Summer Salad

I thought I would share one of our favorite summer salads. I know, I know, it's late in the season, summer is almost over...sigh...but this recipe can be made and enjoyed any time of the year. It's also a great portable dish if you ever need to take a meal to a friend.

Garden Chicken Salad
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (15 ounce) can whole beets, drained and quartered
2 tablespoons crumbled reduced fat goat cheese (I use regular)

1. Combine the chicken, sugar-snap peas, tomatoes, bell pepper, chives, 2 tsp vinegar, 2 tsp oil and the salt in a large bowl
2.Toss the beets with the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and teaspoon oil in a medium bowl.
3. Arrange the chicken mixture on a large platter; surround with beets and sprinkle with cheese.
Serves 4

This is a Weight Watchers recipe, but I never tell anyone. It's tasty, stores well and gets better the longer it marinates. Now when I make it, I mix all the veggies and chicken together, including the beets. I whisk the oil, wine vinegar and salt together and pour over veggies and chicken. I sprinkle the goats cheese on individually as I serve. When I take this as a meal to someone, I keep the components separate (veggies, chicken, cheese) and let them mix in the chicken, and sprinkle on their own cheese (as the mixture sits it will turn the edges of the chicken and cheese pink)

                       Hope you decide to give this a try, I promise you won't be disappointed.