Sunday, May 24, 2015

Curried Chicken Salad



I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! I'm in the midst of my typical Sunday food prep for the week and popping in with a quick and easy recipe that we are loving right now. 

Chicken salad has been my go-to lunch lately. I buy a rotisserie chicken from my grocery store on Sunday and make a big batch of chicken salad to enjoy for lunches all week. I usually wrap mine in butter lettuce for a crunchy bite. I love adding whatever fresh vegetables and herbs I have on hand, as well as a little mayo and olive oil. Sometimes I skip the mayo all together and just do olive oil and a little vinegar. 

This curried chicken salad is my favorite. My mom has made a similar recipe for years and I always loved when she made it. It's even better leftover! This is the perfect chicken salad to munch on all week long. 



Curried Chicken Salad

1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded
handful of mini sweet peppers, diced (or one whole bell pepper)
1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
3 hearts of palm, sliced
1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman's made with olive oil)
1 Tbsp. Curry powder, or more if desired
salt and pepper, to taste

Start with the shredded chicken in a large bowl, and mix all other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on top of a bed of mixed greens or in butter lettuce as wraps.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Chicken, Bacon, Avocado + Roasted Asparagus Salad



When the weather is warm and we are looking for lighter meals, big salads are my go to for healthy weeknight dinners. During a typical week, my grocery list consists of about 75% produce, all of which is probably enough to make a different salad every night of the week! 

Mark and I spent all day last Thursday at the Wells Fargo Championship here in Charlotte and this salad came together in no time at all. It was perfect after a day outside- it was light, fresh and still filling enough for dinner! I had some leftover grilled chicken breasts from the night before so all that I had to cook was a few strips of bacon and asparagus with some red onions. I plated each salad separately with a dijon balsamic vinaigrette on the side. Roasted mushrooms, blue cheese and even some fresh sliced strawberries would be delicious additions to this. 

We LOVED this salad.

Chicken, Bacon Avocado + Roasted Asparagus Salad 
serves 2


2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced
4 cups chopped romaine
6 asparagus spears, chopped into 1" pieces
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
4 pieces bacon
1/2 avocado, sliced
olive oil, for drizzling
salt and pepper, to season

Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to season

In a medium skillet, cook bacon until done. Drain on a plate with paper towel and roughly chop. 

While the bacon is cooking, add asparagus and red onion to another medium skillet. Drizzle with olive oil and saute on medium until onions are translucent and asparagus is tender. Season with a little salt and pepper if desired.

To assemble the salads, divide romaine into two bowls. Top with asparagus and onion mixture, bacon crumbles and sliced chicken breast. Finish with sliced avocado an drizzle of dressing.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Queen City Coffee Tour: The Daily Press


I love, love, love a good cup of coffee. I start every day with a giant mug of our favorite brew. I like my coffee with a quick pour of regular half and half. In the warmer months, I enjoy a cup over ice with a splash of almond milk as a mid afternoon treat to sip on during Will's naptime. A trip to a coffee shop is always a fun outing and my sister and I are making it a point to try new (and new to us) coffee shops around our city. Our first stop? The Daily Press in Noda.


This tiny establishment is located inside The Evening Muse on North Davidson Street. It's quiet and eclectic and the coffee is INSANE. I had a cold brew coffee with blueberry, thyme and lemon. It was unlike anything I've ever had before and I wanted to go back for seconds. And thirds. Andi took a bold move and tried the Barista's Bloody Mary (also a cold brew) and it was beyond delicious. Both of our drinks came from their seasonal menu. We loved our trop to The Daily Press and Will was a fan, too! The sweet baristas made him a blueberry infused seltzer water and he drank every last drop. 

The Daily Press is located 3227 N. Davidson Street.