Happy New Year Chicken Salad

The holidays and over and you jumped on the scale January 4. Ey, ey, ey! Did all of the cookies, drinks and oh-so-good casseroles really catch up to me like that? New Year's Resolution time.



The big joke is that most people who commit to losing weight at this time of the year won't follow through with it. Good for those who do!! I have a salad that I make regularly that is low in calories and if you've decided to follow Weight Watchers like I have, it's low in points. If you are like me and like to have a lighter meal later in the day, this is a great recipe for you.



All ingredients can be found locally with the exception of the ranch dressing (commissary) and for those of us in the Muslim world, bacon (commissary). If you are lucky enough to be able to find these locally, I commend you! Also, the serving size is for 2...adjust as needed for your family.

By the way, there is another variation of this recipe that I can't wait to share with you next month. It's our Chicken Wing Salad and one of hubby's favorites! OK, maybe I'll post it sooner than that!

Happy New Year Chicken Salad

Lettuce or other greens, torn or chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion or 1/4 large onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced or 1 cup bite-sized tomatoes, cut in 1/2s (the mini tomatoes are probably my favorite discovery here in Tunisia for the winter season)
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed (fiber, fiber, fiber)
2 slices of cooked bacon (don't think I'm crazy...I had some left over from Sunday's B-fast)
1 hard boiled egg, diced
Sprinkle of cheddar cheese
2 chicken breasts, pan cooked and diced
Optional toppings: diced carrots, chopped celery, 1/4 diced avocado (just a little goes a long way), other low-calorie veggies
Ranch dressing (or any other creamy dressing)

**I know what you are thinking, Ranch dressing is loaded with calories and fat! A trick that I like is to take 1TBsp of dressing and water it down a bit. I'm only able to get the full calorie stuff here and it works for me! I'd like to dedicate this 'trick' to my years of eating in restaurants and having friends who were waiters in college.****

Add lettuce and layer other veggies in 2 bowls. Split up remaining ingredients into bowls. Pour dressing on top and toss salad. You are ready to eat.

For this recipe, most of the time is spent in the preparation before putting it together. One time saving trick I love is to chop a little more of the veggies or cook extra chicken and stick the stuff into baggies to use later in the week for this salad. This works well especially with the chicken breasts.

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Happy New Year LLOR readers!
Keep an eye out for more 2010 recipes!