Working more vegetables into our diets is probably a goal that most of us have. Still, it can be difficult to find ways to prepare meals that give us the vitamins and minerals we need while still being satisfying and delicious to eat. In particular, trying to eat more salad is a challenge for anyone, no matter how health conscious they are. Still, there are reasons why we often fail at sticking to eating our salads.
For one thing, we often think of salad as a punishment or an alternative to things we would rather be eating. We fall into the trap of thinking it’s all or nothing when it comes to the health of the meal. In other words, we’ll prepare a salad of only leaves of lettuce and other calorie-light veggies with dressing on the side—and then we wonder why we’re still hungry later. The trick is to make sure your salads are as packed full of flavor as any other meal. Fortunately, we have a killer salad recipe today that will make you rethink your salad strategy.
Here’s what you’ll need:
The Salad:
- 2 large chicken breasts, shredded or chopped
- 2 large avocados
- 1 cup of corn
- 6 ounces of lean bacon, cooked and chopped
- 1/4 cup of chives, chopped (or green onions)
- 2 tablespoons of chopped dill
The Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt (or to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
Here’s what you do:
1. First, prepare your chicken. Get your two cooked chicken breasts and either dice or shred them according to your texture preferences. Although you can cook your own chicken at home following whatever seasoning you so choose, you can also buy a rotisserie chicken at the store and shred that up instead. Once it’s prepared, throw the chicken in a large mixing bowl.
2. Peel and pit your two avocados and slice them into little pieces before adding them into the mixing bowl as well.
3. Throw in a cup of cooked corn, ideally using corn that has been freshly cooked rather than thawed out of a frozen bag. Next, add in your 1/4 cup of chopped green onions or chives, your bacon and two tablespoons of fresh dill. While the recipe calls for two tablespoons, you can also dial this back somewhat if the taste is too overpowering.
4. Now that the mix is ready, you’re ready to put your dressing together. Throw your lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper together and make sure it’s well incorporated. Pour it over the salad and you’re all set!
This salad tastes incredible all on its own and combines the flavor of salt, lemon and creamy avocado—and even though it tastes so good, it’s still a well-balanced meal without too many calories. On the other hand, you could also use this mix as an add-in on your other salads as well without having to add any dressing to them. In that case, simply chop up lettuce, spinach, carrots—whatever else you may need—and toss it together in a big bowl with the above!
As final notes, you can also consider adding some hard boiled eggs to the above for an extra hit of flavor and a little bit more protein as well. Finally, if you want to make this salad just a little bit healthier, you can also substitute pork bacon for uncured turkey bacon, which also tastes great with fewer calories. Be sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy!
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