Shortcuts: Chicken salad with fewer calories

This time of year I visualize wedding and baby showers held on decks and patios overflowing with fresh flowers, chilled pitchers of pink lemonade, and croissants filled with creamy chicken salad.

Picnic baskets abound with chilled sandwiches for that perfect evening at an outdoor concert on the lawn of your favorite park. Here are some variations on familiar mayonnaise-based salads for such occasions.

The foil pouches of salmon, available next to the canned tuna at the supermarket, inspired this salmon salad creation. For the chicken salads, use shredded chicken from precooked rotisserie chickens or canned premium chunk white chicken well drained. Low-fat sour cream and honey combine to cut the calories on chicken salad No. 1. Pineapple, dried cranberries and curry give chicken salad No. 2 a gourmet touch. To cut additional calories, eliminate the bread and serve scoops of these salads on fresh lettuce leaves accented with parsley, watercress, sliced almonds or thinly sliced green onions.

MAK'S SALMON SALAD

1 (6-ounce) package premium pink salmon

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon pickle relish (I use Safeway™ Dill Relish)

Pinch of sugar

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; mix well. Makes 2 servings.

CHICKEN SALAD No. 1

1 cup shredded chicken

¼ cup diced red pepper

2 green onions, sliced thin

¼ cup low-fat sour cream

1 teaspoon honey

Dash of red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Makes 2 servings.

CHICKEN SALAD No. 2

1 (3-ounce) brick of cream cheese, softened

½ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon curry powder

Pinch of salt

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken

4 ounce canned crushed pineapple, drained

½ cup dried cranberries

Sliced almonds for garnish

In large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, mayo, curry and salt. Stir in chicken, drained pineap-ple and cranberries until blended. Serve scoops on lettuce leaves garnished with sliced almonds. Makes 4 servings.

Mary Ann lives in Lake Ridge. Her third cookbook, "SHORTCUTS, TOO," is now available at Ye Olde Dominion Wine Shoppe in Occoquan. Send questions or comments in care of this paper at P.O.Box 2470, Woodbridge, VA. 22195.