Curried Chicken Salad Wraps

This is a great recipe if you're looking for new ways to use up leftover chicken (or turkey, or pork...any white meat, really). You can whip this together in a few minutes and it makes a delicious light lunch or dinner. Add as many extra veggies as you'd like.

If you don't have any leftover chicken, drained canned chicken will work, or you can broil two skinless, boneless chicken breasts instead.

For the curry, I would recommend Penzey's Sweet Curry Powder. We were introduced to Penzey's spices when a friend gave us the 21-piece American Kitchen gift crate as a wedding present. It was an inspired gift to give to foodies. Every time we use one of the spices or herbs, we have thought about Ahna and John. Delicious memories.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
2/3 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup minced white onion
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (most of the time we use fresh minced garlic, but we like a more mellow garlic taste in this recipe)
Dash of salt and pepper
12 romaine lettuce leaves, ribs removed
6-12 low fat whole wheat tortillas

Directions

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the chicken, celery, onions, almonds, and raisins. In a separate bowl, beat together the mayonnaise and yogurt. Stir in the curry powder, garlic, salt and pepper until well blended. Pour the mayo mix into the chicken mixture and stir it well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bend a package of flour tortillas back and forth a couple of times so that they unstick from each other. Open the bag and heat the tortillas in a microwave oven for 30 seconds, or until warm and pliable. Alternatively, you can heat the tortillas on a flat ungreased griddle for 1-2 minutes on each side, until they begin to bubble but before they are toasted.

Place two romaine leaves on a tortilla. You can double up the tortillas if they are thin and break easily. Serve 1/4 to 1/3 cup of chicken mixture on each tortilla. Fold over 2" of the bottom edge of the tortilla over the mixture. Wrap the right side over the left. Pick up the wrap and eat from the open side.

Serves 3-4.

Read more...

Pear-Gorgonzola-Walnut Salad

This simple salad is one of our long-term love affairs. In fact, one of the many reasons we love each other is because we both love gorgonzola. Or blue cheese. Or bleu cheese. Somehow, gorgonzola and pears love each other too. It's all about the love with this salad.

A creamy poppyseed dressing is wonderful with this salad, but a vinaigrette works well too. Use whatever dressing makes you happy.

Ingredients

3 cups mesclun mix lettuce, or variety of fresh lettuces
3 cups baby spinach, kale, or chard
2 ripe pears, any variety
1/3 cup red onion, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Toss the lettuce, spinach, and onion in a bowl. Core the pears and cut into 1" cubes. Sprinkle the pears, gorgonzola, and walnuts over the salad before serving.

Makes 4 side salads or 2 main-dish salads.

Read more...

Curried Pumpkin Hummus

As well as pumpkin, you can also use any kind of winter squash in this recipe. Those slightly sweet fall squashes pair naturally with Indian spices like curry powder, ginger, and coconut milk. If you use a squash like butternut or acorn, just quarter it, scoop out the seeds, and microwave the pieces for 15-18 minutes, until it's tender. Let it cool a bit before measuring out 2 cups of squash into the food processor.

Serve this hot with naan and cucumber-yogurt raita sauce, and you have a healthy Meatless Monday meal. Skip the yogurt, and it's vegan, too!

P.S. The toasted pumpkin seeds in this recipe are shelled; we buy them from the grocery store that way. I've never shelled my own but I don't think I'd want to. Sometimes you can find these in ethnic aisles of grocery stores, labeled as "pepitas".

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1 15 oz can pumpkin
2 tbsp sweet curry powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 Thai chili pepper, seeded and minced
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup light coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Directions

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan until slightly browned and fragrant.

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process on high until smooth and creamy. If you like a little texture to your hummus, reserve 1/4 cup garbanzos, add them towards the end of the processing time, and blend them until the mixture is just a little chunky.

Put the hummus in a saucepan and heat until steaming hot, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and top with extra roasted pumpkin seeds, if desired, and serve with naan, pita bread or wedges, or crackers.

