BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

It's so nice living close to James' school. He is able to come home for lunch anytime, even if he only has an hour break. I have been trying to come up with more creative lunches, even though he would be happy with a ham sandwich everyday. I have also been trying to be better about using leftovers whenever possible. From last nights meal, I had a piece of BBQ chicken and one corn on the cob. I looked up recipes and this is the one that looked most appetizing. I had most of the ingredients for it already, but had to make a quick trip to the store for some of the ingredients included in the dressing. Oh... but the dressing turned out so good. I loved that you could taste avocado in every bite. So if you find yourself with some leftover chicken from the night before, here's a fantastic way to use it. We don't have a grill but grilled chicken would be delicious as well.

BBQ Chicken Salad

Fully Cooked BBQ Chicken (Shredded or cubed) I added a little more sauce to the chicken the next day
Romaine Lettuce (chopped)
Tomatoes (diced)
Corn (canned, or fresh)
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
Bacon strips (previously cooked, and shredded)
Creamy avocado dressing

1. I diced and tossed all the vegetables with the dressing.
2. Then I shredded my chicken with a little more BBQ sauce and heated it up in the Microwave
3. I topped the tossed greens and veggies with bacon bits and warm chicken, and served.

Creamy Avocado Dressing

1 medium avocado
1 small jalapeno*
1/4 cup cilantro
1 lime, juice
1 green onion
1 clove garlic
3/4 cup buttermilk*
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground (I just used a couple of dashes of cumin powder)
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Puree everything in a blender until smooth. Store in fridge and finish with in a few days.

*Those of you who are afraid of spice, don't worry about this jalapeno. It adds a lot of flavor and is not too bad as long as you clean out all the seeds. If you like spice, leave the seeds and you won't be disappointed.
*The dressing turns out quite thick, if you like it a little bit thinner, just add a little more buttermilk.