Nice & Easy

One of our favorite "it's-far-too-ungodly-hot-to-even-look-at-the-stove" go-to eats during the dog days of summer is rotisserie chicken salad. After picking up a cooked bird from our nearby natural foods store, we'll strip the meat off and blend it any of different ways. On my birthday, Hubs did it up with a curried spice blend, and then served it on fresh wheat bread slathered in mango chutney. HEAVEN!

The other night, we took our chicken to the Mediterranean, partnering it up with olives, cherries, cashews, capers, olive oil, and lemon. For a bit of heat, we added harissa, a chili sauce commonly found in North African cuisine (if you don't have harissa, but still want to feel the burn, just use Tabasco instead).

Here's the recipe, should the urge for a nice and easy cook-free meal strike you!

Moroccan Cherry Chicken Salad

The Goods:

The meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, skinned and cut into small bite-sized bits

6 olives, sliced
6 cherries, diced
2-ish tablespoons cashew pieces
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon harissa
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest of one lemon.
Moroccan spice blend*

*We use a concoction from Urban Accents. It's grand. Lacking that, toss in about 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon mint, dried or fresh.

The Deal:

Mix the ingredients well.

Serve with fresh tomatoes as a sandwich, in a pita, or over lettuce.