Saturday, March 2, 2013

Paleo Apple Raisin Curry Chicken Salad on Butter Lettuce

Wow, I have been cooking like crazy this weekend. I thought I was running out of ideas earlier this week but I think I was just running out of energy after my carbohydrate roller coaster on Thursday. I've gone back to my low carbohydrate diet and my energy is back in full force. Plus I went shopping at the Walmart Super Center yesterday and at a Super Store with a proper natural foods section today (amazing). I left with a lighter wallet but a head full of ideas and some new organic products. Watch for some posts on what I found coming soon. I get way to excited about shopping for food these days. 

Apples, raisins, chicken, celery, onion, curry - an awesome high protein, low carbohydrate, wheat-free lunch that was super quick to throw together!

I often buy rotisserie chickens to help get us through the week. If you have a true gluten intolerance you should double check with the store to make sure they are gluten-free because not all of them are. If you know which ones are gluten-free please feel free to leave a comment and enlighten us. Because I chose to give up wheat I don't have to fuss with it too much since its one of the only "processed" foods I still buy. Here are our favorite rotisserie chickens, after many, many taste tests from most to least: Costco, Walmart, Super Store, Safeway/Sobey's (tie for last place). 

They are also pretty high in sodium and not-organic but I figure since we eat so clean the rest of the time we can handle a rotisserie chicken here and there. The convenience of them is too hard to pass up and I need to be realistic about how much time I can spend in the kitchen without completely neglecting my kids. We usually eat about half the chicken and then use the leftovers for soup or to top a salad. Today I decided to make us a chicken curry salad and it was YUMMY. I served it with a ham and cabbage soup that I made using broth from the chicken bones. Don't throw them away - just quickly throw them in a pot with about 4 or 5 cups of water and some celery and carrots. Simmer for 1/2 to 1 hour and voila you have base for a soup (for free). 


Served with my staple ham and cabbage soup - recipe coming soon.  The butter lettuce works awesome in place of bread. 

Paleo Apple Raisin Curry Chicken Salad on Butter Lettuce

2 large chicken breast or about 3 cups diced chicken meat - I used leftover rotisserie chicken, chopped
1 tbsp minced green or white onion
1 rib celery, finely chopped (always a good idea to spend the extra for organic celery)
1/2 tbsp curry powder (or more if you love curry)
3 tbsp mayo - I'm still relying on processed but if you want to make your own go here
2 tbsp high protein, plain unsweetened Greek Yogurt (or more mayo)
dash of celery seed, salt and pepper

1/2 apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 tbsp unsweetened raisins (or cranberries if you don't have raisins)

Butter lettuce

Dice the chicken meat. Combine in a bowl with onion, celery, curry, mayo, yogurt and spices. Let sit at least 30 minutes before serving. Just before serving add apple and raisin to mixture. Serve on a piece of butter lettuce. Its surprisingly sturdy so it works well in lieu of bread. This mixture would also work well as a topping on a salad. Enjoy.


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