LAST EDITED ON 02-19-10 AT 01:09 PM (EST)I guess I am up and I am feeling the pressure.
This recipe is from an asian noodle cookbook and called for a deep fried nest to be made of noodles. Deep frying anything scares the bejeebus out of me, so I ditched the noodle basket for some nice pumpernickel bread. Everyone is safe and no one gets hurt 
I like this recipe because it is fresh tasting and reminds me of spring. And easy too . The sweet potato fries are actually 'good for you' and don't overpower the chicken salad.
OTCC - Ginger Lime Chicken Salad with Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
6 TBSP (90 mL) sour cream (I used light - 7%)
6 TBSP (90 mL) mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (I used light Miracle Whip)
1 inch (2.5 cm) piece fresh gingerroot peeled and grated*
grated rind and juice of 1 lime
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs or 2 or 3 chicken breasts poached and cooled and cut into thin strips
1 carrot peeled and grated
1 cucumber cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 TBSP (15 mL) finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 TBSP (15 mL) finely chopped fresh mint
1 TBSP (15 mL) finely chopped parsley
several fresh basil leaves, torn
Really nice bread such as pumpernickel, rye, sourdough
romaine lettuce leaf (optional)
Method
1. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, ginger and lime rind.
2. Gradually add the lime juice to taste.
3. Stir in the chicken, carrot, cucumber, and salt and pepper.
4. Cover and chill.
5. Just before serving, stir in the chopped mint, cilantro and parsley.
6. Spoon chicken salad onto an interesting bread (toasted optional).
7. Garnish with torn basil leaves.
Notes:
*I grate my ginger roughly, but I like ginger
The first time I made this I used dried mint (1 tsp instead of tablespoon) and sprinkled dried basil on the salad. Because I was making it for you, I thought I would spurge for fresh (hey -- you are worth it!). It was good either way, but the fresh basil made for an interesting addition that I really liked.
- if you are storing this in the fridge overnight, it will get a little watery. Just drain before serving.
- I didn't use salt and didn't miss it.
- it would be better (and safer for your fingers) to use a large carrot instead of baby carrots, but Mr. Qwerty was kind enough to do the shopping so I wasn't going to quibble.
-I found I had sauce left over, but I tend to like my chicken salad on the dry side.
Sweet Potatoes with Honey Lime Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
1 or 2 eggs (whites only)- depends on how much fries you have
1 - 2 tsp (5 - 10 mL) flour (apparently rice flour works really well too)
Parchment Paper
Spices (salt, pepper and any of seasoning salt, paprika, chili powder, cinnamon etc)
Honey Lime dipping sauce
1 TBSP (15 mL) Honey
Juice and grated rind from 1 small or medium sized lime
1/4 -1/2 cup (50 mL - 125 mL) sourcream (I used light)
pepper to taste
Method
1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Peel the sweet potatoes (or leave peel on, if you prefer). Cut in very small "fries" (the smaller, thinner the better) and place in a large bowl.
4. Whisk the egg whites until just lightly frothy.
5. Pour egg whites into a ziploc bag (or large bowl) and add the cut sweet potatoes. Close the bag and shake to evenly coat potatoes in egg whites.
6. Open the bag and add a bit of all-purpose flour (just one or two teaspoons, again depending on how many potatoes but not too much), close and shake to coat.
7. Place potatoes carefully on the baking sheet, shaking off any excess coating. Leave as much space between potatoes as possible. Try not to overlap any or crowd the sheet. Cook on two sheets, if necessary.
8. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper and/or any other spices you like
9. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, until cooked. Don't wander too far while they are cooking, so you can keep an eye on their progress. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your fries and they go from lovely to burnt very quickly. If you are baking two sheets, place racks in top and bottom thirds of oven and switch their position half way through baking.
10. Mix together the lime rind, juice, sourcream and honey in a small bowl.
NOTES:
The dipping sauce measurements are approximate. I just kind of threw the ingredients together.
The fries that worked the best tended to be cut about 1/4 inch thick.
I sprinkled mine with salt, pepper and a little bit of cayenne. They won't turn out deep fried crispy, but they have a nice, non-mushy texture.
The first recipe I tried used olive oil, tinfoil and a hotter oven and quickly caused the smoke detector to go off at 11:35 PM. I learned my youngest two kids can sleep through the smoke alarm.
I am not even going to go into "What is the difference between Sweet Potatos and Yams" when the stores don't get it right most of the time.
And I promised I would mention that parchment paper is not the same as wax paper -- I guess the author's daughter found that out the hard way.