Makes about 4 cups of hummus.

Read more...

Broiled Tomatoes, Arrabiata-Style

According to people who probably know what they're talking about, arrabiata means something like "angry"; cooking something arrabiata-style ("all'arabiata") means it's in a fiery tomato sauce. This pepper-laced topping on luscious summer tomatoes is inspired by spicy red arrabiata sauce. If you're talented at cupping the breading over tops of the tomatoes so it sticks, this entire dish will take about 3 minutes to prepare, and 30-40 minutes of hands-off cooking time.

That's enough time to take a bubble bath with a glass of wine before dinner. Just sayin'.

Ingredients

8 medium ripe tomatoes

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

2 tsp capers, chopped

1 tsp basil, chopped

1 tsp parsley, chopped

2 tbsp Asiago cheese, grated

6 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a baking pan.

Wash the tomatoes and cut the core out of the top of each one. If desired, slice a little off the bottom of each tomato so it will sit steady on the pan. Place the tomatoes an equal distance apart on the baking sheet.

Stir together all ingredients except the olives, and spoon onto the tops of the tomatoes, pressing the topping down so it stays in place. Top with the sliced olives.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and fully cooked. Turn on the broiler to 500 degrees and set the pan under the broiler 4 inches from the heat. Broil for 3-5 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

Serves 4-8.

Read more...

Avocado Cream Soup

Joe called me from the local grocery store on his way home from work. "I'm at the reduced produce rack, and there's a bag of perfectly ripe avocados for $1.99. There's about ten in the bag. Could you use that?" I checked the refrigerator and said, "Sure, I've got a great idea."

This soup is everything I love about guacamole - the tangy bit of lime, the luscious creaminess of the avocados, the savory garlic. Joe added some tortilla chips left over from the elote dip we'd just made, but tortilla chips are really just a vehicle for avocados, aren't they? I don't know about you, but when I'm standing in front of a bowl of guacamole, all I really want is a spoon.

We had the soup hot for dinner on a night that was peculiarly cold for August in Illinois. I whipped up a batch of cheddar dill biscuits to go with it. The next afternoon, it was warm and humid again, so I had it cold for lunch and took these photos. Next time, I think I'll add some chopped tomatoes to the cold soup.

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp olive oil
8 ripe avocados
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 cups fat-free half-and-half
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Juice of 1 fresh lime
1/4 cup sherry or dry white wine (optional)
2 cups tortilla chips

Directions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the root end of the garlic cloves and place them in a small oven-safe dish or pan. Drizzle with the oil, then roast about 15-20 minutes, until the garlic is browned and fragrant.

Peel and dice all but one avocado. Place half of the avocados, garlic, and cilantro in a blender and add half of the cream. Puree the mixture, then pour into a bowl and repeat with the other half of the avocados, cilantro, garlic, and half-and-half. 

Pour the stock, salt, pepper, and lime into a large saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce heat; when the stock is simmering slowly, pour in the avocado mixture and stir well. Stir in the wine, if using. 

Serve immediately if you want hot soup; chill for 2-4 hours for cold soup. Slice up the last avocado and sprinkle the tortilla chips and avocado slices over the bowls before serving. 

Serves 6.

Read more...

Chickpea and Feta Salad

After a cooler and wetter than usual summer, Chicago is experiencing a hot and muggy Indian Summer. I was on a conference call with a contractor in Seattle last week, and she said she had heard that summer in Chicago is extremely hot and humid.

"It's extremely hot and humid, then it's hot and bone-dry, then it gets extremely cold," I said. "In fact, the weather here is just extreme." I LOVE the city of Chicago, but I need to move some place without these kinds of temperature mood swings!

This chickpea and feta salad is good for a hot weather dinner. It's hearty enough for lunch or a  a substantial side dish, too. Because it's so flavorful, we like it with a simple grilled fish or chicken. Try sprinkling the meats with Joe's Greek Meat Rub before cooking, for a Mediterranean-style dinner.

