Special of the day -- Grapefruit

I'm not usually one for fresh fruit in the morning. It's too early, I'm too sleepy, it's too much effort. This morning, though, was different. I woke up with a craving for fruit, something sweet and juicy. But you know I can never leave things alone, and I ended up with a dish that is better than just your average grapefruit.

Grapefruit Breakfast Salad
I grapefruit
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. sugar (I used colored sugar leftover from baking cookies)
1 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. lemon zest

1. Thoroughly wash grapefruit, then cut off the top and bottom 1/2 inch. Slice off the skin in strips, following the curve of the fruit from top to bottom. You should end up with a whole grapefruit, minus the peel and bitter white pith. Carefully cut out the segments of the fruit, leaving behind the membrane that separates the segments. The remaining membranes will look like pages in a book. Discard any seeds. Some people call this process "booking" a fruit, or making "supremes."
2. Place the supremed fruit in your breakfast bowl, then sprinkle with salt and sugar. Drizzle lightly with honey, then dust with lemon zest.

I've found that the honey and sugar cut the sometimes bitter and tart flavors present in grapefruit. The salt works to bring out the sweetness of the fruit, while the lemon zest ties together the whole dish. You might want to try a tiny pinch of freshly grated ginger root or chiffonade mint leaves to make this dish less sweet and balance out the citrus.

Forget take-out! Asian chicken salad magic!

I had a rare moment of nostalgia the other night as I was rooting around in my refrigerator looking for a quick dinner. It had been a week since my last grocery trip, but I was too exhausted from work to manage even the most abbreviated visit to my local market. Inspired, I recalled a hot summer day back in Boston, when I was between gigs and working with limited resources. I whipped up this super-simple salad in just a few minutes with the sparsest of ingredients, but it tasted better than most restaurant salads. In its most recent incarnation, I added mandarin oranges to the dish for some extra juiciness and texture. Delicious!

Instant Ramen Chicken Salad
You can use any leftover chicken or shrimp, or shred up some prepared rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Alternately, you can try canned chicken or salmon chunks.

1 pkg. instant ramen soup noodles
1 can chicken or 1 cup prepared chicken, diced
1 small can mandarin orange segments
1 bag ready-to-eat salad greens
dried fruits/nuts that come with salad (optional)
2 tbs. orange juice
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
4 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil (omit for lower-fat option)

1. Bring water to boil for noodles. Cook noodles for three minutes, or according to package directions. DO NOT add seasoning/flavor packet!
2. While noodles cook, toss together in large bowl or gallon-size zip-top bag: chicken, mandarin oranges, salad greens, optional dried fruits/nuts.
3. In a bowl, mix together orange juice, salt, and pepper. Add honey and stir carefully, but thoroughly. If honey does not mix easily, microwave the entire mixture for no more than 25 seconds. Stir in optional red pepper flakes. Slowly stream in olive oil, whisking mixture briskly with a fork (omit to save on fat grams!).
4. Drain ramen noodles completely, then carefully cut with kitchen scissors so that the noodles are bite-sized.
5. Add noodles and dressing to salad mix, toss thoroughly, and enjoy!

**I submitted this recipe originally to allrecipes.com, and it is awaiting review.