'll even include the nutritional info...

Calories - 176
Protein (grams) - 9
Carbs - 15
Fat - 9
Sodium - 218
Sugar - 5

Glucose Effect:
Pre-meal level   - 127
Post-meal level - 118

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Tuesdays with Letty: City Cafe - Azusa, California

Tuesday night is respite night for my wife and I. My mom comes over to sit with Tim for a couple of hours while we can get away and forget about caretaking and go out to dinner by ourselves...

While we have our tried and true Tuesday night favorites, we like to try new places once in awhile, too.  This week, it's the latest addition to the burgeoning restaurant row that is popping up around the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Azusa Avenue in Azusa, California.

City Cafe (not to be confused with the similarly themed and menued City Grill in nearby Covina) sits next to a weed-strewn vacant lot just a few doors down from Max's and Congregation Ale House.

The prices are reasonable for a very neat and plush little restaurant. There's also a very nice patio out back but we're sticking inside tonight.

My wife has the ahi tuna salad, an Asian tinged dish with very tasty fish along with the usual salad fixin's, beans, mandarins, and fried noodles.

I'm in the mood for a burger tonight so I go with a basic house cheeseburger with bleu cheese. It's very good, if messy, and the wonderful tomato bisque makes a nice substitute for the fries I'm avoiding.

Good place, good food, and reasonable prices. What more could you ask for?

This one will stay on our radar.

City Cafe is one block south of Foothill Boulevard at the corner of Azusa Avenue and 6th Street. Free parking in the back.

Darryl
Copyright 2015 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved