I think I am losing my marbles, because the past few weeks I have been craving salads.

I’m sure it has to do with the eagerness I feel for Spring to arrive, and have been hoping a fresh, crisp salad can hold me over until the mild weather finally returns.

Of course, salads to me don’t mean loads of veggies. The mean loads of cheese, nuts, avocado, and crunchy things like tortilla chips hidden inside. They would also mean bacon, but since I gave that up for Lent, I was not able to include it in this salad.

Trust me – that was more difficult than it sounds. I even had the bacon out on the counter.

 

I love chopped salads. I love the crispy crunch you get with each bite, and the brightness of all the different flavors.

The highlight of this salad for me was the corn and the avocado. I almost added some crunchy blue corn tortilla chips, but decided against it.

I think they would make a fabulous addition and they could even be used to ‘scoop’ up the salad.

 

I also added some dried cherries, which is one of my favorite dried fruits. Dried cherries remind me of spending summers in Northern Michigan on the lake, and each time I eat them I am magically transported there.

Another favorite dried fruit to add to salads? Figs. I eat them by the bucket-full.

I also added 2 different kinds of cheese, because one is just never enough for me. On this salad, the cheese came in the form of gorgonzola and smoked cheddar.

Could you honestly pick your favorite cheese?

I can’t. One day I think it is gorgonzola. Then it’s asiago. Then it’s gruyere. I just can’t decide.

 

If my thigh’s had to choose their favorite cheese, I am pretty sure it would be no cheese. They are begging me to stop eating it. I hear voices.

‘Jessica, please step away from the cheese.’

 

Chopped Chicken Salad

1 cup chopped iceberg lettuce

2 cups chopped romaine or green leaf lettuce

6 oz grilled chicken, chopped

1 plum tomato, chopped

1/2 avocado, chopped

1/2 cup sweet corn

2 tablespoons red onion, chopped

1/4 cup dried cherries

1 oz crumbled gorgonzola

1 oz smoked cheddar cheese, chopped

sea salt & pepper to taste

Add all ingredients in a large bowl and toss thoroughly. Mix with dressing if desired.

 

 

Like a true 5-year old, Mr. How Sweet could not eat the salad with avocado in it. Although, I am sure I left a piece in there somewhere that he did eat. He did eat the dried cherries, though. His tastebuds are moving up in the world.