Spinach Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Goat Cheese

It’s probably a sign that I’m spending a good summer if I can’t find the time to write here. Granted, I’ve spent a certain amount of time without the internet, and then there was this year’s edition of SummerFest, with internet but without time or motivation to blog (more on that vacation later). My vacation time is running out, though, so I’d like to catch up on that backlog of recipes… This one’s easy, but I found it incredibly satisfying. I made this salad with spinach, though my favorite is usually arugula, and I imagine it would be great with finely chopped kale, too. The addition of tomatoes, corn and toasted pine nuts was divine! I served the Engineer’s plate without goat cheese, since he doesn’t like it, but if I’d had feta on hand I would have given him that instead. The following makes 4 small servings.



For the salad
8 cups chopped spinach (1 bag)
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
½ cup corn (frozen, canned, or cut off the cob)
1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken (I used 2 breasts, but would add more next time)
1 large avocado, sliced (I used 2)
1/3 cup lactose-free goat cheese, or more (to taste)
¼ cup toasted pine nuts

For the dressing
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (or a bit less, to taste)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place spinach in a large salad bowl. Add remaining salad ingredients (though I always recommend slicing and adding the avocado only when serving).

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over each serving as needed.

I served this with dark and *very* chocolaty cupcakes for dessert. I topped one of them with red honey-roasted peanuts, for color, though they are nut-free.