Ingredients

2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup sweet red pepper, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/3 cup cucumber, chopped
1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground fennel

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the chickpeas, garlic, pepper, parsley, onions, cucumber, olives, and feta cheese. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, pepper, and fennel. Drizzle over the salad and stir until well combined. Allow to marinate for an hour at room temperature before serving.

Makes about 4 cups.

One cup is 4 points + in the Weight Watchers system.

Read more...

Arugula, Fruit, and Nut Power Salad

This powerhouse salad is like a party in a bowl - with all the colors, textures, and tastes, each bite is different and all of them are delicious! It's also full of healthy proteins like cheese, sunflower seeds, and edamame. Broccoli, spinach, and kale give you a bite of beta-carotene, and then there's a cornucopia of chopped fruits in this super-tossed salad.

Like I always say, pick the fruits and veggies that make you happy, or whatever looks best at the grocery store this week. Then dig into this satisfying salad for lunch - or dinner on a too-hot-to-cook night.

Pile your salad bowl full of leafy greens!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups frozen edamame
3 cups arugula, sliced
3 cups spinach, sliced
1 1/2 cups broccoli, shredded (check out your grocery store for the pre-shredded kind)
1 medium apple, chopped
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 cup red grapes, halved
2/3 cup pomegranate seeds
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
2/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Bottled raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Instructions

Steam the edamame in the microwave for 5 minutes, then let cool. Toss together all ingredients. If you're not going to eat the salad right away, add the cheese and dressing right before serving.

Serves 4.

Read more...

Cranberry-Chicken Pasta Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

We love a good pasta salad. In fact, we love pasta in general. This recipe is a quick one, which is helpful on a weeknight or when you're running late to a picnic and you promised to bring a salad. Not that it would ever happen to you, but I'm a little surprised at how often we're rushing to fix something for a party.

On the other hand, if you have plenty of time to make this, I'd recommend starting with steaming or boiling a large boneless skinless chicken breast rather than using canned chicken meat. I'd also suggest toasting the pecan nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes before stirring them into the pasta salad. These extra steps really punch up the flavor.

Creamy poppyseed dressing is really easy to make, too, and brings out the sweet tangy flavor of the cranberries. Altogether delicious.

Ingredients

For the Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup white onion

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground mustard

2 tsp black poppy seeds

For the Salad

1 16 oz box farfalle, elbow, penne, or campanelle pasta (any sort of small shape) 

2 cooked chicken breasts, or 2 5-oz cans cooked chicken 

1 cup chopped celery 

2/3 cup chopped carrot 

2/3 cup chopped white onion 

2/3 cup chopped cucumber 

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper 

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1 cup pecan pieces, toasted

Romaine lettuce, for serving

Directions

Blend together all ingredients except the poppy seeds. Stir in the poppy seeds and chill the dressing until the salad is ready.

Cook pasta according to directions, then drain and rinse with cold water. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and drizzle with the dressing. Mix until well combined. Serve over lettuce leaves.

Makes about 6 main-dish servings, or 8-10 side dish servings.

Read more...

Med-Mex Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

When I was nineteen, I married a Mexican man and moved in with his mother so we could save for a house. Mama Nona tried to teach me how to cook traditional Mexican food, but it was pretty difficult because I didn't know much Spanish, and if she knew any English beyond "hello" and "goodbye", she didn't let on to me.

Mama Nona was not impressed with my cooking skills. One day she had a pot of pinto beans boiling on the stove. Her daughter Graciela shouted up to me. “We’re going out, Angela. Can you watch the beans?”

I came downstairs to look. “Sure, no problem.”

Mama Nona was muttering to herself.

“What did she say?”

“She says you’re going to burn the beans.”

“I’m not going to burn the beans. I got this.”

