Three Tomato Salad with Creamy Artichoke Chicken Salad

August 2, 2015

Bushels of cherry tomatoes always take me by surprise. They still feel like diamonds in the rough. And they're still in abundance at my daughter's produce stand–chocolate cherry tomatoes, teardrop, sun sugar, and mini German roma's in abundance. With this batch, I paired them with this creamy basil-artichoke studded chicken salad. It was a perfect meal for an Indian summer's night. I made the crunchy croutons from the cheap white bread the kids love, (which I now have a use for beyond their sandwiches) by tossing cubes with olive oil, garlic powder and kosher salt and baking. The salad was almost spot on, and the tomatoes, well, they sing without any help at all.

Ingredients

3 cups halved orange, yellow and red cherry tomatoes

handful of fresh basil, oregano, thyme or parsley, torn

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 (12-ounce) can artichoke hearts

4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and chilled

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (about 5 leaves)

6 slices soft white sandwich bread

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation

Combine all ingredients for tomato salad, toss gently, set aside.
Combine artichokes, chicken, garlic, and salt in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add mayonnaise and lemon juice and pulse until blended. Add basil and pulse until incorporated. The mixture should be creamy yet still a bit chunky.
To make croutons, cut bread into cubes, toss with olive oil and garlic powder on a baking sheet. Spread out and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until crunchy and golden brown.