In the health pages of our August issue, we explored ways to boost happiness using all five senses and to learn how the palate can play a role in our bliss, we spoke with Chef Linda Abel, owner of The Abel Chef: Comfort Food with a Gourmet Flair. When you want to find happiness via food, she recommends engaging the entire palate with meals that taste salty, sweet, sour and bitter. To help you build an entrée that hits all four notes, she passed along this recipe for a lively summer salad.

Grilled Chicken Salad

Serves 8
20 oz. chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
8 oz. Italian salad dressing
2 bags of prewashed salad greens
1 c. green onion, sliced
1 c. green grapes, seedless and halved
¼ c. pecans, toasted
¼ lb. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
¼ c. cranberries, dried
1 Tbsp. orange rind, grated
1 c. orange marmalade
1/3 c. raspberry vinegar
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

1. Marinate chicken breast in Italian dressing for at least one hour. Preheat grill.
2. Grill breasts to 165 degrees. Cool until able to touch. Slice into 1/4 inch strips.
3. Arrange salad greens in bowl. Top with green onions, grapes, pecans, cheese, cranberries, then lay chicken strips over all.
4. In small bowl, combine orange rind, marmalade, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss.
5. Place salad on serving plates and pour dressing over to taste.

The Abel Chef “Comfort Food with a Gourmet Flair” can be found at abelchef.com.