Fantastic Friday

Happy Friday Everyone!!!  I trust that we are all happy the weekend has arrived.  Well, nearly every day is a weekend for us anymore now that we are both retired but I still love weekends anyway.  It is the time we can get together with friends who still have to work for a living.  I know.....I have a little bit of a mean streak in me....

Yesterday, I posted a recipe that I created for Fortune Foods Asian Noodle Blogger Contest.  I named my creation Mandarin Orange Yakisoba Salad.....pretty original, huh.  The name may not be spectacular but the salad was out of this world.  It is one of those salads that you want to make ahead of time because the longer the flavors meld the better it tastes.

We were going to Music in the Park and meeting up with a group of friends.  I volunteered to bring dinner because they were all coming from work and I had all the time in the world....there I go again...sorry. :)

I decided to take the Yakisoba Salad and wanted to stick to the Asian theme so I made on of my standby chicken salad recipes that I first found in Ina Garten's cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Parties. This Asian Chicken Salad is wonderful because it can be made ahead of time and can be served either cold or at room temperature making it perfect for picnics and outings.

I have adapted the recipe nearly every time I make it depending on what I have available in the refrigerator that I want to toss in.  This time I made it to be Fast Metabolism Diet friendly.  This is perfect for Phase 3 of the eating plan.

I normally use leftover chicken for this dish.  This time I picked up some roasted chickens from the grocers and used the white meat for this salad, saving the dark meat for another meal. I am writing the recipe, as I adapted it, both ways.  Substitute the items in the parenthesis to make it Phase 3 friendly.

Asian Chicken Salad
adapted from Barefoot Contessa; Parties

4 cups, cooked, white meat chicken, shredded (about 4 split breasts)
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed, cut into thirds
10-12 Snow peas, ends trimmed and sliced into 1/4" pieces
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced, slices cut in half
2 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
1 T. sesame seeds

Dressing:

1/2 c. olive oil
2 T. rice vinegar
2 T. soy sauce (coconut aminos)
1 1/2 T. dark sesame oil
1/2 T. honey (1/4 t. stevia)
1  garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
1/4 c. smooth peanut butter (almond or cashew butter)
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken in a large bowl.  Blanch the asparagus by dropping into boiling water for 1 minute and then immediately plunging into ice water.  Drain and add to the chicken along with the snow peas, bell pepper, scallions and sesame seeds.

Place the olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger and peanut butter into a jar with a lid.  Seal and shake vigorously until well combined and smooth.  Taste, season with salt and pepper and shake again.

Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss to cover completely.  Can be served room temperature or refrigerated and served cold.  Print Recipe