I was halfway into the HBO premiere of “Saint Elmo’s Fire” when I smelled them burning. I ran downstairs but there was nothing I could do. They were stuck to the bottom of the pot and steaming rancid smoke at me. I dumped them into the trash bag, took it out to the trash bin and started a new batch boiling. I opened all the windows to let the snow-fresh air come in.

Several hours later, when the family came home, the beans were perfectly done. I smiled at Mama Nona while she tasted them. She laughed.

"What?"

“She says, 'I told you that you were going to burn the beans.',” said Graciela.

Last night I was cooking garbanzo beans (chick peas) from scratch so that I could make hummus. To cook most dried beans, you start them the night before by sorting out the bad ones, putting them in a pot of water, adding a couple pinches of baking soda and heating them. Once they reach a boil you turn off the stove and cover them, and let them sit on the burner overnight. The next day you strain and rinse them, cover with water again and let them simmer until they are soft. Doing it this way allows the beans the rehydrate and also eliminates the stuff that makes us gassy.

Well.

I was happily simmering those garbanzos that I'd already spent time with the night before. Unfortunately, Joe and I were also making a new recipe for duck in a pumpkin-seed sauce, and baking some french bread. I forgot about the garbanzos until we smelled the smoke.

And then Mama Nona rolled over in her grave, because her hopeless ex-daughter-in-law still can't cook a pot of beans.

I aired them out on the deck because the smell of burning beans is foul. Then I picked them over, because I still wanted hummus, darn it! So I took out a container of pinto beans that I had managed to cook properly and continued on with the recipe, making a Mediterranean-Mexican hummus fusion.

What I love about this recipe is that it has a much smoother, creamier texture than garbanzos alone, which can be a little mealy and grainy. We also kicked up the heat. Cumin, sesame, chick peas, beans, and peppers are common ingredients around the entire equator, so I say this is a valid food fusion. Let me know what you think of our innovation. Out of mistakes come good things.

Ingredients

1 jalapeno (or more to taste)
1 medium red bell pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
2 cups cooked garbanzos (chick peas)
2 cups cooked pinto beans
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp cumin
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place the peppers on a broiling rack and place them under the broiler at high heat. Turn frequently, until the skins are blackened evenly on all sides. Place the peppers in a paper bag and put a plate underneath it to catch the juices. Allow the peppers to steam at least 15 minutes, or wait until they are cool.

Chop the onion. Saute it in 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan until soft. Mince the garlic and add it to the frying pan. Add the beans and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Take the peppers out of the bag and remove the blackened skins. Scraping them with a knife is the way Joe likes to do this. Remove the seeds and dice the peppers. Add the peppers and the parsley to the blender.

Stir together the remaining olive oil, cumin, sesame oil, and salt and pepper. Pour into the blender. Process the bean mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides often. Add water as needed if the mixture is too thick; the consistency should be similar to creamy peanut butter. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

Serve the hummus in pocket pita bread with lettuce, cucumber, grated carrots, and extra parsley, or use as a veggie dip or sandwich spread.

Makes approximately 5 cups.

Read more...

Orange-Glazed Asian Chicken (or Ahi Tuna) Wraps

We recently hosted a "roll your own" sushi party, and ended up with a vast amount of little bits of leftovers, including avocados, ahi tuna slices, wasabi mayo, and napa cabbage. I marinated some chicken in honey and orange juice, then threw together these yummy chicken wraps for a quick dinner. Joe preferred to marinate the ahi tuna then sear it rare with more sesame seeds for his wrap.

I'm pretty sure avocado is one of the most luscious foods on earth. At my party, I was talking to a friend who trains for triathlons, and she said she eats eggs and avocados nearly every day. Delicious, right?

Then I started thinking about all the calories and fat content in those foods. I thought, well, there's your problem. If you didn't eat eggs and avocados every day, you wouldn't have to do all that running and swimming and biking. I didn't mention it out loud, though, because no one really likes unsolicited advice.

