Another Mediterranean Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is similar to the one Indy posted but slightly different. It is based on a salad we had at the Pastry Pub.

1 chopped cucumber
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 chopped sweet onion
1 can chopped olives (black or burgundy- your choice)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (can go up to three if they are Roma tomatoes)
2 whole carrots, shredded
1 chopped avocado
2 small chopped chicken breasts (or one large)
1/2 bag pasta, boiled [I prefer spiral (fusilli) pasta]
1/2 bottle Italian dressing- Kraft Pesto Italian
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese - optional

Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl but add the avocado last so it is less likely to get mushy.

Comments
As you may or may not know this is one of my new favorite things to eat. The actual amounts of chicken and pasta (as well as any if the ingredients for that matter) is dependent on your own tastes. I prefer salad which is more lean on the pasta and heavy on the vegetables. The Parmesan is optional or you can use the dried Parmesan cheese powder stuff if you like and then just shake in maybe 1/4 cup. one of the big keys to this salad is choosing the right Italian dressing. My favorite so far was the Kraft pesto Italian although any brand pesto Italian is probably pretty good. If you use some other dressing and feel like the flavor is rather bland try adding additional basil, parsley, oregano, pepper and garlic until it is more flavorful (esp. basil, parsley an oregano).