Curried Chicken Salad on Apple Rounds

For the next 3 weeks, my family and I are doing a weight loss challenge. 6 pounds to be exact! We are trying to eliminate refined carbs as much as possible and exercise daily. So when I came across this recipe on the internet, I was really excited, because it looked so nice and tasty!

Well, I made this “sandwich” for today’s lunch for Laura and myself. It was so delicious! You can taste the curry, but it doesn’t overpower the flavors of the pecans, golden raisins, green onions, celery and parsley. The apple slices make an excellent substitute for bread. You won’t miss it at all! The only thing I did different was use romaine, instead of Bibb lettuce, because I wanted to use the romaine up. This chicken curry salad would also taste great on a bed of mixed greens! My daughter said, “This is bomb, Mom,” so it doesn’t get any better than that! This terrific recipe came from the Food Network.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup organic European style plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons organic mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1½ teaspoons curry powder
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups cooked chicken meat, shredded
• ¼ cup pecans, chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped and loosely packed
• 3 tablespoons golden raisins
• 3 large crisp red apples, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp
• 8 small Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onions, curry powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
2. Add chicken, pecans, parsley, celery and raisins. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate, until ready to use. Can be stored up to 3 days.
3. Core the apples. Cut into ¼-inch slices for a total of 16 rounds. Place a lettuce leaf on top of  the eight apple rounds, then add ¼ cup of chicken salad. Finally, top with another apple slice.  Serve immediately. 8 sandwiches/2 per person.

Chicken and Zucchini Couscous

This dish is based on a North African classic, which combines chicken, garbanzo beans and zucchini with a cumin spiced chicken broth. You can use a whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, but I chose to use skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes. I also decided to use whole wheat couscous for its nutritional value and extra fiber. By eliminating the chicken and using vegetable broth, instead of chicken, it can easily be made into a deliciously healthy vegetarian dish. Just add more beans and zucchinis. This flavorful recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, Recipe of the Day, April 2011.

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon organic extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 small onion or ½ large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1½ teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¹⁄₈ to ¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1½ cups organic low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup organic crushed tomatoes in thick puree
• 1 can organic garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 organic zucchinis, cut in ¼-inch slices
• 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
• 4 cups cooked whole wheat couscous

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for approximately 6 minutes, until chicken is no longer translucent and cooked through. Remove chicken and place in a dish on the side.
2. In the pot over low-medium heat, cook onions until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin, oregano and turmeric. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the broth and tomatoes. Scrap the bottom of the pot to remove any brown bits. Add salt to taste. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add chicken, beans and zucchini. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, until zucchini is cooked. Add the parsley and lemon juice and serve over the couscous. 4 servings.

Chicken Pot Pie

I have never been a fan of commercial pot pies, but I have always liked the idea of them. After doing much research, I decide to try the recipe from Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food, by Rick Rodgers, Oxmoor House, 2009. I modified the recipe to reduce the amount and type of fats used. Rather than making the recipe’s pie crust, I used Pepperidge Farm’s Puff Pastry. The leeks and tarragon add wonderful favors to the pot pie. My husband, who is a picky-eater, loved this!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or any high smoking point oil
• 4 tablespoons organic butter
• 1/2 lbs. organic button mushrooms, quartered
• 1 cup chopped leeks, white and pale green parts
• 1/2 cup finely diced organic carrots
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon organic all-purpose flour
• 4 cups (32 ounces) organic chicken stock
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 3/4 teaspoon tarragon
• 4 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 large organic egg, lightly beaten
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Directions:

1. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown. Then add leeks and carrots, cover and cook for about 5 minute, until leeks are tender. Stir in peas and remove from the heat.
2. Using a large saucepan, melt the butter over low-medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir constantly for about one minute until it starts to bubble. Slowly whisk in chicken stock, sherry and tarragon. While whisking frequently, bring to a boil. Add chicken and vegetable mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the filling cool down until it is lukewarm, less than 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spoon the chicken filling into ramekins or soup crocks. I filled the dish to within 1″ of rim.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry. Depending upon size of ramekin, roll out pastry so that it would cover dish. I was able to get 4 squares out of 1 sheet of puff pastry. Gently press the pastry around each ramekin. Brush each pastry top with the egg. Carefully poke the top with fork a couple of times. Place on cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Once the tops are nice and brown, cover loosely with foil to prevent the crust from burning. Serves 4.

Blogger’s Note: The taste of the “gravy” was delicious, but I thought it could be a little thicker. Next time, I may add a little more flour or use a little less chicken stock.  The ramekins I used were 5″ in diameter and 2 1/2″ in height. Depending upon the of your dish, you may get up to 6 servings.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/chicken-potpie-cf.html 

Asian Lettuce Wraps

This recipe looks more complicated than it really is. The grilled chicken was posted earlier this month, but for your convenience I have copied here again. My husband really enjoyed this meal!

 

Grilled Chicken Tenderloins with Cilantro and Lime Juice

• 6 Trader Joe’s Individually Frozen Chicken Breast Tenderloins, thawed.
• 1 tablespoon organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Thaw the chicken breast tenderloins. Blot the chicken with a paper towel. Mix olive oil, lime juice, cilantro and garlic together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Brush the chicken with the marinade.

On a nonstick grilling pan, spread the olive oil with a paper towel. On medium heat, grill the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until cooked. Add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serves 2.

 

Asian Sauce

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame chile oil
• 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• Sea salt

Whisk all ingredients together thoroughly. Add salt to taste.

 

Lettuce Wraps Platter

• 6 Grilled Chicken Tenderloins with Cilantro and Lime Juice
• 6 butter lettuce leaves, clean and dried
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 3/4 cup bean sprouts
• 3/4 cup halved and sliced cucumber
• Asian Sauce

Put the carrots, sprouts and cucumber in small dishes and place them on the platter. Make sauce and put it in a small dish and place on platter, along with lettuce leaves.  Prepare and grill the chicken. Add chicken to platter. Assemble the wraps and drizzle sauce over chicken and vegetables. Serves 2.

Grilled Chicken Breast Tenderloins with Cilantro and Lime Juice

Since our daughter is away at college and it’s just the two of us, I came up with this recipe on the spur of the moment. I like using the chicken breast tenderloins, because they thaw and cook quickly. This recipe was easily be multiplied.

• 6 Trader Joe’s Individually Frozen Chicken Breast Tenderloins, thawed.
• 1 tablespoon organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Thaw the chicken breast tenderloins. Blot the chicken with a paper towel. Mix olive oil, lime juice, cilantro and garlic together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Brush the chicken with the marinade.

On a nonstick grilling pan, spread the olive oil with a paper towel. On medium heat, grill the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until cooked. Add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serves 2.