Better Than Potbelly's Salads

If you stock up on all the toppings, and keep them together in one large container in the fridge, it is really easy to just put a bunch of greens in a bowl, add the toppings, and you have a fast restaurant-style salad.
Having all the toppings in one container makes it so much easier to put the salad together.
You usually only use half the apple - or half the avocado.
I put them in baggies (onion, too) inside the large container.
In the winter, it's hard to get fresh bags of salad so I use the hearts of romaine. When the bagged salads are in season - just choose one you like.

Use whatever dressing you like.
I like to mix oil and vinegar with 25% creamy dressing, like ranch or blue cheese
Items listed are what they have on the Potbelly menu.
Items in parentheses are alternatives that are good.

REVISED UPTOWN SALAD
Since becoming addicted to this combination as well as being lazy...
I no longer care what cheese I use - any bag of grated cheese is fine.
And I never bother with anything other than regular walnuts.
I mostly eat the toppings on spinach and love Gino's creamy parmesan dressing.
If I run out of onions, it's OK.
The essentials are
cheese, walnuts, craisins, apple, and avocado - must have those 5 items
onions are welcome - and so in chicken - but not essential.

UPTOWN salad toppings:
Chopped apple -or- halved grapes (or both if you have both)
Red onion, sliced (or other onion)
Dried cranberries
Sugared walnuts (or just roasted - or even just plain walnuts - or peanuts)
Blue cheese crumbled (or feta)
5 toppings makes it perfect.
You may also add chunks of cooked chicken.
Avocado is also nice on this salad - good substitute for chicken. It is not on the Potbelly menu.

MEDITERANIAN salad toppings:
Artichokes
Chick peas
Roasted red pepper (optional)
Cucumber
Greek olives
Cucumber
Red onion
Tomato
Feta Cheese
Italian seasoning
Chicken (optional)
This on has 8 toppings - and you could omit one or two - maybe tomatoes or cucumber. The rest seem essential.
Avocado - optional - not on Potbelly menu

FARMHOUSE salad toppings:
Chicken
Hard boiled eggs
Bacon
Blue cheese - or any other cheese
Tomato
Red onion
Cucumber - optional
Avocado - optional - not on Potbelly menu

CHICKEN SALAD salad toppings:
Chicken salad (left over, or a small container from deli)
Provolone
Dried cranberries
Cucumber
Tomato
Avocado - optional - not on potbelly menu

SPINACH  salad toppings:
Spinach
Sundried tomatoes
Dried cranberries
Roasted pine nuts
Avocado

Greek Turkey Chili (EASY)

Super easy. Just open a lot of cans.

Greek Chili

1 medium onion diced – yellow or red

2 Tbsp olive oil

4  garlic cloves chopped

1 Lb ground turkey

1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes diced

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

-or- any combination of sauce and diced tomatoes that you have on hand. If you only had jarred spaghetti sauce, that would work - shoot for close to 30 ounces of something red

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans-drained and rinsed

1 14 oz can artichoke hearts drained and cut into pieces lengthwise ( plain canned, not marinated, although marinated work if that is what you have on hand)

Black GREEK olives, sliced or quartered, as many as you like – ½ cup or more

2 Tsp oregano (or Italian seasoning may be substituted if you don’t have oregano)

1 Tsp thyme, dried

1 1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you like)

4  bay leaves

Chicken stock may be added – 1 cup

Salt to taste - keeping in mind that the feta os salty.

SECRET INGREDIENT: LEMON JUICE: add juice of one lemon at the last minute.

– if you have a micro plane, add a little zest.

or put a lemon wedge with each serving - which I prefer - when I know I will be reheating it.

Topping:

Feta cheese

Sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

Saute onion in olive oil until soft.

It will be done after you open all the cans.

Add the garlic at the end, then add the turkey and cook until it is white.

Turkey does not brown – just break it into chunks.

Alternative: buy turkey pieces and cut it up - the chili seems fancier with small pieces of turkey, rather than ground - but it takes more time to cut up turkey. Chicken is probably just fine, too.

Add everything else and let it simmer on low, stirring every 15 minutes.

-or-

Put it in a 350 oven for an hour or two if you don’t want to stir it.

-or-

Some recipes call for a crock pot 4-6 hours. But I think it is better in the LeCreuset.

You can eat it after about an hour. It’ll be fine. I think I’ve eaten it after 15 minutes because I was hungry.

2 hours might be better than 1 hour.

It generally tastes better the next day.

It’s impossible to screw it up.

If you want to make the batch larger – you can put in an extra can of tomatoes.

Or add kidney beans and chili powder if you want it to be more like chili.

Do NOT omit the LEMON. Although, if you forget to buy a lemon, it will still be edible.

Top with feta cheese – or sour cream or both – whatever you like.

Serve with pita bread or pita chips

Wilma's Chicken Soup (EASY)

Wilma found this recipe and it is so easy and so good.
Long directions - details for people who have not done a lot of cooking.
Tastes even better the second day.

Chicken Soup

3 Tbsp butter or olive oil

1 onion - (white, yellow or red) chopped up

3-4 carrots sliced into 1/4-inch pieces - or chunkier if you are in a hurry

1-2 stalks of celery - sliced same as carrots ( I tend to cut up the vegetables in fairly small pieces - choose a size you like)

2 Tbsp flour

Garlic to taste - fresh if you have it

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 cans (15 oz) chicken broth or one (32 oz) cartons - Swanson’s

1 1/2 lbs (or more) boneless, skinless chicken thighs - cut into 1 1/2-in pieces.

(OK to use part white meat - if someone in the house only likes white meat - but dark meat has more flavor)

1 lemon

Pasta of your choice - Reame’s frozen noodles are good if you like the really thick homemade noodles. Any other kind of pasta is fine. 

Heat the heavy bottom pot, dutch oven or LeCreuset

Add butter or oil.

Butter will foam up a bit. You want the onion to sizzle when it first hits the pot. But then turn down a bit.

Saute onion, for a couple minutes, while you cut up the carrot and celery.

Add the carrot and celery. Let them sweat while you get the chicken and broth ready.

Do not let anything brown. 

Add the flour, stir, cook for a minute - don’t let it brown.

Add garlic if you have it. Garlic powder is fine.

Add the chicken and 1 can broth (or half the carton) all at once.

Add the thyme.

Cover, turn down and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

Just simmer - not a boil.

If you do not want to watch it, put it in a 350 degree oven for an hour.

Add the other can of broth unless you want less broth.

You can add the pasta to the soup, but I like to cook it separately and then add it.

I love the PASTA-FASTA cooker.

Uses less water, you just put it in microwave.

Available at Bed-Batb&Beyond

Right before serving - add the juice of one lemon (half if it is large)

And the zest of a small lemon.

Hopefully you have a micro-plane

Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

There is usually enough salt in the broth.

Don’t buy low-salt broth.

It usually needs salt at the end and I like to add it right before eating.