Curry Chiken Salad

Chicken Salad is boring.
Curry Chicken Salad is exciting!
Curry, Chicken, juicy Raisins!
OH BOY!The secret is in the Thai yellow curry paste my dad got me for christmas. Stir it into the mayo, mix it all up in the chicken, sprinkle in salt and pepper, perhaps a spoonful of honey. Make it a day or so ahead so that the raisins get all soft and juicy.

Curry Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chicken Breast, diced
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 1 1/2 tsp yellow curry paste
- tbsp curry powder
- salt and pepper
- tbsp honey
- 1/4 raisins
Grill the chicken, let it cool, and then dice it up into small pieces. Stir the curry paste and powder into the mayo. Stir that stuff into the chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with honey, then toss in the raisins and mix it all up and let it sit and flavor-meld for a day or two.
Try it on a salad, a bagel, straight out of the jar...

Here it is on a sandwich with sprouts and tomato,

And here, with onion chutney and Garlicky Greens in a burrito














Good stuff.

Good Karma Burger

cowboys and indians?
more like burger meets vegetarian, in India...
Veggie sausage burger, topped with cheese and Onion Chutney, with Curry Ketchup on the side.
Wow.

Karma Burger
- 1/5 GimmeLean veggie sausage roll
- 1 english muffin, toasted
- 1 slice cheddar/american cheese
- 1 tbsp Onion Chutney

Good
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1/4 tsp curry paste





Form a patty from the sausage, sprinkle with pepper. Grill burger/fry in frying pan. Meanhile, toast an english muffin, and stir the curry paste into the ketchup. When burger is done, put it all together. Bun, burger, cheese, chutney, lettuce, bun.
Rocket science.
Space taste.

Rollin

Though all PB sandwich creations are inherently good, this one was uniquely awesome. White-Chocolate blended peanut butter and raspberries, all rolled up in a honey-wheat wrap. Radical.
Delicious.

PB and Raz
- honey wheat wrap
- 2 tbsp White Chocolate Wonderful PB (PB Co.)
- handful of fresh raspberries
- cinnamon
- roll game

Spread the wrap with the peanut butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Spread out the berries. Roll.
If you're cool, let that shit marinate in the fridge over night for ultimate textural fusion. If you're cooler, dunk it in your morning coffee, because all food tastes better dunked.

Not Your Mama's PB and Banana

Why, you ask, would I post a simple PB and Banana sandwich?
'Cause it's freakin' delicious, that's why!
I mean, just look at it...Anyway, this isn't your mama's PB and Banana sandwich - though it was made with love. What's special is the peanut butter (purchased at an amish market) - it's blended with butterscotch chips, for a rich, buttery, scotchy experience, like none other.
Layered with banana slices, dusted with cinnamon, drizzled with honey, and then fried, this sandwich was everything good in the world between bread.
Told you it wasn't your mama's PB and Bannana...
PB and Banana
- 2 slices whole wheat bread
- Honey-Roasted Butterscotch Peanut Butter
- Small ripe banana, sliced
- 1 tbsp honey
- cinnamon
- a cup of coffee

Spread each slice of bread liberally with peanut butter. Top one piece with banana slices, dust the other piece with cinnamon, drizzle honey over either or, squeeze the two together, and then fry till golden on each side. Cut in half, and enjoy with alternating sips of coffee.

The Bleus

Ironically, I've spent most of my life absolutely loathing Blue Cheese, but those spreadable cheese types ain't so bad.

Beefy-Bleu Burger with Sherry Shallots
- 1 shallot, sliced thin
- 1/4 c sherry
- 1/3 tube Gimme Lean veggie ground beef
- 1 wedge laughing cow light Bleu Cheese
- 1 tsp Liquid Smoke
- Old Bay seasoning
Saute shallots until soft, then add in the sherry and simmer until all the liquid is gone. Set aside. Mix the liquid smoke with the veggie ground beef, form into two patties, place the cheese wedge in the middle and form into a burger shape. Coat each side with Old Bay seasoning and grill on a George Foreman until heated through. Serve alongside garlic greens and roasted beets.

Beet n' Blue Club
- 2 slices wheat bread
- 2 wedges Laugin Cow light Bleu Cheese
- 5 slices Tofurkey
- roasted beets
- romaine lettuce
- 1 tbsp stone ground mustard
Spread bread with cheese. On one half arrange Tofurkey slices, and on the other, the beets. Spread turkey with mustard, top with lettuce leaf, and then the other beet-topped slice of bread to form your sandwich. Enjoy.

