Scrumptious Chicken Salad

Unfortunately, I have had to go dairy-free due to nursing issues with my new baby. So, I am trying to make the experience as yummy as possible!

This chicken salad is pretty easy to throw together, takes advantage of leftovers, and tastes great on bread (of which I can only eat a very limited variety right now), or on it's own. In my opinion, the dill makes the chicken salad! This recipe yields about 3-4 servings.

Ingredients:

1.5-2 cups of shredded leftover rotisserie chicken

2/3 cup chopped celery

2/3 cup chopped carrots

2/3 cup quartered red grapes

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

mayonnaise to taste (I use about 2/3 cup and add more if necessary)

1 t onion salt

1/2 t garlic powder

2 t dried dill

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, blend mayo and seasonings. Add walnuts, grapes and veggies, and mix well. Add chicken last, and gently mix until evenly distributed.

Serve chilled on bread or with crackers.

The Perfect Summer Sandwich

Now that summer is in full swing, our local Farmer's Market has become one of my favorite places to shop. This morning I picked up the ingredients to one of my absolute favorite summer dishes--the mozzarella/tomato/pesto sandwich. I bought live basil, a bunch of vine ripened tomatoes, a loaf of Italian bread, and some fresh mozzarella cheese.

I love to make homemade pesto for pasta, sandwiches, and spreads, and I usually make it pretty garlic-heavy. I decided to tone down the garlic a bit so I can use some of the leftovers to make Audrey some pasta tomorrow. Instead of a head of garlic, I used about 3-4 cloves. :)

Pesto

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup olive oil

3-4 cloves of garlic (I buy the large container of fresh peeled garlic from Costco, divide it up, chop, and freeze it for quick use in recipes)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

5 large basil leaves

1/2 tspn salt (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor (I used my small one since this is a small amount of pesto), and grind/chop until you reach the desired consistency. You'll need to stop and scrape the processor bowl with a spatula every few seconds.

Slice the bread in half lengthwise, and then cut each section into thirds so you end up with six halves (for three sandwiches, or two sandwiches with about 1/3 of the loaf leftover).

Spread a thin layer of pesto on each half of the bread, then top with two slices of mozzarella, and two-three slices of tomato (sliced thin and seeded).

Close the sandwiches, place on a baking sheet, and bake for about 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees. This bread ended up being a little thick, so I sliced 1/2 of the bottom slice off of each sandwich. When I have used an Italian loaf from the store in the past, I didn't have to do this. It just depends on the thickness of your bread and your preference.