Curried Chicken Salad

 

I like chicken salad, but let’s face it, chicken, on its own, particularly the breast, is rather insipid. I generally like to season it within an inch of its life with Montreal Chicken Seasoning to ensure the chicken salad is flavorful, but I also like to add lots of other ingredients to give it various textures, interest, and crunch. I like to not only add crunch, but also, savory, sweet, and tart. All of these tastes can be found in this toothsome Curried Chicken Salad.Curried Chicken Salad

 ½ c. Duke’s mayonnaise

2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice

2½ t. curry powder

½ t. kosher salt, plus more to taste

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

3 c. cubed cooked chicken*

½ c. diced celery

½ c. diced, peeled Granny Smith apple

½ c. golden raisins

2 scallions, chopped

½ c. cashews

Paprika, to garnish

 In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, lime juice, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Fold in chicken, celery, apple, raisins, and scallions until well coated. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

 Just before serving, fold in cashews and sprinkle with paprika (if desired). Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed.

 This is wonderful when served on romaine lettuce leaves, but it also makes a nice filling for lettuce cups, and no carbs!

 *It has to be cubed. That is the only way you’re going to get the proper chicken to celery to scallion to apple to cashew ratio.

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Curry Mushroom Soup with Spinach

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Periodically I will wax nostalgic and get out of all of my mother’s recipes. When she passed away, I made sure that I took every box, binder, and envelope containing her recipes because it represented such a large part of my life. In going through them I see handwritten recipes of friends and relatives who have since passed away, so it’s like spending time with old friends.

Mother had a lot of clippings from various books and magazines as well, one of which sounded interesting on a number of levels. It was a recipe for Curry Mushroom Soup. What puzzled me about her having this is that I don’t believe she cared much for curry, nor did she like cream soups. (“Too many calories!” she would say, eyes cast toward my thighs.) I, on the other hand absolutely love curry, and a soup can’t be too rich for me.

This morning, I satisfied my curiosity about this soup; it is without a doubt one of the most delicious mushroom soups that I have ever eaten. This, my friends, is restaurant quality. Because my mother cut this recipe out of a magazine, I have no idea as to the source. I do know that the name is a bit of a misnomer because there is a lot of spinach in the soup; so I’m going to take it upon myself rename it to reflect just that. The recipe directs topping it with bacon. I think the soup is plenty rich on its own, but have at it if you’d like.

Curry Mushroom Soup with Spinach

¾ c. butter, divided
4 c. sliced fresh mushrooms (about 12 oz.)
1 c. finely chopped Melissa’s shallots (about 3)
⅓ c. flour
3 T. curry powder
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. kosher salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
4 c. whole milk
2 c. heavy cream
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
6 slices bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled (for garnish)

In a large skillet, melt ¼ cup butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook until tender. Remove from heat. In a Dutch oven, melt remaining ½ cup butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, curry powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook two minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk and cream, and cook until thickened. Stir in mushroom mixture and spinach. Cook until heated through.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle bacon over top.

Yield: 8 generous one-cup servings.

Curried Avocado Soup

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I love avocados in any form. I will cut them in half and eat them as is, I will put them on toast or in salads, whip them into salad dressing, I have even made gelato out of them. I have a favorite cucumber and avocado soup that is pleasantly mild and flavorful, but I had never thought about the addition of curry. While perusing the July 15th issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I cut out a recipe for Curried Avocado Soup, and had the opportunity to try it this week. I think this is one of my new favorite ways to eat an avocado. I seriously made moaning sounds with every bite. If you like avocado like I do, you need to give this a try.

Curried Avocado Soup

Slightly adapted from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 15, 2020

2 medium-ripe Haas (dark-skinned) avocados

2¼ c. vegetable stock, divided*

1 to 1½ t. curry powder

¼ - ½ t. salt, or to taste

¹⁄8 - ¼ t. white pepper

½ c. heavy cream

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Split the avocados in half with a knife and remove the pits. Set aside one half. Scoop out the insides of the other 3 halves with a spoon and blend with 1 cup of the stock in a blender or food processor (I used the latter) until smooth. Stir in the curry powder, salt, pepper, cream and the remaining 1¼ cups of stock. Chill.

When ready to serve, garnish the soup with thin avocado slices that have been cut from the remaining avocado half and dipped in lemon juice.

*If you don’t have vegetable stock, chicken works as well.

Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry

These days I am all about finding meals that are quick and easy. I have so many irons in the fire at the moment that I just don't have a lot of time to cook. So, while I was looking through recipes on epicurious.com, I found one called Coconut Chicken Curry in a Hurry, and I knew that was for me. Then I read the recipe. I would have to stand at the stove for 22 minutes! What's quick and easy about that? I don't want to stand at the stove at all. In taking a good look at the recipe, deciding that I wanted no stove time whatsoever, and really did not want to cut chicken breasts into chunks, I adapted it for the crockpot.

You really have to love those crockpots. They make life so darned easy. The recipe turned out wonderfully, and is a great candidate for the freezer. If you're like me, and you don't want to spend your time slaving over a stove, grab your crockpot, set it on your counter, and make it as welcome as any member of your family. That's the way I feel about mine.

Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry

Adapted from epicurious.com

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 1/2 teaspoons mild curry powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk (preferably full-fat)

1 (2 1/2") piece ginger, peeled

4 garlic cloves, peeled

5 ounces baby spinach

1 cup frozen peas

Toss chicken with curry powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until well coated. Place breasts into the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with chopped onion.

Purée coconut milk, ginger, and garlic in a blender until very smooth. Pour on top of onions and seasoned breasts.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Shred chicken in the crockpot and then stir in spinach and peas; cook an additional 30 minutes. Top with cilantro. Serve with rice or naan alongside.

