Wild Rice Chicken Salad

I make this once a week all summer long. It's delicious and comes from Kate's cookbook and from a fellow Boston Gourmet Group member (embarrassingly, I can't find Saydi's contact info anywhere...anyone have it?). It requires a few hours to marinate before dinner. And, it gets better the next day when we like to scoop it onto pita bread. Kate's notes are in ()'s and mine are in italics. This is one of the BEST top-8 allergy free recipes I've found.

WILD RICE CHICKEN SALAD
Saydi Eyre Shumway

1 box (Uncle Ben’s) long grain and wild rice
juice of 1 lemon
3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced--I sprinkle grill seasoning on chicken breasts and grill them
2 avocados, diced
4 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 oz Chinese pea pods, ends removed (I usually skip these even though they taste good)
1 c toasted, chopped pecans optional

Dressing:
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 c olive oil
1 Tb Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp sugar
1/3 c seasoned rice vinegar


Prepare rice mix according to directions. Blend all dressing ingredients well in blender. Add oil last, slowly, to thicken (But I just press my garlic and shake the dressing in an old jam jar). Mix all salad ingredients except avocados and pecans. Refrigerate 2 to 24 hours (better if 24). Add avocado and pecans immediately before serving. I love this without the chicken; I think the advocado and pecans make it a perfect vegetarian dinner.