Northwoods Chicken Salad

I thought I would share one of my all-time favorite recipes!  It's a chicken salad that has wild rice, Craisins, avocado, and lots of other good things.  It's my good friend Ranya's recipe, who's a seriously fabulous cook, and this salad is always a hit.  In fact, I made it for my MOPS group a few weeks ago and it won the "best dish" award for the week (thanks, Ranya!).  :)

Salad:

1 c wild rice, cooked according to package directions (makes about 4 cups cooked rice)

3 chicken breasts, season, grilled and chopped

1 large avocado, diced

1/2 c Craisins

1/2 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

2 c peapods (sugar snap or snowpeas), cut into thirds

1/3 c slivered almonds, optional

Dressing:
3/4 c oil

1/4 c vinegar

2 T dijon mustard

3 cloves garlic

salt and pepper

Directions:

Cook wild rice according to package directions (I use a rice cooker w/ 1 part rice, 3 parts water plus a little oil).  Combine salad ingredients.  Blend all dressing ingredients in food processor until completely smooth (mixture will be white as oil emulsifies).  Pour over salad.  Can be made a day in advance - just add avocado right before serving.  I like to make a double recipe and keep it in the fridge.  :)

Enjoy and hope you love this recipe as much as I do!