Curry Chicken Salad

We love a good curry chicken salad, but not when the chicken and warm curry flavor gets lost in a tub of mayo. We've got your solution! We use Greek yogurt in place of mayo to boost the protein and lower the fat content for a lunch you can feel good about. This chicken salad is great on its own, on high fiber crackers, or on top of greens.

Ingredients (~5 cups):

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, boiled 
• 1 cup nonfat plain Green yogurt
• 1/2 cup raisins or dried apricots, diced
• 1 apple, diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1.5 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Shred the chicken and place in a bowl
2. Chop the celery, apples, and dried apricots if you choose to use them and add into the bowl with the chicken
3. Add the Greek yogurt and lemon juice 
4. Add the spices and mix well until a light yellow color

#TovitaNoFilter: Week Three

Here we go, week three. Time to get serious with healthy fats, colorful veggies, herbs and spices. Don't forget to share your skin loving meals using #TovitaNoFilter. 

1.    Get friendly with fats. We’re talking avocado, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds. These healthy fats reduce inflammation and strengthen cell membranes for softer, younger looking skin. The high omega-3 content in fatty fishes like salmon help to prevent clogged pores, fine line formation and wrinkles. Fish also contains the mineral selenium, which helps to prevent sunburn and maintain an even skin tone. If you like to nosh on almonds or sunflower seeds, your skin will thank you. The vitamin E in sunflower seeds and almonds slows down aging of skin cells and can aid in diminishing scar tissue.

2.    Boost the beta carotene. This is the antioxidant that gives the orange, red, and yellow pigment to vegetables - AKA load up on the carrots, sweet potatoes, and bell peppers. For an extra boost of fiber, leave the skin on your sweet potato. We recommend baked sweet potatoes with a teaspoon of coconut oil and a dash of cinnamon!

3.    Spice it up. Quit lathering your meat and vegetables in sugary or salty marinades and sauces that cause dehydration and puffiness! Instead, play around with different herbs and spices to create unique flavors that are inherently low in calories. Though you may need a breath mint after, garlic contains high amounts of cysteine, an amino acid that can help stimulate hair follicles to grow stronger, thicker hair. Chili, paprika, cayenne and jalapeño add a kick to your meal while providing vitamins A and C, which prevent the breakdown of collagen. Research also shows that these spices may help to increase your metabolism! Lastly, turmeric is a nutritional powerhouse. It has powerful anti-inflammatory benefits due to its high component of curcumin. Try our recipe for turmeric popcorn! 

To give your skin some extra love during the dry winter, try our Tovita Glow Salad:

• 4 cups spinach or kale
• 4 oz baked salmon (baked with slices of lemon, rosemary and thyme)
• 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
• ½ cup raw cucumber slices
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
• Dress with 2 tablespoons avocado dressing (recipe below)

Enjoy ½ baked sweet potato with a dash of cinnamon on the side!

Avocado Dressing (makes ~1 cup)

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 avocado, peeled pitted, and chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Blend until smooth and creamy and keep refrigerated.

 

Interview with Indie Fresh Founder, Shom Chowdhury

There is no one more fun and energetic than Shom Chowdhury, the founder of one of our new favorite eateries, Indie Fresh.  Their menu offers high quality American-style Indian food that combines unique flavors, like broccoli and coconut or lentil and hemp. We sat down with Shom to ask him a bit about his innovative culinary concept. While make-your-own salad bars and juice shops saturate most NYC blocks, it's not often you stumble upon a healthy and modernized Indian-style menu. If you haven't tried Indie Fresh, we highly recommend giving it a go. So much so that we're offering you a discount code at checkout - TOVITA10. Our personal favorites? Try the tomato, lentil, and hemp heart soup with the Bison burger (add a fried egg) and you'll thank us later!

What influenced you to start Indie Fresh?

I was working as the COO of Juice Press selling juices and raw food, which was great for helping people reach a health goal, but I found that juicing and raw food was not sustainable for most people. I wanted to offer food that people can enjoy every day that tastes good. 

What is the Indie Fresh motto?

Well, our tag line is "chef prepared, nutritionist approved." To dig deeper into that, all of our products can be a sustainable meal in itself, and our juices are the accessories. 

What does a day in the life of Shom Chowdhury look like? 

Sweat once a day is a rule I live by and encourage everyone else to follow. I always do cardio in the morning, anything else in the day is "gravy". I usually do another activity like Barry's Bootcamp or Flywheel later in the day. I try to get at least three of the two a day workouts per week. When I do that I just feel my energy increases unbelievably. I really eat mostly Indie Fresh, besides when I go out for dinner and enjoy a bourbon. At work, we are facing unchartered territory every day. There is always a new challenge, and right now we are looking at all of our opportunities and cherry picking those that have the highest impact. 

Tell us a little bit about your background. 

I like to say I'm a recovering management consultant. After that I went to Juice Press which introduced me to the food and beverage world, and I started Indie Fresh last November. 

What is your favorite restaurant in NYC right now?

Definitely Seamore's. I'm Bengali so I grew up eating a lot of fish and Seamore's is all fished locally. I really love every single thing on the menu, which is rare.

Any story behind all the tattoos?

I wish I had a better story but growing up I always thought I'd be in a band and I just thought it was a cool thing to do. My latest one is my wife's name on neck. She's Russian, they get their claws in you one way or another. 

Where do you see indie fresh in the next 5-10 years?

For the past year, we have been focused on perfecting our menu. All of our products have been through probably 20-40 changes until they are just right. Now we are moving to a new handling facility that will allow us to be able to distribute our product nationally. We want Indie Fresh to be available in grocery stores and anywhere that is offering healthy food. We want everyone to have access. Whether you want it delivered, available at your grocery store, or even on your flight to LA or Europe, our goal is all access. We also are getting a new smart fridge where you can swipe a credit card and take the product out without using a cash register. Pretty cool. 

Any last things you want people to know about Indie Fresh?

I want everyone to understand that you can eat healthy every day. It doesn't need to be a plan or program. Health is sustainable.