Simple Summer Salad

The warm weather is upon us, and it is time for another salad. This is a quick recipe, and while the version I'm making here is fairly light, it could be fleshed out to be a more hearty. How you fix it will of course depend on whether this salad is served as a light prelude to an entree, or as a mid-week meal in itself (for the latter, I'd add walnuts, crushed pecans or pistachios). As always, increase proportions if you're feeding more than 1-2 people.

.... and, once again, we are gluten-free this week.


INGREDIENTS

- Green leaf, red leaf, romaine or boston lettuce
- 1 chicken thigh or breast
- 1/4 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1/4 cup carrots, julienned
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 handful craisins
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- Flat-leaf parsley (a few sprigs)
- Creamy dressing (some make of blue cheese or something similar will do - I used Annie's Cowgirl Ranch, but you may not be able to find that in your area)

First, pour a nice glass of cold white wine and put on music. Now, to work ....

Rinse lettuce and shake excess water off (spin it if you have a spinner). Mince garlic and chop parsley. Cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces, and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste.

Next, heat 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and when it becomes fragrant, add chicken. While that cooks for a few minutes, julienne carrots and slice strawberries (removing the tops of course). Set aside for the moment.

Stir chicken occasionally until most of the pink is gone. Then, add white wine and parsley. Stir and let cook down.

When the chicken is done and the white wine and parsley have cooked down, remove from heat. Assemble salad in a bowl or on a large plate. Start with the lettuce then add the chicken, carrots, craisins and strawberries. Top with a drizzle of a nice, creamy dressing -- remember, less is more when it comes to dressings.

Enjoy!

Tonight's Music: Kostelanetz Plays Gerswhin

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