:: Balsamic Chicken with Avocado and Radish Salad

Hey there!

Sorry to leave you hanging on the recipe front, I really got into writing the book last week, so it's left the blog a little quiet.  But I haven't been far, I've been keeping up to date with the world of food blogging and beyond.

I recently got a message from John Maguire who has set up a great little forum for all things Food in Ireland, at www.askaboutfood.ie.  Take a look at the site- lots of interesting topics.

Eoghan and Nathalie at CasaCaseyCourtney have announced they will be food blogging, and I'm looking forward to it, because they already have a great eye for pictures!

A special congrats to Kate at LidlTreats who has exploded on to the blogging scene and has even made the National Evening News! Brilliant stuff!

But now, back to our scheduled programming, I have a recipe!
After writing out a grand menu plan for the week in order to keep things running smoothly, three days later it has gone to pieces and I haven't cooked one of the meals from it!  But I'm not too disappointed, because in an attempt to save an Avocado from becoming over ripe, I came up with a tasty little salad.

Even my just about overripe Avocado, is one of the true underrated super foods-  It's packed with essential fatty acids, Vitamin K and antioxidants- it also makes a lovely face mask! (But you didn't hear that from me...) Radish's are often linked to aiding digestive problems and are beneficial for the teeth and gum's- So overall this salad is packed with nutrition and is a perfect Good Mood Food recipe!

Enjoy! (In case your wondering, those are pea shoots on top of the salad.)

Balsamic Chicken with Avocado and Radish Salad (Serves 2)

1. 2 Free Range Chicken Breasts.
2. 1 Avocado.
3. 6 Baby Radishes.
4. A Large Handful of Oak Leaf Lettuce Leaves.
   
5. 1 Red Onion, cut in half and sliced wafer thin.
6. 1 Small Garlic Clove, Peeled and Minced.
7. 1 Teaspoon of Wholegrain Mustard.
   
8. 2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar.
9. 6 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
10. The Juice of Half A Lemon.
11. A Good Pinch Of Coarse Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Peppercorns.

If you have the time to marinade the chicken breasts overnight, by all means go ahead.  Remove any fat (or "icky bits" as I've heard them reffered to in my kitchen) from the breasts and place in a zip loc baggy.  Pour in 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar, 3 Tablespoons of EV Olive Oil, the Juice of half a Lemon, and a pinch of Black Pepper, seal and give a good shake!
In a jar, bowl, or whatever you want to make your dressing in, combine, 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar, 3 Tablespoons of EV Olive Oil, Garlic, Wholegrain Mustard, and a pinch of Sea Salt.  Whisk or shake to combine, set aside and prepare the salad.
Place a good handful of lettuce leaves on each plate, and scatter with the red onion.
Slice the Avocado in half and remove the stone, spoon out the green flesh and slice into thin strips, arrange on top of the salad.  Cut the baby Radishes into quarters and place on the outside of the plate.
Heat a large frying pan (I would use a griddle pan if I had one!) till just before it begins smoking and place the breasts on, you shouldn't need any extra oil as Olive Oil is used in the marinade.  Cook for approx 4-5 Minutes either side, remove from the heat, let it rest (if you can wait...) and slice into thin strips.  Arrange on top of the avocado and using a spoon dribble the dressing over the salad.

Serve straight away!