However, you can add as much avocado as you like to this wrap, since the napa cabbage cancels out the fat content. This is one of the quickest wraps I've made - you can prepare the mayo and glaze anytime, start your meat marinating in the morning, then quickly cook it up and get dinner on the table in 15-20 minutes. This is a fantastic lunch sandwich, too.

Ingredients

For the glaze

2/3 cup orange juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch

For the wraps

1 tbsp oil

2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp wasabi paste or powder

8 large flour tortillas

2 avocados, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cups napa cabbage, shredded

1 large carrot, shredded

1 orange, peeled and thinly sliced

2 green onions, chopped

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

Whisk together the orange glaze ingredients, then pour over the chicken. Allow it to marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes, but ideally several hours. 

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken and glaze until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce is sticky. Place in a bowl.

Whisk together the wasabi and mayonnaise. Heat the tortillas on each side in a dry griddle. Wrap them in a clean kitchen towel or tortilla keeper to keep them warm.

Assemble the wraps by spreading the wasabi mayo on each tortilla. Place the chicken, avocado, oranges, carrots, cabbage, and green onions down the center of the tortilla.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Fold in the bottom corner, then roll up the sides.

Makes 8 large wraps.

Read more...

Turkey-Cranberry-Brie Grilled Cheese

Christmas is our second-favorite occasion for a good turkey dinner, and this decadent grilled sandwich oozing with melted brie is just about the best way to finish off the holiday leftovers.

This year we were doing a whirlwind Midwestern family tour, starting in Iowa, then celebrating with the Dueas in Minnesota. We were home for a day and a half and are now packing to spend Christmas with my family in Ohio.

Since everyone else planned something different for holiday meals, I got my turkey fix when Joe roasted a turkey breast and made his light garlic mashed potatoes. Since we'll be on the road all afternoon, I grilled up a few of these sandwiches to keep us company on the drive. Yum!

Ingredients

4 slices Italian bread
2 tbsp butter
4 oz brie
4 oz thinly sliced turkey
1/4 cup cranberry relish

Instructions

Spread the butter on one side of each slice of bread. Slice the brie (you can peel off the white outer covering if you want - Joe likes the way it tastes, but I take it off of my slices). Arrange the brie on the bread and then spread the relish over it. Top with the turkey slices and the other slice of bread.

Grill or toast the sandwiches on a hot skillet until browned and heated through.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

Read more...

BBQ Baked Potato Wedges

Baked potato wedges are our go-to side dish when we want something simple, quick, or both. This is what we eat now that we don't eat french fries and other fried things! If there are any left-over potato wedges, they're usually our lunch the next day.The zingy BBQ rub we used on these is similar to Joe's Rib Rub, one of my most craveable tastes. Fiddle around with the sugar, salt, and cayenne until the taste suits you.

If you're in a hurry, speed up these potatoes by microwaving them in a bowl of hot water until almost tender, then draining them thoroughly before tossing them with the BBQ seasoning. Then you can bake them until they're tender.

Ingredients

5 large russet potatoes

2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp ground cumin

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tbsp powdered garlic

1 tbsp dry mustard

1 tbsp cayenne pepper (more or less, to taste)

1 tsp crushed red pepper

Cooking Spray

Directions

Scrub the potatoes and slice them lengthwise into 1 1/2" wedges. Soak them in cold water for 5 minutes to draw out the starch, which will help to prevent them from sticking to the baking pan. Less clean-up is a wonderful thing. Drain and rinse.

Line a baking pan with foil, then spray with oil. The pan (or pans) should be big enough to hold a layer of potato wedges without them touching each other. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the spice ingredients to a large resealable plastic bag. Add 1/3 of the potatoes and shake them well. Arrange on the baking pan, then repeat with the rest of the potatoes. Spray them with oil and cover them with foil.

Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil. Continue baking until tender and browned, about 20 minutes more.

Serves 4-6.

Read more...