Love for Food

The past few weeks I have been obsessed with Groupons. Getting a great deal just seems like such a thrill. When I saw the Groupon for Barnes and Nobles, I knew I had to get it. I had a hankering for a new cookbook for a while and this was the perfect excuse.Finding the perfect cookbook, takes quite a long time. I like big bold pictures (for each dish) and simple recipes. 30 minute meals always seem to take me an hour, so the simpler the better! I also want simple ingredients. Going to the store for those exotic ingredients seems like a waste. Use them once and they sit in your cabinet till spring cleaning. I was on my way out cookbook-less when I spotted the new cookbook for Alice's Tea Cup.

Alice's Tea Cup is a cute cafe on the upper west and east sides of Manhattan. It's cozy and offers sandwiches, soups, baked goods, and tea of course. I've only been there once though because there is always a long wait. Perusing through the book, I found several recipes I thought might be worth giving a try. Although not what I had in mind, I decided to get the book.

The first recipe I tried this week was for a Curried Chicken Salad. The only changes I made were to use non fat or lower fat ingredients. I wanted something a little bit different I could eat for dinner on the nights I was at Riker's. I was bored of turkey and cheese or PB&J. Curried chicken salad seems simple but there are a lot of small variations you can do to affect the outcome (i.e how you cook the chicken (I use to poach), type of cream (I use to only use mayo), etc)The results were pretty good. I learned a few things from my first batch. First of all, I need a less spicy curry powder! I love the flavor and put a ton but it was quite hot! I usually make beef curry stew where the heat is not an issue with the rice or potatoes. Second, was to not be so lazy and cut the chicken a bit smaller. And finally, I was not able to assemble the sandwich at home because it got soggy. I had brought the salad in a tub and assemble before eating. Overall I enjoyed it. I loved the bit of sweet that came from the apricot jam. Usually chicken curry salad's have raisins for that bit of sweet. I hate raisins so the substitute worked out great. A great change of pace if you love curry!

Ingredients: Serves Eight
4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup reduced fat mayo
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup finley chopped celery
1/4 cup finley chopped red onion
salt and pepper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon of curry powder and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked.
• In a large bowl mix the remaining ingredients.
• When chicken is cooked and cooled, cut into small cubes and mix with the other ingredients.