Jenn's Favorite Curried Chicken Salad & Chickpea Salad with Lemony Salted Yogurt and Plenty of Dill

Jennifer's Favorite Curried Chicken Salad 

 Ingredients for Four Servings:

2 cups cooked chicken

, cut into bite sized pieces
1 apple, diced (Granny Smith is best if you have it)
2 tablespoons diced celery
2 tablespoons dried raisins
2 tablespoons chopped nuts (pecans are great, but any or none will do)
2 tablespoons diced onion (white, yellow, red or green)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine the chicken, apple, celery, raisins, nuts  and onions in a bowl. Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, curry powder, salt and pepper. Add enough of the mayonnaise mixture to the chicken combination to coat it well, but not have the chicken be swimming in it. Serve on top of greens.

Chickpea Salad with Lemony Salted Yogurt and Plenty of Dill

Ingredients for Two Servings

1 (15 oz.) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 medium cucumber, diced
1 tablespoon diced red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 bunch of fresh dill and pita bread for serving

Gently combine all chickpeas, tomato, avocado, onion, olive oil, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl. Whisk together yogurt, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Divide chickpea mixture between two plates. Put 2 tablespoons of  yogurt mixture to side. Serve with pita and fresh dill.

South American Influenced Power Breakfast: Poached Egg on Quinoa

     Last year, between semesters, Allison had the opportunity to travel to Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru. She tells me that in South America, the thought of having eggs for breakfast is basically unthinkable. They do like to serve a cooked egg over meals at other times of the day.  In fact, one favorite dish at a barbecue, or an asado, is a pepper grilled with an egg in it.  In Peru, it's common to serve an egg on top of a stew made with quinoa. So, for us that means it's a breakfast item - right?  Well - maybe more like brunch since the quinoa in this post has some fairly complex flavors due to the cumin and coriander in this recipe.

One of the Many Friends Allison Made While in Peru

Ingredients for Four Servings:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained

1/2 red pepper, diced to make 1/2 cup

1 medium onion, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, put through the press

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

3/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 (15 oz.) can broth, vegetable or chicken

2 large tomatoes, diced or 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 ripe avocado, diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

4 to 8 eggs, how ever many you wish to serve

Directions:

Saute the diced onion and red pepper in the olive oil until tender. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander, and pepper and cook for another 30 seconds.  Add the quinoa, broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to medium low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. While the quinoa mixture is simmering, or a head of time, poach the eggs. Take off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Spoon into bowls, top with avocado, cilantro, and  poached eggs*.

*While the quinoa mixture is simmering, or a head of time, poach the eggs.

Bring about 4 inches of water in a sauce pan up to a boil. One or two at a time, crack the egg(s) onto a saucer. With a wooden spoon, give the water in the pan a swirl and slip the egg off the saucer into the middle of the swirl.  Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 3 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, lift each egg out of the water and place it on a cloth dish towel until ready to serve.