You guys. Have I got a power salad for you! I know, it’s been a while since I posted one like this. This one is worth the wait, I promise.

This salad came to be while Dave’s parents were visiting us earlier this year. Dave and his parents were hard at work painting our house (yes, the OUTSIDE!) a beautiful bright blue. Hydrangea blue, I’ve decided to call it. For years it’s been a greenish greyish bluish color that looked a little different every day, based on the sunlight. It was time for a change!

But there is such a thing as too many cooks, and in my opinion four people painting a house is too many cooks. So instead, I worked in the garden and on logistics. Somebody’s gotta make sure that people eat (and at a normal time!)

I’m guilty of totally neglecting these things on big shoot days, where I am so focused on the task at hand where I forget to eat, forget to use the restroom, forget to drink water and forget where I put basically everything. It was also 100 degrees (for real! in Oregon!) that weekend and I tried to help everyone stay well hydrated and well fed! And then we had some fun in the afternoons after everyone worked so hard all day, touring distilleries, heading to wine country and exploring our favorite Portland restaurants.

Our house looks amazing, and I’m so grateful for the hard work everyone put into it! Making a rocking awesome salad was just one small way to say thanks. 

What I really love about it is all of the delicious bits of protein and healthy fats. Chicken. Greek yogurt, Chevre. Avocado. And it’s already gluten free, grain free and low carb, if you’re into those types of things. Oh yes. This is a good one.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1-2 tbsp. butter, melted
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp. paprika
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 4 oz. chévre
• 1 large avocado, sliced thinly
• Juice of 1 lime (or 1/4 cup bottled)
• 8-10 cups of your favorite salad greens
• Dressing:
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup fresh or thawed blueberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and then brush with melted butter. Salt and pepper well and then sprinkle with paprika, coating both sides.
2. Place in a baking dish and roast for about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Set aside.
3. To make the dressing, blend the mayo, buttermilk and blueberries in the blender until thoroughly mixed.
4. Finally, assemble the salad: add the salad greens to a large serving bowl and arrange on top: avocado slices, bacon, blueberries and chicken (cut into slices).
5. Drizzle chévre and yogurt dressing over the top