Avocado Chicken Salad

I sometimes make chicken salad with plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise, but mashed avocado is an even better idea!

The original recipe gives a choice of serving this chicken salad on sandwich bread or salad greens (with arugula or watercress suggested).  I piled the chicken salad on a bed of arugula, but also served with a half of an English muffin. The salad was delicious on both.

The original recipe didn't have red pepper, but twice as much apple.  I love red pepper, so substituted half of one for an apple.

AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD

adapted from https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/avocado_chicken_salad/

serves 4

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped

1/2 of a large red pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro or parsley (I used cilantro)

2 T. lemon or lime juice

2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled, and mashed (I substituted 8 oz. of Wholly Guacamole)

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

sandwich bread and/or salad greens (arugula works very well)

Put all the ingredients (except bread/greens) in a large bowl and mix together.  Serve on bread and/or greens, as you prefer.

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

When I grocery shop, I go to the store with a list--ingredients lined up for a week of meals.  Avocado wasn't on the list last week, but they were on sale for $1.00, so I brought one home.  And then forgot to put it in the salad I made that night.  I wanted to use it today before it got too mushy.  I also happened to have a grapefruit on hand, so I looked online for an avocado and grapefruit salad.  I mixed and matched from various recipes, added a bit of my own, and came up with the recipe below.  I really like the contrast of the smoothness of the avocado with the tartness of the grapefruit.

AVOCADO AND GRAPEFRUIT SALAD

serves 2

1 ripe avocado

1 grapefruit (I used red)

juice from half a lemon

1 shallot, minced

drizzle of olive oil

Peel and pit avocado; cut into slices about 1/4" thick.  Arrange in a shallow bowl.  Pour lemon juice over the slices--will keep them from turning brown.

Cut the rind off the grapefruit, and cut the sections of fruit out from between the membranes; set aside the membranes.  Lay the grapefruit sections on top of the avocado.  Squeeze the juice from the membranes over the salad.

Sprinkle on minced shallot.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

N.B.  Since I take a statin medication for lowering cholesterol, I generally don't eat grapefruit, because of the warning against a drug interaction.  But a few times a year, I go ahead and have a half a grapefruit in the evening.  No adverse reaction so far.