food blog 1 of 3 quick and easy romaine salad with chicken

I was at the book store the other day, and as i usually do, i was wandering around the cookbook aisle. i saw a book that was nothing but salads. hmmm. now who in the world needs a cookbook to make salads? and then i thought "well, hell. i make killer salads. i can do this and post it on the blog." and that's what i did.

this salad is quick and easy. it works as a dinner all by itself.

want to know how quick and easy? buy a rotisserie chicken at your local grocery or deli. how's that for quick? it's cooked, seasoned well, and ready to use. what you don't use in the salad can make a great cold lunch the next day. works for me.

this serves 2 normal people, or 1 bothenook, for dinner.

ingredients:

• 1 romaine heart, washed and torn to bite size pieces


• 2 stalks celery, cut on the bias


• 1 red pepper, slices and chopped to bite sized pieces


• 1 avocado, cut into slices. tricks of the trade: cut avocado in half, remove pit, score the meat down to the shell in slices, remove with big spoon. voila...perfect avocado slices.


• as much roasted chicken as suits you


• salad dressing. i like Girards Oriental Chicken Salad Dressing for this salad. yummy, and locally made to boot.

layer the lettuce, celery, peppers and avocados however you like. the levels of flavor and textures here are a real bonus to this salad.
top with chicken, and pour on a good oriental chicken salad dressing. no fried chow mien noodles for the carb phobics. and vegans could just leave the chicken out. it's all good.

click for larger image

as always, if you try this recipe, or it inspires you to try something different, please let me know how it turned out. i'm always looking for fresh and clever ideas to improve my own cooking skills and recipes.

for a complete list of my online recipes, follow the link here