Easy Chicken Avocado Salad

Hello again!

I know it's been quite some time since I've posted on here (my mothers been asking about whether I'm cooking at all or not). I have been cooking! I just haven't had any time to upload any recipes or photos in the last month because of the end of my courses and the work that followed. Now I've all the time in the world to upload and post (besides working on my thesis), so back to being a foodie I go!

I have a few meals I made last month that I want to post, but this one is definitely my favorite that I've discovered over the past month. I don't have any pictures for the homemade vegan mayo I've experimented with (and love), but wait for that post soon to come! I'm all out so sometime this week I'll be making more because I'm bound to make this salad again (it's become a weekly meal). The thing I love about it is, it's so simple and versatile. You can add whichever veggies you want to it and it still tastes amazing.

The recipe comes from: http://paleomg.com/clean-it-up-mondays-chicken-avocado-salad/
First off you want to get some nice skinless chicken breast. I've found numerous organic and grass fed chicken in different stores for varying prices. My favorite (though absurdly expensive) is from Whole Foods, but it can cost from $11-$15 a chicken breast. However, they turn out to be massive, so one will do you for a couple of meals. You can find cheaper at other stores though so look around!
Preheat the oven to 375 and season the chicken with pepper, salt and cayenne pepper (as much or as little as you want). Then stick them in the oven for 20-25 minutes so that they come out cooked and not pink in the center.

While they're cooking, chop up some avocados (the recipe calls for one, but I like to put in more, usually two) and toss the cubes into a salad bowl. Next pick another vegetable, maybe celery, peppers, bok choy (yes you can eat it raw!), spinach, kale, or whatever else you can think of! For a very fresh, summery tasting salad I'll put in celery, peppers, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Add those to your salad bowl.

Next you'll want to put some herbs and spices into the salad to really liven it up. I love dill, so whether you have dill weed or fresh dill, chop some up and put it in. It adds such a fresh taste, along with paprika, fresh lemon juice, and garlic powder (again fresh garlic might be nice too!). You can follow along with the measurements from the recipe, or just season it to how you like it. Experiment with it!

Once the chicken is cooked, put it in the fridge to cool it down. This will probably take 20-30 minutes. Maybe you could put it in the freezer, but be careful not to freeze it. Once cooled, cut it up and put it into the salad bowl with all the veggies. Lastly, add a scoop of homemade vegan mayo (or any mayo you find suitable) and stir it all together. Ta da! You have the most amazing and simple salad out there. It'll keep in the fridge for a few days, though it might look a bit brown due to the avocados oxidizing (I've found the lemon helps a bit with this, though I'm not a huge fan of a strong lemon taste). 

For the chicken salad

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken
• 3 tablespoons fat of choice (I used duck fat)
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 avocado, skin removed, cubed
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, minced
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh dill, minced
• juice of ½ a lemon
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place chicken in a glass baking dish, pour some fat over each chicken breast, and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
3. Put in preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Then place the chicken in the refrigerator to help cool for a refreshing chicken salad.
4. Dice up the now cooled chicken into ½-1 inch cubes.
5. To a large bowl, add the cooked and cooled chicken, cubed avocado, fresh herbs, all the mayo, lemon juice, and a bit of salt and pepper. Taste to see if it needs more of anything.
6. Wrap the chicken salad in some butter lettuce leaves OR just eat it by itself. Whatever you want to do.