Peanut Butter Jelly French Toast

PB and J breakfastfest.
There is nothing not to like about this unless you don't like peanut butter, don't like jelly, or don't like French Toast, in which case you're not allowed to talk and shouldn't have come here anyway.


Peanut Butter Jelly French Toast
- 2 slices whole wheat bread
- honey roasted peanut butter
- blueberry preserves
- cinnamon
- 1/4 c egg whites
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp maple extract

Spread PB and Jelly on the two slices of bread, dust the PB side with cinnamon and then put the two together to form a sandwich. Next, mix the egg whites with the sugar and the maple extract and pour onto a plate. Coat a small skillet with butter-flavored cooking spray, dip both sides of the sandwich into the egg white mixture until all the liquid is absorbed and throw it in the pan right away. Pour out any remaining egg whites into skillet, and cook sandwich till golden brown and crispy on each side and all liquid has seeped out and cooked up. Enjoy as is or with whipped cream, or a drop or two of that sweet elixir called maple syrup !

"Braisin" French Toast

Banana, raisin. Get it? ?
Pass the syrup.

Braisin and Bold French Toast
- 2 slices whole wheat bread
- 1 ripe banana
- cinnamon
- handful of raisins
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tbsp milk

In a small Tupperware, cover raisins with a little water and microwave for a few seconds to soften them, then drain them and set aside. Cut the banana 3/4 of the way down, saving the smaller piece to slice thin and top the finished toast with. Mash the bigger piece with the cinnamon and then add in the raisins and then spread the mix on one of the pieces of bread and seal it up with the second piece to make a sandwich. Mix the egg whites with the milk and then dip each side of the sandwich in the mix until all of the egg whites are absorbed. Coat a skillet with butter-flavored cooking spray and cook the sandwich until golden brown on each side, then top with sliced bananas and enjoy.

BBQ "Beef" Salad Wraps with Horseradish

Where's the beef? Not here.
One of the nice things about being home is enjoying the wide variety of meat substitutes available, and the other day I picked up a pack of Trader Joe's Beef-Less, which I hadn't had before. They were pretty good texture-wise, with a mild beefy flavor, but of course I jazzed them up a little with my own seasonings, because that's how I roll. Another thing I've found with meat substitutes is that their portion sizes are out of wack; I don't know who they think they're feeding, but there are definitely not 3 servings in that box... I'm a hungry dude. Anyway, there were some leftovers, and I saved them for lunch, since I had work the next day.
At first I thought salad, and then I thought BORING. I wanted everything a salad has; the veggies, the "beef", the dressing, but the delivery just seemed too ordinary. And then it hit me; WRAP it up! YES! I have a friend who makes wraps with kale leaves, which I've never tried before, but since I was working today in a garden with tons of Dinosaur Kale plants, and therefore plenty of fresh kale leaves, I had to give it a go.
I mixed my beef strips with a spoonful of BBQ sauce for kicks, put it on a pile of shredded carrots, topped it with some roasted red onion slices and then drizzled some horseradish sauce on top to seal the deal before rolling it all up. (I recommend steaming it briefly in the microwave to soften the leaves up a bit for easy rolling.)
All in all, it was tasty and I will be using this concept again. It was everything I wanted from a salad, just in a different shape, and so, more fun! PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!






BBQ "BEEF" SALAD WRAPS
- Trader Joe's Beef-Less Strips (or other fake meat)
- spoonful BBQ sauce
- 1 carrot, shredded
- roasted red onion, sliced thin
- horseradish sauce (horseradish and mayo)
- 2 leaves of Kale

Mix fake beef with BBQ sauce, shred carrot. Microwave kale in a wet paper towel for less than 30 seconds, to soften it for wrapping. On each leaf, pile shredded carrots, then BBQed "beef", then sliced onions, and dribble it with some horseradish sauce. Fold the sides of the leaf in, to keep all the deliciousness safely inside as you roll it all into two wraps. Serve with chips and enjoy.

