Chicken, Bacon, Avocado, & Roasted Asparagus Salad

This recipe for chicken bacon avocado salad jumped out at me as a great salad-as-a-meal option.  The addition of asparagus makes it feel even heartier so you essentially feel like you're eating a full meal in one bowl rather than spread out in different sections on a plate.  I mean, separating your meal's components is just so predictable, am I right?

I made a couple of tweaks: I used lemon/zest + pepper instead of lemon pepper on the asparagus.  I also roasted the asparagus instead of sauteing because I think it gives it a deeper flavor.  I also used rotisserie chicken instead of sliced deli chicken because I prefer the texture.

This guy is actually not too bad for you.  The spinach base is just about the healthiest lettuce you can use (antioxidents, baby!) and, sure, there's bacon (and only about 2 slices - it won't kill ya), but that's a fair trade since you're eliminating the dressing you'd usually pair with a salad like this.  And a little bacon goes a long way.  You could use turkey bacon to make it even better for you...but I just don't do turkey bacon.  There are only so many sacrifices I'm willing to make.  You won't need ranch dressing when you have all the flavors of creamy avocado, zingy lemon, and fresh basil.  If I didn't know the basil was in there, I probably wouldn't have been able to pick it out, but it definitely added something.  It was like a sneaky, undercover flavor agent.