Lighten Up! Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries

Chicken salad is not your friend. Most any "salad' that contains copious quantities of fatty but tasty mayonnaise is not figure friendly. Tuna, egg, whitefish, chicken, potato and the insidous macaroni salad, they are all the enemy, unless you know tricks to make them lighter and healthier. Doug Henning, David Copperfield, Houdini? Who needs magicians when the Great Gorniaki will amaze you with my kitchen magic show! Like Penn and Teller, I'm here to reveal the secrets to creating something so taste defying that your friends and family will hardly believe their eyes or taste buds!

First, you have to remove the fat. You need to replace the unctuous Hellman's with a mouth-feel rich and creamy substitute. Second, you need flavors, pizazz, oomph! Third, you need a good chicken, whether it's left-over rotisserie or roasted chicken, or a few poached breasts, the chicken needs to be well seasoned, tender and delicious. Forth, add in some healthy veggies to bulk up the salad, giving you a serving of your veggies and making it a real salad. Contrary to the popular Homer Simpson belief, Yes, You can make friends with Salad!

2 Chicken Breasts, about 2 pounds total: Poached, Roasted, or Rotisserie - Cooled & Cut into 1/2 sized cubes/large dice1 Large Celery Stalk - washed and cut into medium dice1 Large Carrot - washed, peeled and shredded1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries1/4 Cup (about 1/2 small) Onion - small dice (COMPLETELY OPTIONAL, USE ONLY IF YOU LIKE ONIONS RAW!)1 - 5 to 6 ounce container of Non-Fat Greek Style Yogurt - such as Fage, Chobani or Oikonos2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard2 Tablespoons Light Sour Cream2 Tablespoons Dried Italian Seasonings or Herbs de Provenance or a combination of Basil, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, and ThymeSalt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper - to taste

Directions:

Dice the chicken, celery, onions (if using) and shred the carrots. Place in mixing bowl along with the dried cranberries.Make the dressing - in a small mixing bowl, blend together the Greek Style yogurt, Dijon mustard, sour cream and dried seasonings. Let the mixture stand for 5 to 10 minutes to let the dried seasonings reconstitute and release their flavors.Taste and adjust seasonings, flavoring with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. If the dressing is too bland, add in more Dijon mustard, dried seasonings, salt or pepper as needed.Pour the dressing over the chicken and vegetables and fold the ingredients together to incorporate. Serve well chilled. Makes 4 to 6 servings. Keep covered and refrigerated. Holds up to 4 days.