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Glazed Rainbow Carrots with Dill

Let’s talk side dishes, shall we?  I know what you’re thinking…vegetables.  Yes, you’re right.  We all know that we’re supposed to have a nice combination of five fruits and vegetables each day.  We also know that it’s not always so easy to work these five servings into the course of three meals (although I am personally campaigning to include the Bloody Mary among this group, what with the tomato juice and celery and all).  Largely vegetables come in green or white.  Dull.  And, also largely, children tend to flee from them in packs.  So the best way to perk up the plate, and your family, is with lots of taste and bursts of color.

I’ve tried for years to grow carrots, with rather sorry results.  My interest was in growing the heirloom variety with multiple colors.  While I can’t seem to manage to do it, Melissa’s Produce can.  I love these colorful carrots!  They are so pretty and deliciously sweet, and look how beautiful they'll be on your table.  Honestly, who could resist these?

I really have no particular recipe, but for the sake of carrot virgins, will jot one below.  My experience is that even non-carrot lovers will quite enjoy these.

Glazed Rainbow Carrots with Dill

1 lb. Melissa’s Rainbow Crunch carrots, cleaned, peeled, and 

cut into ¼” coins

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup dark brown sugar

1 Tablespoon apricot preserves

Pinch of Kosher salt

Pinch of curry powder (optional)

Pinch of turmeric (optional)

Snippings of fresh dill (or dried, if you must)

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a full boil.  Drop carrots in all at once and return pan to boil.  Cook for 4-7 minutes until just fork tender, and by this I mean barely fork tender as they will continue to cook after draining and you don’t want them to turn to mush; better to err on the crunchy side.  (The cooking time varies with the size of your carrots, so do test them – I use the tines of a pickle fork).  Empty into colander to drain thoroughly; set aside.  In same saucepan in which you cooked the carrots (and that should still be warm) place butter, and melt it over low heat.  Stir in apricot preserves and brown sugar until everything is well blended.  Add carrots all at once and fold together until carrots are glazed.  Throw in a pinch of salt and, if your family likes the taste of curry, a pinch of curry powder gives these a lot of zing, ditto for the turmeric, but I’ll leave both up to you (though do keep in mind that Turmeric is one of the super foods and this is a great way to slip it by your family with no one the wiser).

For more vegetable inspiration, I highly recommend this book:

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Curried Chicken Salad in Papaya Boats

 I am completely sold on the honey mustard marinade for chicken as used in the recipe here; I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a boneless breast of chicken that was more moist or flavorful.  So much so that I used the remainder to marinate the lone chicken breast that I had left in the fridge, then seared it, roasted it, and used it for chicken salad.  It’s too hot for a heavy meal, so chicken salad was just the ticket, made even more summery with the inclusion of little balls of papaya and served in a papaya half.

Curried Chicken Salad in Papaya Boats

1 large breast of chicken, cooked, cooled, and diced

1/3 cup chopped celery

1 scallion, diced (white and green parts)

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 tablespoon golden raisins

¼ cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon curry powder

1 medium strawberry papaya (I used Melissa's)

Place first five ingredients into a medium bowl and toss together until well mixed; set aside.  Halve papaya, scoop out center seeds; discard.  Using a small melon baller, scoop out inner portion making small melon balls, while hollowing out a larger spot in the center in which to mound the chicken salad.  Put melon balls on top of chicken mixture, and lightly mix in.  In a small bowl, stir together curry power and mayonnaise.  Pour mayonnaise mixture over chicken mixture and fold together until well combined.  It may seem a bit dry at first, but the juice from the inclusion of the papaya will moisten the mixture, giving it a nice creamy texture, so don’t overdo on the mayonnaise.

Scoop chicken salad into payapa “boats” and season with salt and pepper to taste.

                                              Serves 2.    

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Curried Carrot and Pumpkin Soup

I was ready to try something savory after all of the sweet pumpkin dishes earlier this week, so decided upon soup.  Soup is my middle name come fall, and I like to make as much as I can both for instant enjoyment and to pop into the freezer to carry us through the winter and into the spring.  Having a nice variety of soups from delicate to hearty means I'm always ready for guests at a moment's notice; when we're weary from Christmas shopping I can have a meal on the table faster than I can hit the defrost button on the microwave.

Instead of simply making a pumpkin soup, I wanted to create something a bit more complex.  A soup that was not at all sweet, but with a depthness of flavor that would cause people to wonder just exactly what made up the list of ingredients.  So I combined carrots with pumpkin, seasoned them with curry and pumpkin pie spice, and came up with a delicious soup with a cayenne kick.  It goes together in a flash, and if you have an immersion blender and can blend it at the stove, you can have it on the table in 30 minutes.

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound packaged baby carrots

4 cups chicken stock, homemade if possible 

1 tablespoon medium curry paste

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper *

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice *

1/3 cup solid pack pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt *

Sour cream for garnish, if desired

* More to taste

Equipment: Plastic condiment bottle (recommended) or small plastic food storage bag

Preheat medium pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil, butter, onions and carrots and saute 5 minutes. Add 4 cups chicken stock, curry, pumpkin pie spice, and cayenne, and about 1 teaspoon salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until carrots are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and blend using an immersion blender, or process in small batches in a blender or food processor.  Return soup to heat and thoroughly stir in pumpkin. Adjust seasonings.

To make spider web decoration:  Place sour cream in a plastic condiment squeeze bottle or into a medium food storage bag. Cut a very small hole in the corner of the bag with scissors. Ladle soup into bowls and squirt a swirl of sour cream around the bowl from the center out to the rim. Drag a toothpick from the center of the bowls out to the edges, forming a spider web design on soup.

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