I have to say, last week was a girly one. Not only did I have a craft date and a baby shower, I attended a clothing swap. For those of you that haven’t been to a clothes swap, let me fill you in. Basically, it entails a bunch of women bringing their unwanted used clothing to a gathering, spreading the clothes out amongst the room, and digging through the clothes in order to find treasures from their friend’s trash.
Normally while cleaning out my closet, I mull over whether or not to save that top for a once-in-a-blue-moon outfit, and debate whether I need to keep that dress for its stylish comeback in five to ten years. I get rid of a few things but save many more items than I should. Yet prior to the clothes swap, I was unusually strong handed in my tossing. If the item had a small hole or stain, it went straight to the textile recycling. If it hadn’t been worn more than once in over a year, it went straight to the clothes swap bag. Currently, my closet feels wonderfully light and free, ready for new and exciting items.
I think my unusual strength in tossing clothes came from knowing that my clothes would have a familiar new home, as silly as that sounds. One of my friends took my tube top to wear as a skirt, another took home a dress that I saw her wearing later that week, and another grabbed a shirt I once loved but was tired of since I wore it so much. My clothes were not just thrown out; they simply found a new owner with a new love and appreciation for them. This made me so happy! Yes, it’s a little silly, but there’s nothing wrong with finding some joy in the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle). I even went home with two new tops, a scarf, and a dress that I plan to use the fabric for a sewing project.
You know what else makes me happy? When people love what I make. The clothes swap attendees seemed to really like my new recipe for curried chicken salad. My problem these days is that I’ve gotten used to all the alternative health foods out there that sometimes I need a few “normal” eaters to taste test my creations and make sure it is delicious for all. I definitely got a stamp of approval on this one.
I hadn’t made chicken salad in ages because of all the mayo but I found a quick and healthy switch that doesn’t change the flavor: the amazing avocado. All it takes is some quick blending of the sauce…
chopping of the add-ins,
mixing all together,
and spooning on leaves of lettuce.
Simple. Healthy. Delicious.
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup // 60 mL olive oil
- juice from ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 apple, diced in ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup // 170 grams grapes, chopped in halves*
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- ½ cup // 70 grams chopped cashews
- 3.5 cups // 400 grams shredded chicken
- small hot pepper, minced (optional)
- Place the avocado, vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice into a small bowl. With an immersion blender, blend the ingredients until smooth. Stir in the curry powder, mustard, syrup, salt, and pepper. Add in the apples, grapes, chopped onions, cashews, chicken, and hot pepper. Stir until combined.
- Serve on pieces of lettuce, in a sandwich, or on top of mixed greens. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 3-4 days.
- *You can swap in raisins for the grapes for a different and still delicious taste!
4 Responses
Yum! I’m making this immediately when I get back home. I love a good chicken salad, but not so much the mayo. Also, the wine glass vase looks good in the background. 🙂
gee that sounds easy, i may even try it to share with my neighbor Roni, we do share dinner at
least once a week. eating alone gets boring.
love to my favorite youngest gd. xoxo
A clothes swap sounds like so much fun! I definitely have the same issues when trying to clean my closet, so maybe knowing my clothes would go to a familiar home would make things easier. I have totally gotten used to health foods as well! Everything tastes great to me, but I always want someone who isn’t used to that stuff to try it just incase it’s not as good as I think it is! I can’t wait to try this chicken salad – curried chicken salad is one of my favorites and I haven’t made it in years. Thanks for sharing!
It definitely helps closet cleaning! I’m glad I’m not the only one with the health foods problem 🙂 Luckily this one was a winner, but I still haven’t convinced my husband of my dairy free caesar dressing…more testing to be done!