Girlie Pasta Salad

Or maybe all pasta salads are girlie! Ha! One of my favorite Birmingham restaurants is Chez Lulu. The next time you're there, check out this fabulous little French cafe! The last time I went, I ordered the pasta of the day.  It was an unexpected blend of flavors that were delicious together.  Figs, carrots, almonds, cilantro and a white crumbled cheese gave the dish a memorable and unique taste.  Check out Chez Lulu here: www.chezlulu.us/about_chez_lulu.

With the Chez Lulu pasta in mind, I created this dish.  I'm always a fan of the sweet and savory and the unusual blending of flavors.  I also believe that food should be colorful.  The ingredients in this pasta provide plenty of vibrant color.  I think it would be perfect for a girls' night, spa day or Saturday  picnic.

Girlie Pasta Salad

Recipe:

2/3  box of Penne Pasta

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 clove Garlic, minced

3-4 slices of Pancetta or Bacon

1 Tbsp Cracked Red Pepper

1 bunch Fresh Kale, stems removed and chopped

1 cup Shredded Carrots

1 cup Feta Cheese

1 cup Sliced Grapes

1 cup Sliced Almonds (toasted)

1/2 cup Garlic Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Method:

1.  Cook pasta by the instructions on the box, strain and set aside.

2.  Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic, pancetta and cracked red pepper.  Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

3.  Add the kale and stir-fry until it has reached your desired tenderness.  Remove from heat.

4.  In a decorative bowl, combine the pasta with the kale mixture and add the remaining ingedients.

5.  Stir to combine.

6.  Serve warm or cold, topped with more cracked red pepper and/or honey drizzle.

Garlic Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 Garlic Clove, minced

a splash of Red Wine Vinegar

1 tsp White Pepper

1 tsp Honey

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

*Whisk together all ingredients until well blended.

This recipe turned out quite tasty!  The grapes balance out the saltiness of the feta cheese, the carrots and almonds add a crunchy texture and the cracked red pepper gives the dish a kick of spiciness.  It is great warm or cold.  Also, if you make it the day before and store in the fridge overnight, the flavors meld beautifully!  I hope you feel inspired to try this recipe.  Let me know how it goes! -1CC

Curry Chicken Salad

I get really excited and inspired by all things international!  Something I enjoy doing on this blog and in my kitchen, is adding Asian and Mediterranean twists to deep South cooking.  The object of my innovation today is chicken salad.

Who in the South doesn't love a nice beige blob of creamy, mayonnaise-y chicken salad?  It's a completely delightful Southern staple!  My favorite version includes pecans and red grapes.  Being the Southern Belle that I am (ha!), I have sampled many a chicken salad recipe and would consider myself (as well as any other Southern gal) somewhat of a connoisseur!

You really can't improve the delicious, classic recipe of chicken salad...and I'm not trying to.  I just felt inspired to try a different version of it.  I incorporated my favorite warm Indian flavors, which give it a lovely flavor as well as an eye-pleasing golden color.

Curry Chicken Salad

Recipe:

2 Chicken Breasts (cooked)

3/4 cup Mayonnaise

2 Celery Sticks (chopped)

1/2 cup Sliced Almonds (toasted)

1/2 cup Dried Apricots (chopped)

1 small Apple (peeled and chopped)

1 teaspoon Curry Powder

1 teaspoon Coriander

1 teaspoon Turmeric

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Cayenne Pepper for dusting the top

Method:

1.  In a food processor, pulse the chicken until ground.

2.  Transfer ground chicken to a medium-sized bowl and add all other ingredients except for cayenne pepper.

3.  Stir until blended and serve dusted with cayenne pepper.

*Note:  This is great to make ahead.  Store in a covered container in the fridge overnight for flavors to meld.

I have an extreme obsession with England.  Anglophile?  Is that the phrase?  Yes, I'm one of those.  My very first experience with Indian Curry was in London (my favorite place in the universe), at an authentic Indian restaurant. Curry is a very popular flavor over there. So that is the main reason I like to add it to so many recipes. Ha!  Indian flatbread or Naan was also present at that momentous, life-changing occasion.  I served my curry chicken salad with homemade Naan.

Here is a great recipe for it, if you would like to get adventurous and try it too: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/naan/   

I was a little nervous about making it. But it was much easier than I thought it would be.  So go for it!

I hope I've inspired you to get creative with different flavors and to turn classic Southern favorites into something new and fresh.  Happy cooking, curry-style!  -1CC

Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Jalapeño Patties

In my younger years, it was easy to be healthy.  I got a kick out of just seeing how healthy I could eat from day to day.  I've noticed that aging challenges habitual good choice-making.  Maybe just because adulting is not always fun...maybe we just want to treat ourselves.  I don't know what it is, but it seems that more and more, I want to make the unhealthy choice.

Lately, I've been trying to be more intentional about making nutritious food choices.  As you know, it's always smart to incorporate an abundance of fruits and vegetables into your diet.  Today I got a little creative and tried something new with quinoa, sweet potatoes and spices.

Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Jalapeño Patties

Recipe:

1 cup cooked Quinoa

1 cup (cooked and mashed) Sweet Potato

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 small Onion, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp Curry Powder

1 fresh Jalapeño, finely chopped

a bit of Kerrygold, Organic Butter or light Olive Oil for frying

Method:

1.  Cook Quinoa by package instructions.

2. Peel and chop a medium-sized sweet potato.  Place in a bowl with a bit of water and cover.  Heat in the microwave for about four minutes or until potato is tender.  Mash and set aside.

3.  Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions and garlic.  Cook until starting to get tender (about five minutes).

4.  Add the four spices to the onions and garlic and cook, stirring for about two more minutes.

5.  Pour in the quinoa and stir well, scraping the pan to pick up bits of spices or onion that might have stuck.  Remove from heat.

6.  In a bowl, blend together the quinoa mixture, sweet potato and fresh jalapeño.

7.  Heat the butter or oil (whichever you prefer) in a flat pan over medium heat and start to form the mixture into small patties.

8.  Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, until the outside reaches desired brownedness (is that a word?) and crispiness.

9.  Serve immediately.

I thought these tasted delightful!  They would probably be best served with my cilantro tzatziki sauce (recipe below).  I think they would also pair well with a fried egg, for an energy-boosting breakfast or brunch.  

If you're like me and you'd rather dive into a cheeseburger and fries than a salad, try this recipe.  We all need to make sure we get enough fresh veggies in.  It's fun to get creative with cooking and it makes eating the healthy stuff a little more fun too!

Spicy Cilantro Tzatziki Sauce

Recipe:

1/2 Cucumber (peeled and deseeded)

1 Garlic Clove

handful of Cilantro

about a cup Plain Greek Yogurt

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cayenne Pepper to taste

Instructions:

In the food processor:

1. Blend the Cucumber, Garlic and Cilantro.

2.  Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth.