Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

I reek of Seattle. I have pale skin that will burn even in the shade. When I go to a coffee shop I often order something like a grande triple shot, no whip, no foam, soy milk, skinny cinnamon dolce latte. I like to play my acoustic guitar at open mic nights in some mom and pop cafe. If it is 60 degrees and sunny, I will wear shorts and sandals and a big warm sweat shirt. I like to do art on my free time. I am guilty of having sat in a cafe with my laptop while attempting to write a story. I can spend hours in a book store or at an organic farmers market. I have a blog. And about 95% of the year I spend indoors out of the rain.

But every now and then my Californian roots show their colors.

The majority of my family on both my mother and father's side grew up in California. Because of this, I have found that a lot of my family's eating habits reflect that of the California area. Although I grew up in the Northwest, an area riddled with seafood, we usually avoided seafood due to my mom's severe shellfish allergy. So, consequently, I was raised on the food my parents grew up with. A lot of it was Mexican style cuisine since we lived in Southern California, close to the Mexican border. And in our household there was one item in particular we always had stocked: avocados. Given that avocados grow best in a warm weather climate, they can be found practically everywhere in California. Because of this, everyone in my family grew up eating them regularly. There were times I remember my mom slicing an avocado in half, handing me a spoon, and letting me just eat the avocado right from its rind. 

Naturally, being an avocado lover myself, I immediately fell in love with this recipe. It celebrates the flavor of avocado while keeping the dish light and refreshing. It would be great for a picnic lunch, or as a cold dish on a hot day. It is a quick and easy meal to make which is always a plus in my book! And for me, it was a taste of home.

Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups shredded cooked chicken (from 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 avocado, diced small

1 1/2 cup purple grapes, halved

3/4 cup avocado dressing (recipe posted below)

coarse salt and ground pepper

4-6 large slices sourdough bread, toasted

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, celery, shallots, avocado, grapes, and dressing. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Serve on toast.

Avocado Dressing

Ingredients:

2 avocados

1 cup buttermilk

1 scallion, thinly sliced (white and light-green parts only)

1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup water

coarse salt and ground pepper to taste

In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients and pulse until smooth. (To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 3 days.)