Garden Breakfast

When I was in high school my friend always used to make us fried egg sandwiches with tomato. And what's better than recreating a childhood favorite? Doing it with stuff from your own garden!
Every year I try to grow melon, but every year, be it watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, Korean, you name it, something goes wrong, and I never get melon. But this year that all changed!
Not only did I grow my first successful honeydew, I also got a watermelon, and fresh, chopped honeydew with a squeeze of honey coating it, was a great side to my sandwich.So, like I said, this is basically a simple fried-egg sandwich with tomato, only jazzed up a bit because, well, just cuz...
Garlic Bread Breakfast Sandwich
- 2 slices bread
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- Onion + Garlic Powder
- Sweet Onion, sliced thin + sauteed
- Garden Tomato, sliced thin
- 1 slice cheddar cheese
- Yellow Mustard

Brush bread lightly on both sides with melted butter and sprinkle with onion and garlic powders, then place in toaster. When bread is staring to toast place thin sliced tomatoes and onions on one slice and close toaster. Meanwhile, cook an egg, sunny side up.When bread is fully toasted, remove from toaster and drizzle slice of toast without tomatoes and onions with yellow mustard, top with the fried egg, and finally your slice of cheese. Cut it in half diagonally, sprinkle with salt, and enjoy sopping up the yolk with the sandwich as you eat.

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Do you like cake? Do you like cake for breakfast? Thought so!
Actually, I'm not a big cake guy... it's a texture thing. That being said, though, I LOVE carrot cake! Dense, moist, sweet and spicy; there's nothing like a cold slab of carrot cake to hit the spot. But, alas, you can't eat carrot cake for breakfast, right? Wrong!
World, meet the carrot cake sandwich!Made with spreadable cheese, carrots, and just a little bit of sugar or sweetener, this baby isn't just good, it's good for you! Make it the night before so it has time to get all cold and mushy and delicious as the perfect compliment to a strong cup of coffee ;)

CARROT CAKE SANDWICH
- 2 slices wheat bread
- 2 wedges spreadable Light Swiss cheese, or cream cheese
- sugar/sweetener to taste
- cinnamon, ginger, allspice
- raisins
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Shred the carrot and mix it with the vanilla extract and half of the sugar/sweetener. Mix the cheese with the spices and the other half of the sugar/sweetener. Spread one piece of bread with the cheese and then top with raisins. Load the second slice of bread with the sweetened carrots, and then slap it all together to make a sandwich. You can eat it right away or wrap it up and toss it in the fridge to let the flavors mix and all. In the morning, cut it diagonally and enjoy with a cup of good coffee. You WILL be back for more!

PB and Joy

Everybody has that one food that is always in the back of their minds, teasing them, whispering insistently into cravings that can last for days! For lots of people, it's chocolate, but for me it's Peanut Butter, and more specifically, its harmonious, divine manifestation as the ubiquitous PB and J sandwich.
But wait! I said that I LOVE Peanut Butter, and I meant it damnit! So don't get to thinking that I just smack some smuckers and skippy together on any old bread and call it a sandwich. No, no, my friend. I have been known to spend 10 to 15 minutes putting together a PB and J, adding stuff, toasting read, chilling in the fridge, etc...
I still have not decided what I like best; a sandwich of crunchy toasted bread straight from the toaster that just warms/melts the PB and J, or an untoasted sandwich that's been sitting in the fridge for a few hours, the bread having turned a little mushy with all the Peanut Buttery and Jelly goodness...
I'm getting carried away, but seriously, let me know what you think.
I'm going to use this post to document the different concoctions I make over time, and any tried-and trues I've had in the past.
Finally, let me begin by laying down some RULES, or strong suggestions at least for proper
PB and Jaying:
- Use good Peanut Butter (i prefer crunchy, but not huge chunks of peanut - go for Whole Foods grind-it-yourself honey roasted. it is the shiznittlebamsnipsnapsnap)
- Jam kicks Jelly's ass
- Lay it on thick
- ALWAYS enjoy with a glass of milk or a coffee

DIVINE INSPIRATION:
Cereal Killer (PB and J + cereal of choice, like granola)
A Raisin in the Bun (PB and J + raisins or dried fruit of choice)
Figgin' Awesome (PB + Fig Spread)
Blues Bros (PB + Blueberry Jam +Blueberries)
Cinna Mon (PB and Honey + Cinnamon and Ginger)
GORPwich (PB + Mashed Banana + Raisins and M&Ms)
Old Snappy (PB and J + Sharp Cheddar Cheese) (trust me, it's good)
The King (No fluffernutter is complete without slice banana)
The PB and Fruitwich (see post)
Noreaster (PB + Raisins + Maple Syrup/Spread)

SNACK,crackle,pop
- Cereal Killer with rice krispies
- homemade strawberry jam



















PB Jammwhich
- 2 thin slices leftover Peanut Butter Bread, toasted
- Homemade Blueberry Jam












PB Hall of Fame:
- Whole Foods grind-it-yourself honey roasted peanut butter

- PB2 powdered peanut butter

- Skippy Natural Chunky (i grew up a Skippy kid, and this has no hydrogenated oils)

Veggie CheeseDog Wrap

Sandwiches are an art. At least as far as I'm concerned. Sure, sometimes it gets me into trouble; I'll get carried away, spending 10 or 15 minutes putting it all together, elaborating on finishing touches... I may not make it out the door in time, but I ALWAYS seem to enjoy my lunch!

