The Ultimate Chicken and Avocado Sandwich

I don’t take sandwiches to work very often, but when I do I want them to be really tasty…

and this sandwich was just that!

A delicious combination of poached chicken, lots of fresh herbs and avocado; I added yoghurt in place of mayonnaise to give it a creamy texture.  Then topped the filling with home sprouted mung bean sprouts*.

This sandwich contains all that you want for a delicious, healthy, nourishing lunch – a low GI carbohydrate (choose a grain or sourdough bread, I used Bill’s Organic Multigrain Bread available in Woolworths), a low fat protein (skinless chicken breast and the low fat yoghurt), some vegetables/salad (lettuce and sprouts) and some healthy fat (avocado).  Yum!

Sprouts are really easy to do yourself and there are plenty of youtube videos to show you how if you have never done it before.  I have included a summary of how I did mine below.

Sprouts are incredibly nutritious.  The sprouting process is said to make the beans more easily digestible (so no gassy issues!) and the nutrients in the beans more accessible.  It has also been shown that in the process of sprouting, the vitamins, minerals and protein increase substantially with a corresponding decrease in calories and carbohydrate content.
Mung bean sprouts are a good source of potassium, folate, B group vitamins, vitamin C, protein and fibre.  They are also very low in calories so make a great crunchy snack (1 cup of sprouts has 22 calories, 3g of protein, 1.5g carbohydrate and nearly 2g of fibre).  As well as adding them to sandwiches, you can include them in salads, stir fries, many vegetable dishes, curries, spring rolls, soups or use them as a filling for pancakes (as in the Vietnamese crispy pancake banh xeo).

My Ultimate Chicken and Avocado Sandwich

Makes 2 sandwiches

• 100g (3/4 cup approx.) shredded cooked chicken
• 2 tablespoons low fat Greek yoghurt
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh herbs – parsley, chives, basil or coriander etc
• 1/2 large avocado, diced
• salt and pepper
• 4 slices sour dough rye or wholegrain bread
• 4 large lettuce leaves
• 1 cup any type of sprouts (I used mung bean)

Directions:

1. Mix chicken, yoghurt and herbs together well.
2. Add avocado, salt and pepper to taste and mix gently.
3. Lay 2 slices of bread on a board and top with 2 lettuce leaves each (this will stop your sandwich from going soggy!)
4. Spoon half of the chicken mixture on top of each of the lettuce leaves
5. 
6. Then top with half a cup of sprouts each
7. 
8. Place another slice of bread on top and cut each sandwich in half.
9. Wrap each half separately (this just makes them easier to manage) and store in a cool place until you are ready to eat.

Per Serve:  1590kJ or 378 calories; P 22g Fat 15g SFat 3g CHO 30g Fibre 8g

*How to Sprout Mung Beans:
1. Wash 1/3 cup of mung beans well, then cover with fresh water and leave them to soak overnight (or for at least 6 hours).
2. The next day, drain the soaked beans, transfer to a large open-necked jar and place a piece of cheesecloth or clean chux over the jar, using a rubber band to hold it in place.  Place in a cool, dark cupboard
3. Rinse twice a day by removing the cheesecloth, filling the jar with water to cover the beans, then replacing the cheesecloth, tipping the jar upside down and allowing the water to completely drain out through the cheesecloth.
4. After 3 days your sprouts will be ready. Rinse them, drain well and refrigerate in a container.

Makes at least 4 cups of sprout!