Creamy Avocado Chicken Salad

Hey there, blog readers! It's the MIA sister, Kim! I haven't meant to be gone for so long but those of you that know me know I've been more than a basket case trying to get ready for a new school year, juggle my family, and home. Not to mention my husband was gone for the whole summer which means we ate out A LOT!  Oops! :)  However, on one little trip to Manti I did whip up this deliciousness for my mom and we invited my Aunt Di over for lunch. Let's just say hit was a HIT with all of us! Of course I borrowed it from this blog, and it looks like she borrowed it from someone else too! Hey, sharing makes the world go 'round! Try this and see if you just LOVE it like we did!

 1 chicken breast, cooked & shredded 

1/4 cup black beans, drained & rinsed {I used more}

1/4 cup corn {I used more and I used shoepeg!}

1/4 cup green onions, chopped {I left this out!}

1/4 cup tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup cilantro

1/4 tortilla chips or fritos, crushed

2 tbsp. white vinegar

4 tbsp. mayo

Salt, to taste

2-4 avocados, sliced in half & pitted

Combine the chicken, beans, corn, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and tortilla chips into a medium bowl and stir. Add the vinegar and mayo. Slice and pit your avocados.

Now scoop a VERY generous portion of the chicken salad onto both halves of the avocado.

Eat this heaven with a fork and make sure to scoop out the avocado with each bite.  So yummy and a lot more filling than you would think!

I even borrowed her picture 'cause it looked so much better than mine did!

Chicken & Black Bean Tostada with Avocado-Cilantro Pesto!

I have the cutest neighbor, Krista, with an amazing cooking blog: Budget Gourmet Mom! Maybe you've heard of it before! While perusing her delectable recipes one day I came upon this deliciousness and couldn't wait to try it out! We decided to make it at my mom's so that we could all try it together and it was a HUGE hit with all of us--and our husbands!  You'll just have to try it for yourself and see if you agree!!

 (I even borrowed her image, thanks Krista!)

3 cups Tyson Grilled Chicken Strips

(We just grilled our own chicken breast and chopped it up!)

Cayenne pepper (optional)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup water

Avocado-Cilantro Pesto (recipe here)

6 Tbs. queso fresco

1 mango, diced

1 tomato, diced

3 cups romaine, chopped

6 corn tortillas

oil for frying

and last but not least......

the Avocado-Cilantro Pesto--visit Budget Gourmet Mom for the recipe!!

**Grill your chicken or reheat the chicken strips according to the package directions.  

Sprinkle with as much or as little cayenne pepper as you like, dice into cubes, and set aside.

In a small saucepan heat the black beans with water and season with salt and pepper.  

Roughly mash with a fork and keep on low, stirring often to heat through.

Make the pesto, if you haven't yet.

In a small skillet heat a 1/4″ of oil over medium- high heat. 

 Fry each tortilla for a minute or until crisp.  Place on a plate lined with paper towels.  

Now create an assembly line.  Spread each tortilla with a couple of tablespoons of mashed black beans, 1 tablespoon of pesto, a handful of romaine, a handful of chicken, diced tomatoes, diced mango, and sprinkle with queso fresco.

Thanks again, Budget Gourmet Mom for letting us post one of your fabulous recipes over here on Howe to Cook!!!

Nicki Specials

Back in the day the Howe sisters worked in a yummy little sandwich shop in Manti called Club Savoy. Man did we have some fun times there! Sadly, Club (as we called it) is no longer there but it lives on in our hearts every time one of us makes this yummy sandwich. I created it one night due to boredom and hunger. OK, mostly hunger. It became known as a Nicki Special and we still love it.

(This is just for one)

Deli bun

mayo

2-3 slices ham luncheon meat

5-6 sliced mushrooms

slice cheese of your choice

(I love swiss or provolone, but anything works)

1/2 an avocado, sliced

Sautee' the shrooms in a little butter until soft and brown. Scooch them over in the pan and add the ham--you just want to warm it up a bit. Scoop the shrooms onto the ham and lay the cheese over and let it melt!! Dump the whole thing onto the bun that you have spread with mayo. (Let me just say here that at Club we had a grill and I liked to toast the bun, but I only do that at home if I am feeling especially ambitious.) Spread the sliced avocado on top of the melted cheese and put the bun top on. Now I need to have one of these because my mouth is watering! Enjoy!

BLTA Croissants

This is a yummy twist on the classic BLT. Easy and so good!

Ingredients

Croissants

bacon

head iceburg lettuce

1 tomato--sliced

1 avocado--sliced

sliced deli turkey

mayo/mustard

You can add or take away any of the ingredients to fit your tastebuds. I didn't do any measurements because it totally depends on how many people you're feeding and how much of each thing you want.
Yummo!