Strawberry Salad

I stole this salad idea.  I won't say where I stole it from, because to be honest, mine was waaaaay better than the place I get this salad from.  If you advertise a salad as having mint and feta, it should really have mint and feta.  Otherwise I just get angry that I spent $7 on a salad which didn't have the mint, part of the whole reason I order this particular salad in the first place and that I waited nearly 2 hours for it to be delivered to me.  Then I have to go home and recreate the salad myself. No more giving my money to that establishment, I'll just make it myself!

To start, I created a white balsamic vinaigrette. Its 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons of honey, a dash or two of garlic powder, a dash or two of dried basil, a dash or two of dried oregano, some sea salt, and some fresh ground pepper.  Mix that up and let it sit so the flavors meld.

Then I made some candied walnuts:  Cook 1/4 cup sugar, 1 cup walnuts, and a tablespoon of butter over medium heat.  Stir constantly because once the sugar starts to melt things get a little sticky.

 
I took my salad mix - a spring mix with spinach and I added small pieces of bacon, fresh sliced strawberries, fresh mint, diced red onion, and topped with feta.

Sooooo good!

Mulligatawny Soup

I became obsessed with Indian food over our trip to Alabama, which I admit, seems like a strange time to become obsessed with Indian food. We stayed at a hotel on the way down that had Indian food delivery as an option and there I had the most amazing Chicken Tikka Masala and Mulligatawny soup.  I was determined from that point on to recreate these dishes.  While I'm not sure mine was quite as good as the wondrous bowl of spicy deliciousness that I had in that hotel room, this was quite good.  And don't worry, I'll continue to make this soup again with subtle changes until I find the perfect soup recipe.

So, to start, you'll need lots of delicious ingredients, including...

(Full ingredient list at bottom of post)








Red lentils...

Green Apples...

Some lovely aromatics...

And much much more....

Start by sauteing diced onion, carrot, and jalapeno in the melted butter for about 5 minutes or until soft.

Next add the ginger, garlic, apples, and diced tomatoes.  Saute this mixture for another three minutes.  Then add in all of the spices.

Next, add the lentils and the broth and let it all simmer for about 30 minutes.

Cook for 30 minutes to an hour.   At this point it will have this consistency.  

Then you can use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend some of the soup if you like more of a puree consistency or you can leave it chunky.  Same flavors, just a choice of consistency.  I went with the blended version.  Once blended, add in the coconut milk. Note: if you haven't used coconut milk before you should know that it will separate in the can.  Be sure to shake / stir well prior to adding it to the soup!

Top with oven roasted cashews and green onions and serve!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
 1 carrot, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced ginger root
2 green apples, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tsp cumin1/2 tsp aprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup red lentils
3 cups chicken broth
2/3 can unsweetened cocount milk

Chicken Tikka Masala

Start by marinating the chicken overnight.  To create the marinade, you'll need to start by mixing together the spice mix which includes:

1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Then take half of this mixture and combine it with 4 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 inch of fresh grated ginger, and 1 cup of yogurt.  Chop about 2 lbs of chicken breast into large chunks.  Place the chicken in the marinade and place in large ziplock bag in the fridge overnight.

Next, saute an onion in some butter until softened. Then add 2 minced cloves of the garlic and saute until fragrant. 

 
 Then add two cans of diced tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes if you have them.  I didn't have any decent fresh tomatoes.  Also add about 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper, and the rest of the spice blend.  Cook for about an hour or until the sauce is darkened and thickened.

While that cooks, prepare a pan lined with aluminum foil and topped with a baking rack to cook the chicken. Spread the chicken pieces out over the rack and broil for about 8 minutes and then flip and cook another 6 minutes or so until the chicken is done.

Mmmmm....chicken...

Once the sauce is ready, put it in a blender and puree. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream.  Add the chicken to the sauce.

And serve with rice and cilantro.

This was my first attempt at Indian food, so there is a chance I'll revise this recipe later. But it was pretty darn delicious!