Summer in San Francisco

Labor Day has come and gone heralding the beginning of summer in San Francisco, a wonderful if brief season of clear skies, warm weather and sunshine.

During this time I try to spend as little time as possible working on a hot stove. So I tend to make use of all the wonderful produce available to create tasty and refreshing salads. I like to visit farmer's markets to get my produce when I can, but I find that my local neighborhood produce market also offers a wonderful variety of in season veggies and fruit. These two options will be the tastiest and the easiest on your pocket book. However, if those options aren't available to you, you'll be able to find the ingredients necessary for this salad in any grocery store.

This recipe is one of my favorites because it is so easy and versatile. You can substitute any of the vegetables for whatever is ripe, available and to your liking. It calls for chicken but it can easily be made vegan/vegetarian by substituting the chicken with tofu or toasted nuts. If you plan on using tofu I would recommend marinating it in the dressing before putting it in the salad.

Lentil Chicken Salad with Couscous

1lb cooked boneless skinless chicken breast in 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups cooked lentils cold (green or brown)
1/2 cup cooked couscous cold
Lemon balsamic dressing (recipe below)
2 green onions sliced
2 medium carrots shredded
3/4 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup dried orange scented cranberries
3 tbsp fresh mint finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley finely chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine lentils and couscous. Then add the mint, parsley, oregano and garlic until thoroughly combined. Incorporate the carrots, onions, bell pepper and cucumber. Add the chicken and dried cranberries. Lastly add the tomatoes, dressing, salt and pepper. Toss well and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, the longer the better. It will keep and be delicious for 3-4 days.

Lemon Balsamic Dressing

3 Tsp Balsamic vinegar
3 Tsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
8 Tsp good extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine the Dijon, lemon juice and balsamic in a small bowl. Whisk mixture briskly as you add the olive oil in a slow steady stream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.