Mad Hatters Spinach Chicken Salad

Source: Mad Hatters Tea - San Antonio, Texas by way of San Antonio Express-News

1 pound cooked white meat chicken, cubed
1 1/2 pounds chopped frozen spinach, thawed
1 (1.4 ounce) box Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 cup mayonnaise

Add chicken to the bowl of a food processor; pulse 5 to 6 times to chop. Place thawed spinach in a sieve. Press, drain, squeeze and extract most of the moisture from the spinach. It should be "wet to the touch and dry to the eyes," says Chef Guerrero.

Put spinach and Knorr soup mix in a large mixing bowl. Mix well with "sanitized" hands. Make sure there is no visible soup mix powder; it should be absorbed completely into the spinach. Add the chopped chicken meat and mayonnaise to the spinach mixture and incorporate thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours to allow the dehydrated vegetables to soften and for the flavors to meld. The mixture will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Serve on sourdough bread with alfalfa sprouts and tomato. Makes about 5 cups filling.

1/2 tablespoon butter
3 small carrots, peeled and diced
3 to 4 ribs celery, diced
1/4 head cauliflower, boiled and broken into small pieces
1 small head green cabbage, diced
6 asparagus stalks, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced (optional)
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
1 1/2 quarts beef stock
1 (12 to 16 ounce) can peas, drained
1 (12 to 16 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped, with juice
1 cup cooked barley

Heat butter in large saucepan or deep skillet. Add fresh vegetables and saut? until partly cooked.

In soup pot, heat stocks and bring to boil. Add partly cooked vegetables, peas, tomatoes and barley. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until vegetables are soft.

Makes 12 to 15 servings.