Light Lunch (or dinner)

It's that time of year. When hot food seems slightly less appetizing...and things that are light seem so very refreshing.

I am eager for our Farmer's Market to open this summer...eager to pick fresh fruit on a farm...eager to make homemade ice cream. :)

So for my first "light" meal of the season, I pulled out an old favorite. I can't believe I haven't shared it here before.

Chopped Chicken Salad

1 bag of "just lettuce" or a blend of iceberg and spring greens
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can yellow corn, drained
1-2 red or orange bell peppers
3-4 green onions, sliced thinly
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained and diced
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
crushed tortilla chips (a couple handfuls)
feta cheese, to taste
Girard's Light Champagne Dressing

1. Place lettuce in a large serving bowl. Add chicken, beans, corn, peppers, onions, water chestnuts, and tomatoes to lettuce and toss.
2. Before serving, drizzle dressing over salad and toss until desired flavor is reached. Add crushed tortilla chips and feta and toss again. Garnish with a handful of feta.

I like to use the Light dressing because I think it tastes JUST as good as the original. (I didn't have any black beans on hand, so they're not pictured in the salad above.) Also, I often double the recipe (with the exception of the chicken). And if I don't think we will eat all of it, I'll set aside some of the ingredients from instruction 1 before tossing so that it won't be soggy the next day. Soggy lettuce and chips...shudder.

Hope you enjoy!