I know, I live in New Hampshire; we are supposed to have cold temperatures and snow-covered yards. If I were to live somewhere tropical, I would miss watching snowflakes glide to the ground and seeing light shimmering on an icicle. However, sometimes it is nice to visualize a warmer climate for a little while.
Last week I decided to bring a tropical feel to our house via dinner. Having bought a pineapple during a grocery store trip, it seemed like a good starting point to make our home feel more like Hawaii and less like an arctic region. While I could have made a stirfry with the pineapple, I was seeking something that was more reflective of a warm summer day.
Thinking about Hawaiian food products that would please all family members, I decided to incorporate macadamia nuts. From there, my dinner plan progressed. Add some chicken, create a dressing, serve it in wraps or lettuce leaves, and we would have a fun dinner that might conjure images of palm trees.
When dinnertime arrived, everyone chose lettuce leaves for their wraps. Served with a side of coconut rice, this dinner satisfied both our hunger and weather cravings.
- 2 cups chicken breast, cooked and diced
- 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 2 Tb. sour cream
- 2 Tb. mayonnaise
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup oranges, diced
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, pineapple, celery, macadamia nuts, and red onion, and toss. In a small bowl, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
- Pour dressing onto chicken mixture, and combine well.
- Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Top with orange slices, if desired.
- Can be served as wraps using Bibb lettuce leaves or flatbread or as a topping to a mixed green salad.
