A certain favorite uncle of mine recently remarked that he and another fellow reader had noticed my unexplained absence here. Well, the only excuse I have is family illness. This spring cold season hit our household with a bang and just never let up. In fact, we have been under the weather for 4.5 weeks straight as of today. And before that, we were still struggling to keep the ear infections and high fevers to a minimum. Gi and I seem to have suffered the brunt of it but little Noa has been down and out a bit too. Ben, with his amazing French antibodies, seems to have caught the first cold and then managed to run a hacking cough all through April and May. Poor guy.
But, this is not my catch-up post. Instead, I've just decided to jump into the present and leave the catching up for along the way. Let's say a little prayer the nasty cold bugs are on their way out as summer's warming trend is starting to take hold in our neck of the woods. Our garden is planted, sure to yield us yummy treats of tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, snap peas, green beans, shallots and maybe an ear of corn and a juicy melon or two this year too!
Since it's Friday and I've waited all week to not have to cook I thought I'd also share with you a favorite recipe of mine for a cold dinner that's a snap to prepare on a warm day (I usually poach the chicken earlier in the week and stick it in the fridge until I need a low-prep dinner idea):
Coconut-Curry Chicken Salad
2 large chicken breast halves, poached in chicken broth
3 ribs of celery, chopped
1/2 small yellow onion or better yet, 5-6 green onions, diced
1 unpeeled Pink Lady apple, chopped (or your favorite sweet-tart variety)
1/2c. raisins
Poach the chicken in chicken broth. Bring the poaching liquid to a light boil, put the chicken in then simmer for 10 minutes uncovered. Then, take it off the burner, cover the pot and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Remove the chicken and when cool, cube into bite-size pieces.
Dressing:
In a food processor combine:
1 6oz. Liberte or other greek-style Coconut flavored yogurt
2 Tbsp. chutney (Trader Joe's Tomato Chutney works well)
4 Tbsp. curry powder
1 Tbsp. ground coriander
1/4c. Sauvignon Blanc or other dry white wine
Salt to taste
*For more coconut flavor, omit wine and add 1/4c. coconut milk and do not refrigerate. Serve immediately.
Pour the dressing over all the chopped ingredients and refrigerate for an hour or more if you have the time. Serve over a bed of lettuce and a glass of that fine Sauvignon Blanc. My favorite is from our local Nevada City Winery called Sonata, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Cheers from my table to yours!
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