Buffalo Avocado Chicken Salad

Inspired by a dish my sister made on a recent visit to Pennsylvania, this perfect-on-a-hot-day recipe is easy and quick to whip up, and disappears even faster! And who in the world wants to be in a hot kitchen on a hot day? NO ONE. Ick. So use leftover baked chicken or canned chicken and give yourself a break. If neither are an option, pop your chicken in the oven to cook the night before, cool in the fridge overnight and minimize hot kitchen time.

* Something else I love about this is that if you double-batch this recipe, it's perfect for next day lunches. So much winning with this one.

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

        1 pound cooked chicken, chopped OR 16 ounces canned chicken (preferably in a BPA-free can)

        2 small/medium avocados

        1/4 to 1/2 cup diced red onion

        1/4 diced medium apple (I like sweet apples with this recipe, so fuji, pink lady, honey crisp.)

        2 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce (This gives it a kick, but won't melt your face. If you're concerned, just add to taste.)

        Salt and pepper to taste

        Plenty of celery for scooping

INSTRUCTIONS

    1 .   Mash your avocado with a fork and combine with rest of ingredients

    2.    Celery is my favorite scooper with this one, but get creative if you like - cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, jicama

    Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Goulash

Here's my colorful take on the classic Hungarian dish, goulash. It's typically made with beef, but when I was coming up with this, I was really in the mood for something lighter. And chicken sounded great with these ingredients. Don't worry though, it still cooks up to be a super hearty, comfort food dinner. Plus it's so easy. Oh, how I love easy. I make it in my slow cooker, which I'm totally in love with. The ultimate in "dump the ingredients in and voila!" cooking. No need to sauté anything beforehand. Just chop, cook and eat!

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

        2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

        1 medium onion, sliced

        1 bell pepper, chopped

        1/2 small cabbage, shredded or chopped (depending on desired texture)

        4 medium tomatoes, chopped (2-3 cups)

        1 green onion, chopped for garnish (optional)

        2 tablespoons butter or ghee

        2 tablespoons minced garlic

        2 tablespoons tomato paste

        1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

        1 tablespoon honey

        1 tablespoon paprika

        1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

        2 teaspoons salt

        1 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Simplest ever. Get all your ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for about 3 hours

    2.    Near the end (around the last half hour), use a fork to break up the chicken, stir it in and allow to cook a bit more and soak up the yumminess

Slow Cooker Chicken Potato Soup with Apples

Thad's dubious. "We're having apple soup for dinner?" Yeah, that's fair. Putting apples in soup sounds like a ploy to use up the rest of our bumper crop of backyard apple tree apples. Which, alright fine, it totally is. But a girl can only freeze so much apple sauce. So here was my shot at a savory apple dish, and I've gotta say, it's SO so good. The apples give a lovely, smooth balance to the onions and garlic. And I promise it's not even a little weird. Just all yummed up with hearty potato, chicken, apple tastiness.

* Potato thoughts

YIELD 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

        1 pound skinless chicken breast, chopped

        4 medium potatoes, cubed (no need to peel)

        2 small/medium apples w/ skin on, cubed (I used ginger gold for an even balance between sweet and tart)

        1 large sweet onion, sliced

        1 tablespoon minced garlic

        1 tablespoon ghee or butter

        1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

        1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

        1/2 teaspoon black pepper

        1/2 teaspoon coriander

        1 teaspoon thyme

        1 1/2 cups water

        Green onions, chopped (optional, for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Combine all ingredients (except green onions) in crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours

    2.    About 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, fork the chicken to shred it (it should fall apart easily and soak up lots of the yummy broth)

    3.    Allow to finish cooking and serve