Creamy Avocado Chicken & Pasta Salad

This is a much healthier twist on the regular pasta salads. Most pasta salads use wheat noodles and are loaded with mayonnaise-based dressings that often have sugars, thickeners, and other agents added. None of these things are friendly to your waistline, health, or wellbeing!

We wanted to create a healthier version of a pasta salad that you could enjoy without missing out on any of the creamy comfort of the traditional dish. To create this creaminess in a healthy way, we rely on the faithful avocado - deliciously creamy, healthy, and full of fibre and fat! Combined with garlic, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil, it creates such a fresh, flavourful taste combination that you'll never go back to the pasta salads of before. 

What makes avocados so great? Well, bananas are often touted for their potassium content, but did you know that avocados are a richer source of this essential mineral? Plus, they are loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids to help your skin stay soft and your heart healthy. All good things, we think!  

Plus, this pasta salad uses brown rice noodles for a gluten free dish, and incorporates lots of organic vegetables for nutrients and minerals, and chicken for protein. It's a complete, healthy meal that is gluten free and dairy free, too! 

Creamy Avocado Chicken & Pasta Salad

1 package brown rice vegetable spirals
1 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup red pepper, finely chopped
1 cup cucumber, finely chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked or grilled and chopped into bite-sized pieces

Chicken Marinade - Optional

2 Tbsp avocado oil
2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp tamari
1 tsp Herbamare 
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced 

Dressing

1 ripe organic avocado, pitted
1 clove organic garlic, chopped
1 tsp Herbamare 
1/4 cup organic cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

Cook pasta until al dente. Rinse pasta and combine salad ingredients. Prepare dressing: Throw ingredients into a blender. Puree. Pour over salad and stir well to combine. Transfer to a serving dish. 

Recipe by: Sandy Pomeroy