Curried Chicken Salad

For my backpacking trip, I need to come up with an easy meal, that would satisfy taste buds.  I had just gone out to lunch with a friend to Beyond Bread, and their Khalid's Kurry, which was an awesome chicken salad.  So I decided to attempt to replicate.  It isn't perfect yet, but came pretty close, and was easy to pack in on my hike.  So, hope you try it and like it!!! 

Curried Chicken Salad

2 cups Cooked and shredded chicken (I like a rotisserie chicken)

1/3 cup mayonnaise

½ tsp salt

1-2 tbsp curry powder (depending on your taste preferences)

1/3 cup raisins

½ cup julienned jicama

2 stalks of chopped celery stalks

¼ cup diced scallions

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I like Ken’s steakhouse creamy balsamic)

Combine, cover, chill and find some fabulous lettuce and tasty bread or pita and enjoy!!

Killer Jalapeno Meatloaf

I don't have any pictures of this, but you are just going to have to take my word on this, this meatloaf is killer good!!!!  My favorite is the meatloaf topping, and the jalapenos...it is easy and makes the mouth happy!!

Jalapeno, Bacon Meatloaf

Saute in 1 Tbsp oil:

1 chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped green pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp finely chopped Jalapeno peppers (ummm...I actually use 2-3 Tbsp jalapenos...cuz I like to make the mouth have a little spicy dance)

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 large eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp flour

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

4 strips bacon

Sauce

1 cup ketchup

4 Tbsp vinegar

4 Tbsp brown sugar

After sautéing onion, pepper, garlic and peppers mix with beef, eggs, flour, salt and pepper.  Put in baking dish.  Drape bacon diagonally across top.  Pour on half the sauce, the other half  a half an hour before baking is done.  Bake uncovered 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees.  Let stand 10 minutes.

The Pear Tarte Tartin that became Pear Crumble

I wanted to make a special dessert.  I had some fabulous pears that I thought would be wonderful to use.  I found a recipe for Pear Tarte Tartin that looked amazing....but I didn't feel like dealing with puff pastry, and wanted a more of a pow! crust, so I went with a graham cracker crust, but used the pear tarte tartin filling.  I topped with gingersnap granola from Sunflower market.  I thought it was a lovely first for me.  I accompanied it with homemade vanilla bean ice cream.  mmmmmmmm.... of course anything that has you making your own caramel has to be fabulouso!!

 

Pear Tarte Tatin with Vanilla and Ginger

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
•  
• (I did graham cracker crust instead....1 1/2 packages of graham crackers crust crushed, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar, mixed together and pressed into a tart pan.  Cook at 350 degrees, for 15 minutes.)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped into small bowl
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger ( used 1 tsp powdered ginger, a couple dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg)
• 5 medium-size firm Anjou pears (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled, halved, cored, each half cut into 4 wedges (I did much thinner slices)

• Topping:
• 1 cup granola
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 Tbsp sugar

Mix together and drop the topping onto the pear tart and bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown.  

Preparation

Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 10-inch square. Trim edges, making 10-inch-diameter round; pierce round all over with fork. Slide onto rimless baking sheet. Cover and chill pastry while preparing pears or up to 1 day.

Fill large skillet with ice and water; set aside. Stir sugar, 1/4 cup water, and corn syrup in heavy 10-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil until syrup is dark amber color, occasionally swirling and brushing down sides of skillet with wet pastry brush, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter, then vanilla-bean seeds and ginger (caramel will bubble up). Arrange pears, cut side down and overlapping, in circle in skillet, placing a few around edge, if necessary. Place skillet over medium heat. Cook until pears are tender and syrup thickens enough to coat spoon, about 23 minutes. Place hot skillet atop ice in large skillet to cool pear mixture quickly. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place puff pastry round atop pear mixture in skillet; tuck in edges around pears. Bake tart until pastry is puffed and golden, about 35 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Rewarm tart in oven 8 minutes. Place platter atop skillet. Using oven mitts, hold skillet and platter together and turn over, releasing tart. .

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Ingredients

(1 servings)

1  c Sugar
1/2 Lemon; juice of
2 lg Eggs
2 c Heavy or whipping cream
1 c Milk 

1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scraped into cream mix.  I also soaked the bean in the vanilla over night.   

Instructions

. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the heavy cream and milk and vanilla seeds whisk to blend.  Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

Lettuce Wrap baby

Still working on the whole healthy food kick.  I had a lot of lettuce, and well, lettuce wrap seemed like a great way to extend my rice and lentil experiment.  Since I often work 12-14 hour days, I have found the brown rice and lentils have really kept me from getting hungry and has been keeping my energy up.   However, I get bored with the same foods, so I have to keep finding new ways to kick up the flavor.  I found this Moroccan lentil dish, and it had me had red wine vinegar...I knew that would help kick it up!  I added some of my own flavors, and served it in lettuce.  It is just right.  So live well, eat well and love well!!!


