Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

I am really fond of lettuce wraps these days. They are fresh, crisp and low carb. Lettuce wraps are a great way to scoop up both warm and cold fillings. I decided this weekend to update an old Curried Chicken Salad recipe and use it as a filling for a lettuce wrap. The original recipe was from a Weight Watchers cookbook. It was an open faced sandwich we use to make with canned chicken. For this wrap, I wanted to learn how to poach the chicken. I turned to Rachael Ray for a recipe and she did not disappoint. Rachael's Poached Chicken is full of flavor, tender and moist. The secret is she lets the chicken cool in the poaching liquid. Using her recipe I had four perfectly poach chicken breasts for my wraps and two quarts of chicken broth for future soups. This is definitely a method I will use in the future. The chicken was perfect in the Curried Chicken Salad. I love this combination of chicken, apples, grapes and curry. I used a homemade curry powder I saw on the Dr. Oz show. But you can use a store bought curry powder too, I have in the past. It adds a warm spice to the yogurt-mayo dressing that complements the sweet, tart flavors of the grapes and apples. This salad is great as a lettuce wrap. It makes for a nice fresh and filling meal, an update worth making again real soon.

Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. plain non fat Greek yogurt
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp curry powder
8 oz. skinned and boned poached chicken, diced
1 small apple, diced
12 large seedless green grapes, cut into quarters
Dash each salt, white pepper and cayenne
4 lettuce leaves

Chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

In medium bowl combine mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, and curry powder. Stir in chicken, apple, and grapes; season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Spoon a fourth of the chicken salad into each lettuce leaf. Garnish with pecans (optional).

Curry Powder

Source: Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary as seen on Dr. Oz

Ingredients

5 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 large bay leaf
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 small (1.5 inch) piece of a cinnamon stick
5 cloves
2 tsp turmeric powder (reserve for later)

Directions

Grind all of the above ingredients, except for the turmeric powder, in a coffee grinder. Afterward, add 2 tsp of the turmeric powder. Mix all ingredients together.

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Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Apples

Grilled Caponata Salad

I love Caponata! I usually make one of Rachael Ray's recipes. The recipe is for a pasta bake but I never make the pasta. I just make the Caponata. It is delicious with grilled chicken or as a snack. I love the sweet and sour flavor combination of the olives and raisins. It goes so well with eggplant and tomatoes. This week I decided to try making it on the grill. I used the large eggplant I got at Ed Lester Farms. I wanted to serve it as a pretty plated salad so I made a dressing too. I saw on the Chew that ketchup makes a great emulsifier for salad dressings. I knew that would be perfect for this salad, it would boost both the tomato flavor and the sweetness of the salad. It works really well. The dressing was thick and did not separate for hours and hours. I grilled the eggplant in large planks to serve as the bed of the salad. I used grapes instead of raisins. This may be my favorite part. I love the sweet grilled grapes with the olives and capers. I also used celery leaves instead of grilling celery. It adds a freshness at the end with the parsley. It was a delicious and beautiful salad. I can't wait to try it out as a starter for guests. It was so much faster than sauteing all the veggies in a pot. This salad would work well as a stacked salad too. You could slice the eggplant into rounds putting a layer of veggies between the grilled rounds. Or just chop the eggplant and mix with all the other ingredients and serve as a chopped salad. I have to admit the salad is not as pretty after it has been refrigerated but it still taste delicious. I suggest setting any leftover on the counter to bring to room temperature. I liked it better that way. I hope you will try it. This salad is definitely not boring each fork full is interesting in it's own way.

Grilled Caponata Salad

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, sliced into 8 - 1/2” planks

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut in half

1 Anaheim pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut in half

1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced in 1/2” rounds

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 bunch red grapes on the stem

Olive oil

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

1/2 cup green olives, sliced

1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced

2 Tbsp capers

1/3 cup celery leaves, chopped

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup Caponata Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat (10 min).

Rub eggplant, pepper halves, onion, tomatoes and grapes with olive oil. Season eggplant, pepper halves, onion and tomatoes with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Place tomatoes on skewers. Place everything on the grill, grill about 5 minutes a side until tender. Remove each vegetable to a platter when they are done. Remove grapes from stem and tomatoes from skewers add to a medium bowl. Chop peppers and onions add to tomatoes and grapes. Add olives, capers, celery leaves, parsley and vinaigrette, stir to combine. To serve, place a slice of eggplant in the center of a salad plate. Drizzle with a little of the vinaigrette and top with a couple of heaping spoons of the vegetable mixture. Garnish with more celery and parsley leaves.

Caponata Vinaigrette

Makes approx. 1/2 cup

Ingredients

3 oz olive oil

1 oz Balsamic vinegar

1 anchovy, mashed into a paste

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp honey

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 tsp parsley, chopped

1 tsp basil, chopped

1/2 tsp oregano, chopped

Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Mix vinaigrette ingredients in a small mason jar. Secure with lid and shake until emulsified. Store remaining dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Eggplant
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Grape Pizza

I saw this on a Food Network show about pizza and tried to make it at home. The restaurant was Pies and Pints, they used a wood-fired  oven. I have used a grill in the past because I did not want to heat up the house. For "Girls Night" I used the oven. It is such a delicious combination. The perfect bite is one with a grape, some blue cheese and rosemary. YUM! I used fresh rosemary from one of my shrubs. I admit I like the grilled version a little better, but the oven does a fine job too. A great meatless meal for Lent, but would make a great appetizer too.

Grape Pizza

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 can or roll of pizza dough

1 cup pizza blend cheese (mozzarella and provolone)

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary needles

1-1/2 cups red grapes, halved

1/2 cup blue cheese

Directions

Prepared on the Grill:

Pre-heat one side of a gas grill to high. Unroll dough and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Grill dough for 2-3 minutes over direct heat until you see nice grill marks. Flip and move to the indirect heat. Top with cheese blend, rosemary, grapes and blue cheese. Grill until crust is done and cheese is melted. Remove from grill and cut into 8 pieces.

Prepared in the Oven:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease sheet pan with a little olive oil. Roll crust out on to sheet pan and pre-bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cheese blend, rosemary, grapes and blue cheese. Bake another 8 minutes until edges of crust are golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove from grill and cut into 8 pieces.

 

Linking to:
Buns in My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
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Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Taste and Tell Blog: Taste and Tell + 40 Soups, Stews and Chilis
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Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Pizza