Saturday, July 8, 2017

Sweet and salty summer chicken salad and sandwich #mystery #recipe #contest @Abbottmysteries



Do you want to win one of our five Mystery Lovers Kitchen FABULOUS GIFT BAGS?  Read to the end for the fun contest details!   And now for lunch.





I was looking for a very pleasant summer lunch that didn’t involve turning on the stove and something that would be good on a sandwich or on a bed of lettuce for anyone avoiding bread lately, no names mentioned. 



Luckily we had some leftover chicken.  I think that a cold rotisserie chicken would also do the trick as could a couple of poached chicken breasts.  We also wanted some nice crunchiness which the pepper and celery provided as well as some different flavors and thought that the sweetness of the cranberries, the saltiness of the sunflower seeds would go nicely with the tang of the lemon and feta (which also is quite salty).

Although you might spot salt in our ingredients, we didn’t add it because this had quite enough.  If you want to avoid salt you could try toasted walnuts or almonds and a milder cheese or none.  If sugar’s an issue, I think seedless grapes would also be good.  I’ll try that next.

That’s what we love about salads, you can switch ingredients with impunity!  As long as they’re good quality, it’s hard to lose.

This makes quite a nice sized bowl of chicken salad.  There's plenty for salad and sandwiches!  It passed the test with our friend, Nancy, who said it was better than anything she could buy.  Happy summer eating.

Sweet and salty summer chicken salad


2 cups chopped cooked chicken
3/4 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped yellow pepper
3/4 cup salted toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
½ cup Feta, crumbled
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp lemon
teaspoon pepper
Lettuce leaves – we used green leaf lettuce
Or sliced fresh bread or rolls

Directions:


In a bowl mix chopped chicken, cranberries, celery, peppers and sunflower seeds. 



 Combine lemon juice, zest, pepper and mayo in a smaller bowl and then stir into other ingredients. 


Crumble feta and add, mixing to distribute well.  Oops. We left out the mixing well photo. 




Serve on lettuce for a refreshing salad.  This one cooled off MJ at lunch.





Or make a sandwich with fresh bread or rolls. We used our favorite whole wheat bread and it was awesome, if we do say so ourselves.




You can be cool and have a very healthy meal!

 Here's a reminder to YOU about our special contest for our anniversary.  The details are below.  If you want to see the entries, find the cheerleader photo on the sidebar (NOT THIS ONE!) and look for entries! 


Mystery Lovers Kitchen is celebrating it’s
7th anniversary!

7 years of recipes, books, and loads of fun.
As we begin our 8th year of the blog,
help us celebrate by entering our photo contest.
5 people will win a Mystery Lovers' Kitchen tote bag
and the 9 mysteries shown below - one from each of us!
Don't delay, enter today!

Photo of prize

Here's how it goes:

1. Take a picture of any one OR MORE of our books (does not have to be one shown above) in the following categories:
a) with a cat
b) with a dog
c) having summer fun
d) in a library
e) in a bookstore

Whose books?

Why the 9 Mystery Lovers Kitchen authors, of course.

Krista Davis * Cleo Coyle *  Leslie Budewitz  
Daryl Wood Gerber * Lucy Burdette * Linda Wiken  
Sheila Connolly * Peg Cochran* Victoria Abbott

...do what you gotta do! There's a sweet prize at stake.

2. Submit your picture below.
Submission period ends midnight July 25th.

3. Share your entry (on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or else-wise,
we'll be flexible). 

We'll choose one winner in each category!

5 chances to win! Good luck!


In case you don't know, Victoria Abbott is a collaboration between  me, Mary Jane Maffini, and my daughter Victoria. Together we write the book collector mysteries.   We think that reading them is like taking a lovely trip to a mysterious place where books are everything and, yes, murder happens and great meals are served and some relatives are not to be trusted. Of course, justice prevails in the end and books are loved.

 



We like to think our book collector mysteries are fun, easy to read and surprising too. All five titles are available in print, e-book and audio format. Don't miss out.  You can get to meet Peachy (posing below) aka Walter the Pug.  Watch out for the Siamese cats - one is good and one will get you!





 .
Get in on more fun with  our email newsletter.  All you need to do to get on the list is ask us RIGHT HERE.


Here are some of MJ's books: set in Canada's capital with feisty lawyer Camilla MacPhee and various fleeing felons and frustrating family. Trust me,  Jordan doesn't have a monopoly on unusual family and friends.  This series is very well priced now in e-books, but also available in print. 


We’re also on Facebook and love to hear from you.  Click to link to Mary Jane Maffini

and Victoria Abbott






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6 comments:

  1. A perfect summer meal.
    I'm not entering the contest because I already have most of the books and I'd like someone who doesn't have them to get them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great recipe, can't wait to try it.

    ReplyDelete