Lunchtime recipes from the CL Cookbook

Making your own lunch at home? Bringing it to work in a David Cassidy lunchbox? Either way, cltampa.com/cookbook has a recipe for you. Here are a few of our favorites. —Katie Machol

FRUITY NUTTY CHICKEN SALAD

A chicken salad filled with herbs, fresh and dried fruits, nuts and of course, a creamy mayonnaise-based dressing. You can use any combination of fruits and nuts that you like and it always turns out great. But, this salad really rocks with dried apricots, mango, apples, mandarin oranges and almonds as well. Whatever floats your boat is fine. I like to serve this salad in big, juicy, hollowed out tomato, pineapple boat or avocado half. It makes the beginnings of a darn good sandwich too! —Susan Filson

Ingredients

4 split (2 whole) bone-in chicken breasts, cooked (boiled, poached or roasted) and cooled

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1-2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup fresh red or green grapes, halved

1 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup diced pineapple

1/2 cup diced red onion

Directions

1. Remove chicken meat from bones and dice into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch chunks. Set aside in a large bowl.

2. Place the pecans and walnuts (or whatever nuts you're using) on a baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven for about 7 to 8 minutes until slightly golden. Set aside to cool. (You can skip this step and just use the nuts as is, but toasting gives them a nice, rich flavor.)

3. For the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, tarragon together in a small bowl. Taste, and add salt and pepper accordingly.

4. Add the nuts, fruits and onion to the chicken. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss well. Serve it any way you want to.

COLD SOBA NOODLE SALAD

(serves 2 as a small salad or side dish)

Soba noodles are great as a meatless dish because they're hearty and filling. For this simple salad, I'll simply throw in any vegetables I have in my fridge with the noodles and make a quick salad dressing of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and various other flavoring agents. —Katie Machol

Ingredients

1 bundle of soba noodles (about 4 ounces, uncooked)

4 scallions, sliced on a bias (white and green parts)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of fresh ginger, grated

1 teaspoon sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 lime, juiced

1 teaspoon of Sriracha** or hot sauce

1/2 cup unsalted or lightly salted peanuts, chopped, for garnish

A few teaspoons of sesame seeds, for garnish (I used wasabi-flavored sesame seeds)

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, rinse under cool water, and set aside. Prepare the scallions and set aside as well.

2. For the dressing, whisk together all ingredients and pour over the noodles. Add the scallions and toss to combine.

3. For a richer flavor, refrigerate for a few hours before eating to let the flavors combine, or enjoy right away, garnishing with the peanuts and sesame seeds when served.

DOHRMAN'S MAYONAISSE

Makes about one cup

Making mayo at home is easy, quick and doesn't require any weird ingredients. In fact, you probably have everything you need to make a batch right now. I don't know any fancy or fusion-y applications for mayonnaise; I just use it to make my sandwiches and chicken salad significantly more awesome. —T. Hampton Dohrman

Ingredients

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder (I use Colman's Mustard in the old-timey looking yellow tin)

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon Juice

1 cup Wesson salad oil

Directions

Put egg, seasonings, vinegar, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of oil into blender or food processor. Cover and process. Begin pouring in very sloooooowlllllly. If needed, scrape down the sides with a spatula. Once all the oil is incorporated transfer to a storage container, preferably something glass. I like to use my mayo right away, though my sister says it's better if you refrigerate it for a few hours first. This is real mayonnaise so it needs to be kept in the fridge. It will keep for about a week, though mine usually gets sandwichified before that.

THE ELENA RUZ SANDWICH

Makes one sandwich

As a young lady, Elena Ruz was a socialite who loved to dance the night away in Havana's bustling club scene in the 1920s and 30s. Her favorite late night restaurant was El Carmelo in Havana's Vedado district where ost of her peers would have ordered medianoche sandwiches, a smaller adaptation of the Cuban, with ham, pork, and Swiss served on egg bread similar to challah. But the medianoche wasn't lady-like enough for Ruz. True to character as a young, well-to-do socialite, Ruz was not interested in the menu, instead demanding that the kitchen make an unusual sandwich to her strict specifications. Ruz demanded her sandwich so often that she grew impatient at having to explain it to waiters. So she demanded that it go on the menu. El Carmelo called it the "Elena Ruz" and the underrated sandwich was born. —Andy Huse

Ingredients

Two slices of bread, lightly toasted (Sliced egg bread, medianoche, challah or white sandwich bread preferred.)

Roast turkey breast, to taste (Cold cuts, always relatively inferior to fresh turkey, actually do well on the sandwich. The extra salt of processed turkey accentuates the contrast with the sweet jam.)

Strawberry jam, guava preserves or cranberry sauce, to taste

Cream cheese, to taste

Directions

Slather the cream cheese and jam on the bread, slap the turkey on one piece of bread and top with the other. Cut in half (optional) and enjoy.

This article appears in Jun 16-22, 2011.