Chicken, Bacon & Apple Wraps

Summer is the time for picnics. Or if not picnics, at least for eating outside. There are so many occasions when it's suitable to bring your own food, rather than resorting to often very meagre offerings - say, at the zoo, or the playground.

For those times, I want something portable, and something that doesn't require plates or cutlery. Sure, you can bring a salad, but that means you'll have to use disposable plates, or have to bring home dirty dishes. I rather not. So, this summer, I'm making wraps. These ones in particular - they are so delicious.

The combination of chicken, bacon and apple - with the addition of pine nuts - is just incredible. And you can definitely play with it - I'm thinking pears would be good rather than apples, and maybe exchange those pine nuts for walnuts... and maybe add some blue cheese instead of dijon mustard? Wouldn't that be good?

Wrap them in plastic or sandwich paper, and they'll keep for at least a day in the fridge. It's a good lunch to bring to work, too.

Chicken, Bacon & Apple Wraps
makes 8

8 wheat tortillas
200 g chicken, cooked
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp thick yogurt (Greek or Turkish style)
1 tsp sriracha sauce (or another spicy chilisauce)
1 tsp dijon mustard
30 g pine nuts
150 g bacon, diced
200 g apples, peeled and diced
70 g fresh spinach or arugula, well cleaned

Shred the chicken and mix with mayo, yogurt, sriraha and dijon mustard.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan, set aside.

Fry the bacon until crispy. Add the apples, and let them fry along for a few minutes, to soften a bit.

Divide the chicken salad in the middle of each tortilla. Top with bacon, apple, pine nuts and spinach, and roll into a tight wrap.

Recipe in Swedish:
Wraps med kyckling, bacon och äpple

Bacon & Corn Lunch Omelette

We often make something along the lines of a tortilla/frittata/omelette for lunch. I fry whatever I happen to have (often leftover potatoes, but not this time), then add eggs and maybe some cheese. Good food, for the whole family.

Bacon & Corn Lunch Omelette
Serves 2-3

70 g bacon
1 small red onion
100 ml corn kernels
5 eggs
3 tbsp water
salt, pepper
a handful grated cheese, preferrably sharp. I used the Dutch Primadonna.

Dice the bacon and the onion. Fry, with the corn, on medium heat until the bacon becomes crispy and gets some color.

Whisk the eggs with water, and some salt and pepper. Add this to the frying pan, and stir the edges towards the middle as they start to set. When most of the omelette has set, add the cheese and let the omelette finish for a few minutes on medium-low heat.

Serve with a salad on the side.

Recipe in Swedish:
Lunchomelett med bacon & majs

Chicken & Bacon Pasta

A quick weekday recipe! I also have to tell you about the pasta I used here - it's from the producer Zeta, and it's made with a bronze press which gives it a great texture. I really enjoyed it, it had a great bite. The shape was called Mezze Maniche, and it was basically short, wide tubes. Yummy!

Chicken & Bacon Pasta
serves 2-3

1/2 rotisserie chicken, or two cooked chicken legs, shredded
70 g bacon
1/2 zucchini, cored and in thin slices
1 red onion, thinly sliced
50 g feta cheese
1-200 ml cream (any fat content you'd like)
200 g pasta

Boil the pasta according to the package, in plenty of salted water. Meanwhile, dice the bacon and fry it in a dry pan. When it's crispy, add the zucchini and onion and fry for a few minutes. Add the chicken and cream, and let it heat through. When the pasta is done, drain - but reserve some of the cooking water - and add to the pan. Crumble in the feta cheese. If the pasta looks dry, add some of the reserved cooking water.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kyckling & Baconpasta