Stone Fruit Salad

Summer is full of simple joys. The warm weather, evening strolls with my kids to look for fireflies and of course all the fruits and vegetables that are available from our local farm-stands.   Stone Fruits such as peaches, nectarines, and plums are always some of my favorites fruits to get when I want something to snack on.  I hope everyone has enjoyed (at least once) biting into a juicy peach and having all that juice dribble down your chin and hand.  Yes... the simple joys of summer.  I bought a lot of stone fruit one day and knew I had to do something simple, yet creative with them.  So I decided to make a stone fruit salad.  I think I could have eaten the entire bowl myself... but I was nice and shared it with my family.  I know summer is coming to an end, but I hope you get the chance to make your own stone fruit salad and enjoy the simple joys of summer for yourself.

  Ingredients:
2-3 peaches
2-3 plums (red or black)
2-3 Nectarines
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbs of of honey
3-4 leaves of mint minced

Directions:
Chop the stone fruit, add the lime juice, honey and mint.  Serve and Enjoy.  Store in the fridge.

Cucumber and Carrot Raita (Yogurt Salad)

Indian and Sri Lankan meals are often very spicy and full of bold flavors. Sometimes it's nice to have a dish that is cooling and soothing to the palate.  A raita (yogurt salad) goes perfectly with a curry meal, a rice pilaf or briyani.  There are so many versions and combinations of raitas.  This raita is very simply with cucumber,  carrots and a thick Greek style yogurt as the main ingredients.  Although this raita is considered a side dish, it shined all on it's own and did not get lost in the menu.

 Raita Ingredients:
1 English Cucumber grated (see note)
1-2 carrots grated
1/2 medium onion grated
2 serrano chili seeded and diced finely
2 cups of Greek Yogurt (see note)
juice from half a lemon
pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp of ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste



Notes:  Cucumbers can be very watery.  I let the cucumbers drain in a fine meshed colander with some salt to try to let as much liquid drain out before adding the cucumber into the salad.

If you want a thicker riata, you can also use a thick Greek style yogurt.   If you cannot find Greek style yogurt you can drain three cups of yogurt in a fine mesh colander with a paper towel (or coffee filter) and allow the whey to separate from the curd for several hours in the fridge.  The thick curd is what you want for your salad. Make sure you have another bowl below the colander to catch all the whey.

Directions:  Simply mix all the above ingredients together and allow the raita to chill for 30 minutes or longer to allow the flavors to develop.

Serves 6-8 people as part of a meal.  Enjoy.

 Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. 

Asian Curried Chicken Salad with Pasta

I was at Costco today and my kids wanted a Rotisserie Chicken.  They love to eat the drumsticks and after they enjoyed them for lunch I had to figure out what to do with with the rest of the chicken.  A curried chicken salad came to mind and then that morphed into a pasta salad for dinner.  This flavorful chicken salad is full of all kinds of Asian flavors and can be eaten as sandwich, salad or pasta meal.

To make the Curried Chicken Salad you will need:
2-3 cups of cooked shredded chicken (see note)
1 cup of diced onion
1 cup of diced green bell pepper
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of shredded carrots
1 Tbs of curry powder (I recommend McCormick brand)
2-3 cloves of garlic grated
2 tsp of grated ginger
2 tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste)
1/4 tsp of ground turmeric
1 Tbs of soy sauce
1 small can of sliced water chestnuts (diced)


Note:  You can use rotisserie chicken like I did or you can poach some chicken if you prefer.  You can also used any grilled, baked or leftover chicken you have that can be shredded.

Dressing: 
1/2 cup of mayo
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt (or thick strained yogurt)
1 Tbs of Dijon Mustard
1 tsp of sugar (or splenda)
1 Tbs of rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 heaping Tbs of mango chutney
Mix all ingredients and all to chill in the fridge. 


Directions:

In a saute pan, heat one Tbs of olive oil on medium-high heat.  Saute your carrots, onions, peppers and celery until almost tender. Then add your grated ginger and garlic and saute for another minute.

Next add your curry powder, chili flakes and turmeric.  Saute for another minute.  Then add your soy sauce.

Finally add your shredded chicken and diced water chestnuts into the pan and stir well.  Taste for seasoning and turn off the stove.  Allow the chicken mixture to cool down before tossing with the dressing.

Yields about 4-5 cups of chicken salad.  Garnish with lettuce and tomatoes.  Serve in a sandwich, lettuce wraps, on top of a salad or with pasta.  Enjoy.

 Note: if you choose to eat with pasta, toss with 1lb of cooked pasta (Any shape).  Enjoy.

One Heck of a Chopped Salad

My day started off well.  I exercised and ate a good breakfast.  By the time lunch arrived I was not so hungry so I decided to just "snack".  That's always not a good idea.  I started out good with a bowl of cherries then things got drastically worse from there.  There were chips and two chocolate chip cookies also eaten after the madness was over.  That's a big no-no for me.  Well, I wasn't going to let the day get by without getting back on track so I decided a healthy dinner was in order.  Salad.  But I needed a substantial salad that would satisfy me and I wouldn't be tempted by those darn chocolate chip cookies again.  So I raided the fridge and the pantry and this is what I came up with.  I made some grilled chicken for my carnivore hubby, but he was truly happy with this heck of a chopped salad as he called it.   I just finished dinner and I'm full and happy.  Those darn cookies won't get the best of me... (I hope). : )

Ingredients:
2 bunches of romaine lettuce chopped
1/2 a large onion diced
2 carrots diced
1 cucumber chopped
1 bell pepper (or sweet peppers) diced
2 serrano chilies (seeded) and diced
1 (15oz) can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
handful of black olives chopped
1 cup of fresh broccoli chopped
1-2 eggs sliced



Dressing:
Light Ranch dressing (your favorite brand as much as you like to dress your salad)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of rice wine vinegar
1 tsp of sugar or splenda

Prepare all the veggies and toss into a bowl with the salad dressing.  Keep chilled until serving.

