I doubt my son has ever heard of Waldorf Salad. When I was a kid, the name made me think of “ladies who lunch”.  My first bite came in 8^th grade “Home Ec”. Somewhere along the line, it merged with my mother’s chicken salad with grapes, and the result was a chicken Waldorf. In a twist on the classic version, celery root and fennel add interesting flavors and textures. The “Trufflehead-ness” of it lies less in these quirky additions (though they are pure Trufflehead) than in the “preferably organic” qualifier that follows certain items in the ingredients list. Here’s the explanation, taken directly from the app: In a perfect world, we’d all be able to buy as much organic produce as we wanted. Unfortunately, most of our wallets aren’t fat enough for that. If you’ve ever wondered which fruits and veggies give you the biggest bang for your organic-buying buck, check out the Environmental Working Group’s list of the worst offenders in not-so-healthy residues. Starting with the worst, their Dirty Dozen™ includes: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, kale and collard greens, potatoes, and imported grapes. For a list of 49 fruits and veggies and how they stack up, visit EWG’s website at http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php. Buying organic also makes a difference when it comes to canola oil because most of it is made from genetically modified ingredients. Since the jury’s still out on GMOs, it’s best to buy organic canola oil.  In this app, recipes containing the Dirty Dozen and/or canola oil are identified by the Trufflehead Priority Organics icon. The phrase “preferably organic” follows these items in ingredient and shopping lists. If you have toasted walnuts, you can skip Step #1.  If there’s leftover cooked chicken in your fridge, you can skip Step #2 and go right to assembly, which will take you less than 30 minutes. If you prefer a vegetarian version, simply omit the chicken.[/donotprint]    

Trufflehead ChickenWaldorf Salad

• ¼ cup walnuts or pecans
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water or a combination
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, visible fat removed
• ½ cup apple cider, preferably organic
• ½  cup light or low-fat mayonnaise, preferably Hellmann’s
• 1 to 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, preferably organic, or to taste
• Salt
• 1 large fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced (1½ cups)
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, preferably organic, halved
• 1 Fuji apple, preferably organic, chopped into ½ -inch pieces (1 cup)
• 1 small celery root (about10 ounces), grated using large holes on box grater or shredded in food processor (1½ cups)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (leaves from about ½ small bunch)

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spread nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 5 to 10 minutes, stirring once, until slightly darkened. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Coarsely chop. (May be prepared up to 1 week in advance and refrigerated in covered container.)
2. Meanwhile, bring  the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and bring back to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 9 minutes. Without lifting the cover, remove from heat and let stand 20 minutes. Uncover and cool to room temperature in the broth. Refrigerate in the broth until ready to use.
3. To assemble the salad, remove the chicken from broth and pat dry between paper towels. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Reserve broth for another use.
4. In a blender, combine the cider, mayonnaise, and vinegar. Process until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. (May be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated in covered container. Whisk before using.)
5. Place chicken in a large bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Add fennel, grapes, apple, and celery root. Add half the dressing and transfer the remainder to a small bowl or cruet. Add the tarragon and toss to coat. Adjust seasoning.  Top with the walnuts and serve, passing extra dressing at table.  

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 316 calories, 9 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 71 mg cholesterol, 31 g total carbohydrate, 5 g dietary fiber, 29 g protein, 197 mg sodium.