Lemony Chicken Salad and Pea Shoot Salad for a Hot Summer Day

Spinach, Edamame, Pea Shoot, and blueberry salad

Lemony Chicken salad with Marcona Almonds

These two tasty and light salads make the most of seasonal ingredients and no matter how hot or how uninterested you might be in cooking or eating, this will hit the spot. Dessert can be a bowl of cherries nestled in ice cubes, and cookies.

Lemony Chicken Salad with Marcona Almonds
serves about 6

8 Chicken Breast Cutlets
4 ribs celery chopped
half a red onion chopped finely
zest and juice of one lemon
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbs. capers and a bit of the brine
handful of chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, oregano or your favorites)
1 Qt. chicken stock
salt and pepper 
Marcona Almonds,  chopped
quartered assorted cherry tomatoes for garnish

1. In a deep saute pan, heat chicken stock (or water and a soup cube) to a simmer, and add chicken breasts. Poach in simmering water about 10 minutes, or until no longer pink in the middle. Remove from heat and allow chicken to cool. Cut or shred into small pieces, about 1 inch square.
2. Add chopped celery, red onion and  capers.
3. Mix mayonnaise with  dijon mustard, lemon zest and juice, and lightly stir into chicken mixture. Add more mayonnaise if desired.
4. Add in herbs, and salt and pepper to taste
5. Arrange on serving plate with assorted tomatoes around the sides
6. Top with chopped almonds

 Spinach, Edamame, Blueberry and Pea Shoot Salad
 

Wash and dry a bag of baby spinach, put in salad bowl with a cup or so of edamame (fresh or frozen thawed), a cup of blueberries, and top with a big handful of pea shoots.

Use your favorite dressing, or try this one:

Sweet Salad Dressing
2/3 cup good olive oil
1/3  cup sherry or champagne wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbs. sugar or splenda
salt and fresh ground pepper

Shake all ingredients in a jar, can keep extra in fridge for a week.