Enjoy as a meal or as part of a meal.

 Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Thai Green Papaya Salad

One of my good friends turned me onto this Thai Green Papaya Salad at a local Thai restaurant.  I decided that I must learn how to make this salad at home so here is my simple attempt.   You must find and use only the green papaya for this salad because it simply does not work with the ripe papaya.  The green papaya is available in most Asian grocery stores.

Ingredients:
Julienne or grate 2 cups of the green papaya
1 1/2 Tbs fish sauce (or to taste)
1 Tbs of brown sugar
1 serrano chilies finely diced
1 red sweet chili finely diced
juice if one large lime
1 clove of garlic grated
chopped roasted peanuts

Optional Ingredients:
handful of grape or cherry tomatoes diced
small handful of Thai basil leaves torn
sunflower seeds roasted and salted (see note)
handful of bean sprouts
Green onion/scallions thinly julienned

First peel the outside of the green papaya well with a vegetable peeler.  Then scrape out the pearl colored seeds.  Rinse the papaya and then use either a grater to create long thin slices or julienne peeler. 

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl (except for the nuts or sunflower seeds).  Allow to chill for about 20 minutes in the fridge.  Serve with nuts or sunflower seeds.

Note: the chopped peanuts are traditional in this dish.  I substituted sunflower seeds for the added crunch and "peanut" taste.  It worked very well. 

Tomato, Onion and Green Chili Salad

Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best.  This is a super simple salad (side dish) that goes well with any meal, especially rice and curry.  You can eat this whole bowl of salad and not feel an ounce of guilt.  So I definitely call this simple salad a winner with any dinner.

Ingredients:

1 pint of tomatoes sliced or diced (any kind)

2-3 green chilies seeded and finely diced

1/2 a medium onion finely diced

2 tsp of vinegar (or to taste)

1 tsp of sugar (or to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

Notes:  I gave a general idea of how to create your dressing.  But the ingredients are very simple and really need to be adjusted to your palate.

Mix all the ingredients together and keep chilled before serving.  

  Serves 4. Enjoy.

 Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Watermelon Salad

This is such a refreshing a light salad.  It's also great for your waistline!  The sweet watermelon is enhanced with the flavors of lime, honey and mint.  Then there is the hint of spicy chili which gives a little kick and makes this salad something you will remember.

 Ingredients: 
5-6 cups of diced watermelon
1-2 green chilies seeded and minced
Juice of 1/4 cup of lime juice
5-6 fresh mint leaves minced
1-2 Tbs of honey
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix gently.  Allow to chill in fridge before serving.

 Enjoy.

Copyright: All content, photos and text, are property of Curry and Comfort and cannot be used without permission 

Carrot and Black Bean Fiesta Salad

If you like American Southwest or Tex-Mex dishes, you will really enjoy this fresh and flavorful salad. This  budget friendly side dish uses carrots and a pantry favorite like canned black beans.

Ingredients:
2 cups of shredded carrots
1 15(oz) can of black beans drained and rinsed
1-2 garlic cloves grated
1 jalapeno chili seeded and finely diced
1/2 a medium onion finely diced


Note:  You can use a box grater to grate your carrots or a julienne peeler like I used here.

Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 salsa (fresh or from a jar)
1/2 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of chili powder (used for chili con carne)
1/2 tsp of sugar  (or 1 tsp if you like it sweet)
1Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs soy sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste



Mix dressing well and pour dressing over salad ingredients.  Then mix all ingredients together and marinate for 30 minutes or more in refrigerator.

Serves 4-6 people as a side dish  Enjoy.

Copyright: All content, photos and text are property of Curry and Comfort and cannot be used without permission 

Sriracha-Teriyaki Burgers with Homemade Cucumber Pickle

If you like spicy food and haven't tried Sriracha Sauce, then you don't know what you've been missing.  Sriracha is a spicy chili sauce and it helped me kick this basic Asian Teriyaki burger to the next level.  I served it with a quick homemade cucumber pickle and it made a very flavorful burger combo. 

 
 Ingredients:
1lb of ground meat (chicken, beef, turkey etc..)
2-3 cloves of garlic grated
1 inch of ginger grated
2-3  Tbs of Teriyaki Sauce ( or substitute soy sauce and a little sugar)
1-2 Tbs of Sriracha
Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and form burgers.

Fry the burgers on a griddle and after you start cooking the second side of the burger add some sliced onion to grill and cook along side.  The "juice" that the burgers gives off will flavor the grilled onion.

Serves 4 people.  Serve with your favorite burger sides.

To make the Homemade Cucumber Pickle: 

Ingredients: 
1 English cucumber sliced thin (I used a Mandolin slicer)
half a medium onion sliced (red, yellow or white)
1 Serrano chili sliced
1-2 Tbs of fresh dill
Place in a heat proof bowl and set aside until pickling liquid is ready. 

To make the pickling liquid:
1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 tsp of mustard seed
2 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt and pepper to taste


Bring ingredients to boil in a saucepan.  Once boiling, pour over the fresh cucumber ingredients. Toss well.  Allow to marinate for 15-20 minutes.

Eat on burgers, hotdogs, chicken etc..  Keep refrigerated.  Enjoy.

Text Only Printable Recipes:
Sriracha-Teriyaki Burgers

Homemade Cucumber Pickle