Grilled Chicken Salad with Mango

This salad was really easy to make, and the flavors were wonderful. The spiciness of the curry chicken and the sweetness of the fruit went really well with the crispness of the greens. I made the vinaigrette and defrosted the chicken before I went to work in the morning so the prep when I got home was very quick. I ate the salad with a dry white wine--Smoking Loon pinot grigio.

• ½ tsp curry powder
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 mangoes, pitted, peeled, and cubed
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp rice or white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 6 cups mixed greens
• ½ cantaloupe peels, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 small apple, cored and sliced
• 2 scallions, sliced

1. Combine curry powder, pepper, and salt; sprinkle evenly over chicken. Grill chicken until cook through. Allow chicken to rest 2-3 min and slice into strips.
2. In blender or food processor, combine 1 cup of mango, orange juice, vinegar, honey and mustard. Blend until smooth and chill covered for up to 2 hours.
3. Arrange greens and cover with fruit and chicken. Drizzle salad with vinaigrette and sprinkle with scallions.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Movie Food

Film Food, Ready for Its ‘Bon Appetit’

Read this article about food styling for movies (Julie and Julia) today. Very interesting.

Warm Pasta Salad with Shrimp, Sesame Seeds, and Honey

I love finding easy shrimp recipes, and this seemed to fit the bill. The magazine also suggests that it can be made with scallops.It was pretty simple, and I loved the dressing, however it might have been a little too much cabbage for me. Next time I make it, I will probably use less cabbage.

• 8 jumbo shrimp, thawed, peeled, and deveined or 8 scallops
• 4 oz multigrain spaghetti (I ended up using 6-8 oz whole wheat pasta because I love spaghetti)
• 6 cups shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage (I used 5 cups of savoy)
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 4 tbsp white wine or rice vinegar
• 6 tsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tsp honey
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp sesame seeds (I used a bit more, about half a tbsp)

1. Rinse scallops or shrimp and pat dry. Cut each in half and set aside.
2. Cook spaghetti, rinse, and drain. In a serving bowl, combine pasta, cabbage, carrot, and onion.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, 2 tsp oil, soy sauce, honey, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
4. Heat 4 tsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook scallops or shrimp 3 to 4 minutes. Place scallops or shrimp over cabbage mixture. Add dressing and sprinkle iwth sesame seeds, then gently toss to coat.

Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5

Source: Ladies Home Journal, July 09

Quinoa and Black Beans

I've been hearing about the health benefits of quinoa for a while and finally picked it up at the farmers market a few weeks ago. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein (all nine essential amino acids). Quinoa is especially well-endowed (har har) with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair and has a host of other health-building nutrients, including manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus.
For the quinoa, I followed recipe below. I ate it with pan-fried salmon filet seasoned with cumin, cayenne pepper and salt.

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro (Serves 10).
   

Source: allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quinoa-and-Black-Beans/Detail.aspx)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Cooking Experiment

I am a third year PhD student living in Atlanta, and I love to cook. My recipes consist of mostly salads, chicken or fish entrees (I don't eat red meat or pork), and yummy desserts. I love to try new things, and my goal each week is to make at least one new recipe. Here it goes...