Artichoke Salad

I have seen this recipe on my favorite channel (food network) and it looked so colorful with all the veggies , that I decided to make it in the same day for my parent in laws together with Acharuli xachapuri (Georgian Cheese bread) that made a great combination. Thank God, all went well and they loved both dishes:). I made some changes in the original recipe as always and it worked pretty well. The saltiness of capers and marinated peppers and artichokes is balanced with nice chunks of fresh mozzarella and little pieces of celery give crunch and great texture to the softness of those veggies. Here it is my artichoke salad with basil pesto dressing and grilled chicken breasts.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb artichoke heart, cleaned and cut into quarters, you can use frozen package
• 1⁄2 cup capers
• 3 -4  pieces  marinated roasted red peppers
• 1  cup fresh mozzarella cheese (cut into cubes)
• 10  cherry tomatoes
• 2  stalks celery
• 2  grilled chicken breasts

Directions

1. 1. place artichoke hearts into the pan, drizzle with some olive oil and roast them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.
2. 2. sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken breasts and grill or pan roast them, let them cool down little bit and then slice into bite size pieces.
3. 3. cut cherry tomatoes into halves.
4. 4. slice the peppers into stripes.
5. 5. chop celery sticks into small cubes.
6. 6. cut mozzarella into 1 inch size pieces.
7. 7. Mix all the ingredients in the large bowl, add capers, salt, pepper and pesto, stir well and let it sit for about 30 minutes in the fridge so that every ingredient absorbs the flavor.
8. Basil pesto.
9. • 1 clove of garlic.
10. • 7-8 pcs of basil.
11. • ½ cup of olive oil.
12. • 1 table spoon of viniger.
13. • ½ lemon juice.
14. • ½ cup of pine nuts or walnuts.
15. • salt, pepper.
16. preparation.
17. • chop garlic and basil roughly and place them in the food processor.
18. • add walnuts and keep processing.
19. • add lemon juice, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
20. • after all ingredients are well incorporated and mixed, turn the food processor off and check the taste.
21. • If you are happy with the taste, toss pesto over the salad mix and let it sit for about 30 minutes to incorporate the flavor.