If you are a huge fan of The Hunger Games Trilogy like I am, then The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook should be your next read. This book is filled with some of the most amazing dishes described within each novel (including Catching Fire and Mockingjay).

I truly had to control my excitement over finding this book. I ended up choosing one recipe that met all of my guidelines: contains easy-to-find ingredients, was quick to prepare, and was affordable enough for my wallet.

For those of you who have yet to read the novels, particularly the first book, please do so soon. It makes the movie, as well as this awesome cookbook, easier to comprehend.

Katniss's Picnic Chicken Salad

Serves six to eight people

4 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, shredded
3 stalks celery, diced
5 green onions, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 to 1 cup mayonnaise

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, celery, onions, apple, pepper, curry powder, salt, and enough mayonnaise to suit your personal preference. Mix until evenly coated.

2. Chill for at least three hours (preferably overnight for curry flavors to fully infiltrate the salad).

This is clearly not your everyday salad, but one for those extremely hot summer days, when turning on a stove or oven seems like a committed sin. This dish is your savior! Prepare your taste buds, because you will want to savor the taste of each and every ingredient. I truly loved the combination of flavors in this dish.

My overall review: I call this dish "The blend of summer." There's no actual stove cooking involved unless you bought the chicken in its raw form, like I did. I purchased my organic, farm-raised chicken at Key Food in Park Slope, Brooklyn. A packet cost between $5 and $9 based on weight, and is sufficient enough to feed a family of three.

If you're able to peel an orange with a knife, then you are capable of preparing this dish. Cutting up the other ingredients — the celery and Granny Smith apple — was an ease for me. It took less than 20 minutes to chop, dice, and mix all the ingredients in a bowl as directed. I also followed the suggestion of leaving the dish overnight in the refrigerator.

I was worried the curry flavoring would overpower the entire dish, but that wasn't the case at all; rather, all of the ingredients blended perfectly with the mayonnaise, giving you a crunchy, healthy, and filling dish. If you're counting your calorie intake, then feel free to substitute for Lite Mayo. As for my pescetarian friends, I suggest grilled salmon in place of the chicken breast. This dish would make an excellent substitute for potato salad at any barbecue.

It absolutely deserves a grade A because: It was quick ✔ It was affordable ✔ It was delicious ✔