Spicy Chicken & Avocado Sandwich and French Baguettes

This is normally a sandwich for the summer but when a website mentioned a spicy chicken and avocado sandwich recipe, I didn't want to wait.  It just sounded too good. While that particular recipe wasn't to my liking, I found this spicy chicken recipe that sounded perfect for a sandwich.  And since avocados were on sale for 2 for a $1, I couldn't resist.  What a delicious decision! The chicken added a nice kick but was nicely balanced with melted cheese and the creaminess of the avocados.

And a sandwich this good can't have just any bread.  I highly recommend getting a good french baguette from your grocery store or bakery.  Or if you're brave (and/or cheap) enough, here's a mini french baguette recipe.  While the dough didn't rise enough for me, the bread was still so, so good and perfect for this sandwich (even though I made the bread several days in advance). Perhaps you'll have better luck getting a proper rise!

Spicy Chicken and Avocado Sandwich
Taken from: AllRecipes
Serves: 3-4 sandwiches

• 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 - 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3-4 strips

•  sliced avocado
• Romaine lettuce (or any substitute)
• mozzarella cheese or cheese of your choice, grated or thinly sliced (we've used part-skim mozzarella and sharp cheddar in the past and both were delicious!)
• sliced tomatoes, pickles or any other topping
• good bread (French baguette recipe below is delicious)

 -For the chicken:

1. Preheat grill for medium-high heat. 
2.  In a medium bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, thyme, cayenne pepper, and ground black pepper. Rub the chicken breasts with this mixture until coated.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the grill, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.  

-Meanwhile, slice bread and broil until lightly toasted (about 1-2 minutes).  Add cheese on one half and broil 30 seconds to 1 minute until cheese is melted and bubbling.  
-Make your sandwich to your liking.

French Baguettes
Taken from: AllRecipes
Make 2 regular loves or 4 mini loves

• 1 cup warm water (approx. 100-110 degrees)
• 2 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bread yeast
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water

-Mix sugar and yeast together in a small bowl.  Add 1 cup water and let sit 5-10 minutes.  
-In a large bowl, mix together flour and salt.  Add proofed yeast mixture and mix until fully combined (starting with a wooden spoon. Knead for several minutes until no longer sticky.   
-Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
-Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in 4 strips, creating four 8x6 inch rectangles (or make two 8x12 inch rectangles). Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 6 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end.
-Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix egg white with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
-Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

California BLT and Mexican Bean Salad

As I sit here writing this blog, I'm currently finishing off the rest of the Mexican bean salad (well, that's only partly true...it made so much that I froze half of it! So I'm only finishing off the non-frozen portion.). Bryant and I had BLTs with avocado and Mexican bean salad for dinner Tuesday night. First, I was excited to find this BLT recipe because we both LOVE avocado. Our first week in California, we consumed 4 avocados...4! Once I realized that, I tried to cut back on our intake a bit but they are so creamy and such a good source of monounsaturated fat and potassium.

Another reason why I was excited about the BLT is that we have Bryant's great homemade bread (recipe courtesy of my dad). Since we've been in California, Bryant has started to get into bread baking (I obviously do not complain). He's made two batches (one whole wheat loaf bread and one whole wheat cinnamon boule), both of which have been extremely successful! He's planning to bake more this Sunday because we've already devoured all of his bread.

So if you're going to have a recipe with only a few ingredients, they really should be high quality. With Bryant's bread, farmers market tomatoes and ripe avocados, it was the perfect time for this sandwich. Of course, I nixed the mayo and threw on a few Heinz Genuine dill pickles because that's just what my family does. They were great (even though I finished off half of a sandwich, I don't think one sandwich was quite enough for Bryant so just a heads up).

California BLT
Taken from: Ina Garten

• 4 slices of bacon
• 4 slices of whole-wheat bread
• 2 lettuce leaves (we like Romaine for the crunch)
• 1 tomato, cut into 4 whole slices
  
• 1 avocado, cut into 1/2 in. thick slices
• Lemon juice
• Salt & pepper
  
• Extra toppings: mayo, dijon mustard, pickles, etc.

-Prep all ingredients and toss avocado slices in lemon juice to prevent browning.
-Cook bacon in frying pan over medium high heat until browned. Let drain on a plate covered with a paper towel.
-On a baking sheet, place the 4 slices of bread and broil for 1-2 minutes until browned, checking every 20-30 seconds. Flip slices over and broil for 1 more minute.
-On one of the slices, pile lettuce, bacon, tomato, avocado, salt and pepper and any extra toppings. Place second slice on top and serve.

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I really like bean salads. They're typically fresh and it's a great way to get protein and fiber. This bean salad was no exception but a word of caution - it makes a lot of salad! I put this in a medium sized bowl and it was filled to the brim. I ended up freezing half of the bean salad (I'm not sure how well they freeze but we'll find out!) because I didn't want us to be eating beans for days (maybe weeks). At first, I thought the spices were a bit overpowering but the longer the salad sat, the better the spices melded with the dish. So if you don't like spices, go easy on the cumin and chili powder.

Mexican Bean Salad
Taken from: A Hint of Honey blog

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can canellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  **You could also add avocado, corn or tomatoes.
  

-In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, onion, jalapeno, garlic and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Add oil mixture to large bowl and toss to combine. Allow the salad to sit for a few hours to let the flavors meld together.