Chicken Salad with basil and apricots

Try this tasty chicken salad; I adapted it from a recipe in this month's Everyday Food Magazine:

3/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

5 dried Turkish apricots, minced

1 small celery stalk, minced

1/4 of a white onion, minced

1 handful of basic, torn (about 6~8 leaves)

2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 pound)

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

First, poach the chicken. Set the breasts in a saucepan with a lid and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a boil, and let boil for 2 mins. Skim the foam off the top of the water, cover tightly with the lid, and turn off the heat. Allow to stand for 20 mins.

Slice up the chicken roughly and allow to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, roughly cube (or shred if you like).

Mix the chicken with all the other ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, and chill before using.

This should serve 2.

For the salad only:

349 calories; 3.5g fat; 25.8g cabs (3.7g fiber); 53.1g protein

adding two slices of bread and some leafy greens adds about 175 calories, 1g of fat, 11g carbs (2.5g fiber), and 4g protein.

"No Stove" Summer Dinner

If you don't have a grill I highly recommend getting even a tiny, cheap one. Grilling is a great, healthy way to cook during the summer. It keeps you from having to heat your house up with your oven or stove! My favorite summer dinner, which we are cooking up tonight, is:

Buttermilk and Herb marinated grilled chicken breasts:


1 cup (or 2 half pint containers) lowfat buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp coarse salt

1/4 (approx) tsp fresh ground pepper
4 6 to 8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts (organic free range are the most delicious)


Combine the first four ingredients in a flat bottom bowl or deep pie plate. add the chicken and marinate 30 mins at room temperate or overnight or longer in the fridge.
Preheat your BBQ and grill on medium 5 to 8 mins per side (depending on the thickness of your chicken pieces). We have a gas grill with two burners. We preheat both on high, then turn one side down to low, put the chicken on the low side and close the lid.


This has 329 calories for each 6 ounce breast. Approx 13 g fat, 1 g carbs, and 50 g protein.


I serve this with bread salad...yum!


2 medium tomatoes sliced into wedges
4 1 inch slices of whole wheat bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
juice from 1 small lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons mint (or basil) cut into thin ribbons
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Allow to macerate for at least 5 and up to 30 mins. Toss before serving.


157 Calories; 9g fat; 16 g carbs (3g fiber); 4g protein.


These recipes and picture are from everydayfoodmag.com