Curried Chicken Salad

My mom made this for me a few years ago and I have no idea where she got the recipe but it's delicious.

Curried Chicken Salad

1 1/2 lb skinless boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain yogurt
5 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium red onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 firm-ripe mango (3/4 pound), peeled, pitted, and chopped
1 cup  seedless grapes (5 ounces), halved
1/2 cup salted roasted cashews or walnuts, coarsely chopped


Bake seasoned chicken in oven. Transfer chicken to a plate and cool 10 minutes. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
While chicken is cooling, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, curry, lime juice, honey, ginger, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken, onion, mango, grapes, and nuts and stir gently to combine.

mayo

yogurt

lime juice

Mustard Shrimp with Tomato and Basil

I am sure there is a recipe just like this out there but this is my own little creation.  It is so good. I absolutely love it and it's so fast and easy.

You will need:

Tomato
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
White wine
Dijon mustard
garlic
Shrimp


Saute a teaspoon of fresh minced garlic in a table spoon of olive oil on medium low heat.  After a minute, pour in 1/4 cup of white wine.  Let it reduce just a little.  Add in one teaspoon if Dijon mustard. whisk. Reduce heat to low. Now add your raw shrimp (after sprinkling them with some salt and pepper).  Right before your shrimp begin to turn completely pink (don't forget to flip them!) Stir in chopped tomatoes and basil.  As soon as the shrimp on done,  pour the whole skillet onto a plate.  Devour or savour.  Either way...sooo good!

so pretty

Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemongrass

This recipe was tasty but it didn't wow me.  I wish I had cilantro, I really think that would have made it a bunch better dish. I did love the shiitake mushrooms and the broth was quite delicious.

From Fine Cooking: Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemongrass

2-1/2 Tbs. canola oil 
2 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 3/4 lb.), butterflied (cut horizontally almost all the way through and then opened like a book) 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
3 medium shallots (about 4 oz.), peeled and thinly sliced into rings 
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed, outer layers discarded, halved lengthwise, and smashed with the side of a chef’s knife 
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger 
2 tsp. packed light brown sugar 
5-1/2 cups lower-salt chicken broth 
3-1/2 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered (1-1/2 cups) 
9 oz. fresh udon noodles 
1 Thai bird chile (or 1 small serrano pepper), sliced into thin rings 
8 large fresh torn basil leaves; plus sprigs for garnish 
1 medium lime, half juiced and half cut into wedges 
1 Tbs. soy sauce; more to taste 
2 medium scallions, trimmed and sliced, for garnish (optional) 
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks, for garnish (optional) 
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional) 

Tip: This soup is also a great destination for shredded, leftover roast chicken in place of the chicken breast. Just add it to the soup along with the chiles, basil, lime juice, and soy sauce.

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Heat 1-1/2 Tbs. of the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Season the chicken with 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper, and cook without disturbing until it’s browned and releases easily from the bottom of the pot, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is browned and almost firm to the touch (just short of cooked through), 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil and the shallots to the pot. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the shallots start soften, about 2 minutes. Add the lemongrass, ginger, and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the ginger and lemongrass sizzle and become fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and raise the heat to medium high. Bring the broth to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the noodles, stirring, until just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander and run under cold water to cool slightly. Drain well.

Use your fingers or the tines of a fork to shred the chicken. Add the chicken and noodles to the broth and cook until the noodles are completely tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Discard the lemongrass. Stir in the chiles, torn basil, lime juice, and soy sauce; season with more soy to taste. Divide the noodles among 4 large, deep bowls. Ladle the soup over the noodles, and garnish with the basil sprigs and scallions, carrot, and cilantro, if using. Serve with the lime wedges for squeezing.

Herb Roasted Chicken with Chive Oil Zucchini

I found Pastor Ryan's Herb Roasted Chicken over at The Pioneer Woman and decided to give it a shot. It was the perfect chicken...tasted amazing and very moist.  All done in an hour.  The whole cooking a whole chicken in an hour isn't new to me.  The first recipe my mom emailed to me when I got home from my honeymoon was "Blasted Chicken".  A working lady can still make her man a whole roasted chicken for dinner even after coming home from a long day at work.  Just crank the oven up and sit back with cocktails.  This worked great for the first month of our marriage until I discovered pregnancy and raw meat, especially chicken did not mix well.  Poor Tim went hungry for the next 4.5 months, because nothing mixed well with pregnancy.


The Pioneer Woman documents the cooking of the chicken so beautifully I didn't bother, but here are my  before and after.


Before:

After:

Herb Roasted Chicken

3-4 lb whole chicken

aromatics for stuffing inside the chicken: lemon, garlic, onion

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme, and sage (2 Tablespoons chopped)

preheat oven to 450 degrees

combine chopped herbs with 1 Tblsp of kosher salt and 1 tsp of fresh ground pepper. pour 3 Tblsp of canola oil into the mixture.  after patting the chicken dry and stuffing the aromatics inside, smather the herb oil mixture all over the chicken.  put in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Yum!!

