Maureen’s Curried Spinach Salad

Maureen is my mom's best friend, and we've had this *incomparable* salad every year on Christmas Eve for the past 25 years. Lately I've been craving it and indulging in making it even on non-special occasions. Luckily, it's easy.

2 lb. fresh spinach (I used baby spinach)
2 green apples, unpeeled
2/3 c dry roasted peanuts
1/2 c. dried fruit (cranberries or cherries)
1/3 c thinly sliced scallion (green onions)
2 T. toasted sesame seeds

For dressing:

1/3 c. white vinegar
3/4 c vegetable oil (I substituted olive oil and it was fine)
1/4 c finely chopped chutney (I used an apple-cranberry one but you can use most any kind)
2 T. sugar
1 t. curry powder
1 t. salt
1 t. dry mustard
3 drops tabasco sauce

To prepare salad, trim stems from spinach and chill (or, if no time and you don't mind stems, don't worry about it). When ready to assemble, tear spinach into bite sized pieces (not an issue if using baby spinach). Core and dice apples. Place spinach, apples, peanuts, dried fruit, green obions and sesame seeds in a salad bowl.

To prepare dressing: combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Toss with salad immediately before serving.

Madras Chicken with Couscous in Slow Cooker

• 3 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 apples, cut into chunks (I used gala; original recipe says to peel the apples but I decided it doesn't need this)
  
• 1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt (original recipe said 1/2 teaspoon but I felt it needed more salt so I upped it)
  
• 1-2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 (8-ounce) jar mango chutney (I used cranberry-apple chutney and it was good)
  
• 3 pounds boneless skinless breasts (recipe calls for thighs but I like breasts better)
  
• 3 cups hot cooked couscous
• Greek or plain yogurt
  

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked and onions are tender for about 3 hours and 45 minutes on high, 7-9 hours on low. (Original recipe says 7-9 hours, but this came out perfectly in our slow cooker, which doesn't have different temperature options.)

Stir well and serve over couscous with a dollop of plain yogurt on top and additional salt and pepper as desired.

Update on 2/23:
This has become one of our favorite dishes and I've made it several times. In the latest version, I just used one onion and upped the garlic cloves to about 12, and it was great. Also have not had chutney on hand a couple of times, so have substituted jam instead - not as perfect a flavor but still delicious.