watermelon mint feta salad

Happy Memorial Day! The misty weather threw a little monkey wrench in my plans to grill baby back ribs and Caribbean corn on the roof, but such is life. I instead paid homage to the BBQing tradition that is Memorial Day by whipping up the simplest of summer salads in my kitchen. Behold the watermelon and feta and mint salad. I chose watermelon because it's American af, and I like serving it at BBQs because it helps guests stay hydrated in the sun and it balances out the heaviness of those cheeseburgers and fries and potato salad. Try it this summer-- perhaps for July 4th?

recipe

• 1 medium watermelon*, rind removed and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 cups mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 3 limes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Place the watermelon in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle on the mint leaves, and break up the feta with your fingers and distribute it onto the salad.
2. To make the dressing, juice the limes in a small bowl and add the olive oil and whisk together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
3. Pour the dressing onto the salad. Fold several times to incorporate the ingredients, seasoning to taste with more lime juice if needed.
4. Garnish with more crumbled feta and a spring of fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately.

*Watermelons vary greatly in size, thus you will likely need to adjust the proportions of the other ingredients in this recipe to achieve a good watermelon-mint-feta-dressing ratio. It's a forgiving receive, so don't be shy about adding more until it tastes just right.

curried chicken salad

You'll find a thousand chicken salad recipes on the internet, but I must (biasedly) say that this one is my favorite-- it's the curry. Gives it a little somethin' extra.

I grew up on curried chicken salad. It was a go-to meal in my household for weeknight suppers and large parties because you can make big batches in advance and the medley of flavors is a crowd pleaser. It's definitely a multi-seasonal kinda dish, but I'm sharing it with you now because there is something about the apples and raisins that captures the essence of autumn eating. 

This recipe includes a foolproof way to poach chicken breast. I encourage you to try it, but if you already have a preferred method, then feel free to skip ahead to step #2.

Enjoy!

recipe

for the chicken salad:

• 4 cups poached chicken breast, pulled into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup apples, diced
• 1 cup celery, thinly-sliced crosswise 
• 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
• ½ cup pecans, broken into pieces
• ½ cup golden raisins
• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

for the curried mayonaise: 

• 1 cup homemade mayonnaise
• 1 ¼ teaspoon curry powder
• 2-3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• Dash cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. To poach the chicken breasts (or skip ahead to step 2 as per my note above), dissolve 2 tbsp kosher salt in six cups of cold water. Submerge three boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cook on medium heat until the water registers 165°F. Immediately remove from heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Allow to sit covered for 15-17 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Have all the ingredients chopped, measured out and ready to go. 
3. Put the ingredients for the chicken salad in a large bowl. Mix several times with a spatula to combine.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the curry mayonnaise until evenly blended. Scoop the mayo mixture onto the chicken salad and toss together the ingredients with a spatula until evenly coated/combined.

If you make this recipe, hashtag a pic to #spiceandhutch and post to Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. I'd love to see your culinary creations!