Chicken Salad

Sweet grapes, tart cranberries, and crunchy cashews lend to a more complex salad than "just your momma's chicken salad."

yield: 2 servings

1 large chicken breast, cooked, shredded, and cooled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped cashews
1/2 cup quartered grapes
8 slices hard-crust bread (optional)

1. In large bowl combine chicken, mayonnaise, and honey; stir well. Add in cranberries, cashews, and grapes, stirring to combine. Eat alone or in sandwiches.

Basil-Chicken Sandwiches

A cool, easy, and delicious chicken sandwich, perfect for hot summer days. Shown here with fresh strawberries and raspberries.

yield: 4 sandwiches (2 servings)

1 large chicken breast, cooked, shredded, and cooled
8 slices hard-crust bread
4 tsp pesto
4 tsp mayonnaise
2 small tomatoes, sliced
2 oz cheese, sliced (I used kaşar, since that's what's available here)
12 fresh basil leaves

1. Spread 1 teaspoon of pesto on each of 4 slices of bread. Spread 1 teaspoon mayonnaise on each of the remaining slices of bread.
2. Top each slice of pesto-smeared bread with chicken, cheese, tomato slices, and 3 basil leaves. Top with mayonnaise-smeared bread.

*I will confess, I stole the idea for this recipe from a friend. But the improvisations (and improvements, in my opinion) were all my own. :-)