Once again I turned to Fine Cooking and found a recipe for Grilled Chive Oiled Zucchini.  It sounded delightful but I wasn't taking down my food processor and adding more to the mess I needed to clean up. Instead of pureeing the chives and pushing them through a strainer to make the perfect chive oil, I just chopped them up finely, and mixed them with the seasoning and oil.  I think it tasted great, even though none of my kids would eat them.  If I'm ever making a bib batch of zucchini I will make the proper chive oil.

Grilled Zucchini with Chive Oil

3/4 oz. chives, thinly sliced (about 6 Tbs.) 
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. walnut oil 
1 lb. small zucchini (3 to 4), cut on a sharp angle into 1/2-inch-thick ovals 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

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Put all but 1 Tbs. of the chives in a blender. Begin to blend while slowly pouring 1/3 cup of the walnut oil through the feed hole of the blender lid. Continue to blend for 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula. Blend for another minute. Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour to let the flavors infuse.

Strain the oil through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing the pureed chives with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to extract any remaining oil.

Prepare a medium-high charcoal or gas grill fire.

In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the remaining 2 Tbs. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a few grinds of pepper.

Set the zucchini ovals at an angle on the grill grates and cook until the zucchini has developed rich brown grill marks, about 3 minutes. Turn the zucchini with tongs and cook until the other sides have rich brown grill marks and the zucchini is tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small serving dish or platter.

Drizzle 3 to 4 tsp. of the chive oil over the zucchini and sprinkle with the reserved 1 Tbs. chives.

Mint!!!

Our backyard has a ton of mint in it.  Sometime, a long time ago, someone planted mint and it has taken over.  For a while I was wary of this plant growing wildly but every time our backyard is mowed the amazing smell of mint makes me rethink staying away.  So I've taken the plunge.  Mint was the theme of our dinner last night.  After two nights of BBQ I was in the mood for something more light and summery.  It was a huge success.


I found these two recipes in Fine Cooking magazine.  The "Cooking Fresh" addition.  The poached flounder recipe I followed faithfully, and the couscous, I improvised.


Fine Cooking's Poached Flounder with Mint Beurre Blanc:

6 skinless flounder fillets (1-1/2 lb. total) 
1/2 tsp. ground ginger 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
3-1/2 Tbs. coarsely chopped fresh spearmint or ginger mint leaves 
1/4 cup minced shallots 
1/4 cup dry white wine 
2 Tbs. heavy cream 
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 slices 
1 Tbs. thinly sliced chives 

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Lay the fish fillets skinned side up on a cutting board. Slice each fillet in half lengthwise to make 12 strips. In a small bowl mix the ginger, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over all the fish and then sprinkle with 2 Tbs. of the chopped mint. Roll each strip into a coil, starting with the fatter end and aligning the roll along the cut edge. Secure with a toothpick, pushing it into the thin end and through the other side.
Sprinkle the shallots over the bottom of a 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan. Arrange the fish coils cut edge down in the pan. Pour in the wine and 1/3 cup water. Turn the heat to medium high and bring the liquid to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover, and poach the fish until cooked through, 4 to 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fish to a warm plate. Tent with foil while finishing the sauce.
Increase the heat to high and boil the liquid until it’s reduced to about 3 Tbs. (It should just barely cover the bottom of the pan.) Add the cream and boil for 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in 2 slices of the cold butter, the remaining 1-1/2 Tbs. mint, and the chives. When the butter is almost melted, add another slice and whisk until mostly melted. Repeat with the remaining butter, 1 slice at a time. (Take care not to overheat the sauce or it will separate.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the toothpicks from each piece of fish. Serve the fish (3 pieces per serving) drizzled with the sauce.

Fine Cooking's Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Mint, Cucumber and Feta

Kosher salt 
1 cup Israeli couscous 
1 medium English cucumber, peeled and finely diced (2 cups) 
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh spearmint or pineapple mint leaves; additional sprigs for garnish 
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice; more as needed 
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 
Freshly ground black pepper 
1 cup small-diced feta cheese 

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In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts well-salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium heat, toast the couscous, stirring frequently, until golden-brown, about 7 minutes.
Cook the couscous in the boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water until cool. Pour the couscous into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the cucumber and mint.
In a small bowl, mix the oil, lemon juice and zest, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Stir in the feta. Add the feta mixture to the couscous, season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the mint sprigs.

make ahead tips

You can refrigerate the salad for up to 4 hours; toss before serving.

I had some cherry tomatoes so I decided to throw those in to the salad.

zest and juice of a lemon

a little olive oil

I didn't have Israeli couscous but the traditional kind worked perfectly. If you want to leave out the feta...this tastes delicious without it!

but everything does tastes better with a little cheese.