This is what I packed today, so I haven't tried it and can't vouch for it yet. But it looks good, and really, what could be bad about a CheeseDog?

Veggie CheeseDog Wrap
- 1 whole wheat wrap

- 1 or 2 veggie hot dogs, sliced into strips

- 1/4 of a vidalia onion, sliced thin

- Cheddar Cheese

- 2 sweet gherkins, sliced thin

Heat a pan with cooking spray, toss in your hotdog strips. When they start to crisp, throw in your onions. Place cheese on the wrap, then thin sliced pickles, then top with crispy hotdog strips and then onions once the onions have just softened and begun to brown. Roll it all up, pack with a bagful of carrots or whatever else, and enjoy with ketchup or hot sauce if you know what's good.

variations: add anything that would be good on a hotdog - roasted red peppers, basil, sauerkraut, mustard... or add scrambled eggs for an awesome breakfast burrito!

CinnaSwiss Breakfast Panini

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this tasty sandwich is an ideal on-the-go breakfast; quick and easy, as delicious hot out of the pan as it is cold, packed up as a moveable feast.
The CinnaSwiss Panini is the perfect combination of salty and sweet in the unlikley pairing of spreadable swiss cheese and ripe banana. Add a handful of fresh berries to the mix and a cup of strong coffee for dunking, and you've got all the stuff you need to start the day off right.

CinnaSwiss Breakfast Panini
- 2 slices Whole Wheat Bread, lightly toasted
- 1 to 2 wedges Spreadable Swiss Cheese

- 1/2 of a ripe Banana
- Blueberries (or other berries)

- Cinnamon

- Butter Flavor Cooking Spray

Mash your Banana with Cinnamon, leaving a few small chunks. In a toaster, lightly toast bread, then remove, and spread one slice with Cheese, then top with Berries. Spread the other slice with the Banana mash, then put it all together in standard sandwich fashion. Spray each side with a Cooking Spray and sprinkle on a little sugar if you know what's good for you. Cook until brown and crispy on each side, starting with the cheese side down, then flipping to the banana side and giving it a little squish.

Cut this baby diagonally in half and enjoy dunking in coffee, milk or breakfast beverage of your choice. You might even want a second one...


variations: use any berry, any fruit, or swap out cheese for peanut butter to make a PB+Fruitwhich Panini

The PB+Fruitwhich

Since I'm on a breakfast kick, I want to post a favorite morning sandwich that I made up. I should tell you here that I am a peanut butter maniac, and it has a special and disproportionate place in my heart. PB and J, PB and Banana, PB and Fluff... i could go on forever. But before I forget, go buy yourself a pound of Whole Foods' grind-yourself Honey Roasted Peanut Butter. Trust me, all PBs are not created equal, and this is the king of them all!
The funny thing is that this sandwich actually grew out of the first fruitwich that I invented, the CinnaSwiss Breakfast Panini, which replaces the peanut butter with spreadable Swiss Cheese.
But this concoction, combining my love for PB with the use of old bananas and any other on-the-verge fruit, has quickly replaced it's predecessor as my go-to breakfast. This + a cup of strong coffee makes you want to seize the day and kick its ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I kid... but really it's delicious!)

PB BANANABERRY FRUITWICH

- 2 slices Whole Wheat Bread
- Honey Roasted Peanut Butter
- 1 ripe banana
- Blackberries (or whatever you have)
- Cinnamon
- Butter-flavored cooking spray

Mash the banana with cinnamon, leaving a few chunks if you're a cool guy. Toast your bread till just a little toasty, but still soft and then spread one slicee with as much PB as you can handle and spread the other with your mashed banana. You can mash the berries or just leave them whole, but in either case put them on top of the PB slice and then close it all up with the banana slice on top. Spray a skillet with your cooking spray and brown the sandwich on each side, squashing it down a little after you flip it. Put it on a plate, cut it in half, dip it in your coffee, and fall in love.

variations: use any kind of berry you want, or any other fruit for that matter (apples, raisins, etc.), substitute honey, maple syrup or jam for the fruit, or become my hero and make this sandwich, dip it in egg, and make yourself the most ridiculous frenchtoastwich this world has ever seen!