Moroccan Lentils and Chicken
Ingredients
DRESSING
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
**I added a couple tablespoons of honey for sweet, sassy fun!
LENTILS and Rice
½ onion, chopped
½ bell pepper. Chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot chopped
Vegetables sautéed together, and add 1 tbsp chicken bouillon/ and or salt
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ pound green or brown lentils, 1/3 cup brown rice (I used a brown rice medley, that included black barley and radish seeds)
CHICKEN ( I marinated in polynesian sauce for a couple hours first)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
1. Dressing: Add the olive oil, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, garlic, cinnamon, and salt to a blender bottle or jar with a tight lid. Shake until ingredients are well combined. Set aside.
2. Saute the vegetables, when soft add rice and lentils: Combine water and salt in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Add lentils; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until lentils are tender and have absorbed the water completely, about 30 minutes. Stir in 3 or 4 tablespoons of the dressing.
3. Chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onion and sauté until dark brown and soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and sauté 2 minutes. Add salt, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon. Sauté until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.
4. Place a serving of lentils on a plate and cover with sliced chicken and dressing. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Chicken Satay with peanut butter dipping sauce

Yes, I had a craving for chicken satay...or mostly for the dipping sauce....I like peanut butter okay! :)  So it is a simple recipe, I didn't skewer the chicken however, I just George Forman grilled them.  I accompianed the satay with my brown rice/lentil (and I added barley this time) rice dish and lightly stir fried vegetables.  Makes for a yummy dinner!!  So satay away!!!

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (I just used powdered)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 20 wooden skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
• Vegetable oil, for grilling
• Butter lettuce leaves
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Peanut sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Combine the yogurt, ginger, garlic, and curry powder in a shallow mixing bowl, stir to combine. Place the chicken strips in the yogurt marinade and gently toss until well coated. Cover and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at up to 2 hours.
Thread the chicken pieces onto the soaked skewers working the skewer in and out of the meat, down the middle of the piece, so that it stays in place during grilling. Place a grill pan over medium heat and brush it with oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Grill the chicken satays for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until nicely seared and cooked through. Serve the satays on a platter lined with lettuce leaves and cilantro; accompanied by a small bowl of peanut sauce on the side.

Peanut Sauce:

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons red chili paste, such as sambal ( I used chili powder)
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 limes, juiced (I used tangelo juice...it was the only citrus I had ;)  )
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish  (optional)

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, red chili paste, brown sugar, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Puree to combine. While the motor is running, drizzle in the hot water to thin out the sauce, you may not need all of it. Pour the sauce into a nice serving bowl and garnish with the chopped peanuts. Serve with chicken satay.
Yield: 3 cups

Bruschetta ala Trader Joe's

I have a love hate relationship with Trader Joe's.  I love their food,
I hate that I can't buy it all.  I went in today to buy salad stuff.  I did buy salad stuff, and falafel, hummus, chicken satay, stir-fry vegetables, whole wheat sourdough bread and a lavender plant.  Now, overall my purchases were healthy, but do I really need a hundred little baby sweet tomatoes?  However, my cousin mentioned bruschetta....I love bruschetta.  Now I didn't have fresh basil leaves, but I had everything else, and I substituted with dry basil leaves...so go team!!  So using that sourdough bread and the cherry tomatoes, I bruschettaed (my word invention...add it to your Sara words!)  So bruschetta away!!!

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil Recipe
INGREDIENTS
• 6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
• 1/4 cup olive oil
METHOD
1 Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. (If the tomatoes are too hot, you can protect your finger tips by rubbing them with an ice cube between tomatoes.) Once the tomatoes are peeled, cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers. Also cut out and discard the stem area. Why use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there are fewer seeds and less juice.
2 Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.
3 While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4 Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.
Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.
5 Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.
Makes 24 small slices. Serves 6-10 as an appetizer. Or 3-4 for lunch (delicious served with cottage cheese on the side.)

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Original Recipe Yield 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
1. Place the vinegar, onion, soy sauce, honey, sugar, garlic, and red pepper flakes into a blender. Puree on high, gradually adding the olive oil. Continue pureeing 2 minutes, or until thick.

Amazingly Delicious Healthy Smoothie

I have a confession.  I love chocolate.  I love fruit.  I love fruit and chocolate.  However, one of those things doesn't really help decrease the waistline, and increase healthiness.  BUT, I have found the perfect combination of chocolate, fruit, and healthiness!  Woohoo!!!  One of my favorite smoothies is a cup of skim milk with one frozen banana.  Today, I had a cup of dark chocolate almond milk with one frozen banana, blended together...and...bingo....deliciousness!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So, try to today!!!  It was one of the best dinners I have had this week!  :)