Asian Chicken Salad

Sweet Sesame Dressing

2/3 C rice vinegar
1 C canola oil
2 Tbs sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed or very finely minced
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 C sugar
4 Tbs sesame seeds

Place all ingredients into a quart jar (or something equivalent) and shake vigorously. If desired, make ahead of time and store in the fridge.

2 heads romaine lettuce
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1 cucumber, sliced
1 package wontons
vegetable oil for frying
optional: cashews (Mel noted in the comments that cashews are a yummy addition, I'll have to try it!)

Sweet Sesame Dressing

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a pot on the stove top. Use pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut wontons into thirds (3 strips). You may not need the entire package, depending on how much salad you're making. I usually use about half of the wonton wrappers. You'll want the oil at about 375 degrees. Test by dipping a wonton in and seeing if it bubbles up quickly. Fry wontons a few at a time and set on paper towels to dry. These can be made ahead of time and kept in an air tight container.

Tear clean lettuce into chunks and place in a large salad bowl. Top with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and red onion. Add shredded chicken and top with Sweet Sesame Dressing. Toss salad together. Once everything is well coated, add wonton strips and gently toss to combine.

Asian Cabbage Salad
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 14 oz bag coleslaw mix
1 rib celery, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 small handful sugar snap peas (about 20 baby ones)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
1 T toasted sesame seeds*
1/3 C slivered or sliced almonds, toasted*
Optional: 1 1/2 C cooked, shredded or diced chicken

Dressing:
2 T canola oil
2 T cider vinegar
1/4 C seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T sugar (or equivalent of sugar substitute)
1 t kosher salt
2 t soy sauce
1/4 t garlic powder, or one small garlic clove, minced
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t sesame oil

* To toast almonds or sesame seeds, place them (not together, do one thing at a time!) in a dry skillet over medium heat. Turn constantly until golden brown. Let cool before using.

Begin by making dressing. Combine all ingredients in a sealed jar and shake shake shake. Store in the fridge until ready to use. You can definitely do this part a few days ahead of time.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Ingredients

• 8 ounces young spinach
• 2 large eggs
• 8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large white mushrooms, sliced
• 3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced

Directions

Remove the stems from the spinach and wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the eggs into an electric kettle and cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Turn the kettle on. Once the water comes to a boil, the kettle will turn itself off. Leave the eggs in the water for 15 minutes. Remove and peel off the shell. Slice each egg into 8 pieces and set aside.

While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Whole Wheat, Low Sugar Carrot Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon Stevia

3 cups shredded carrots

1 cup applesauce

1 cup toasted unsweetened coconut



Mix dry and wet ingredients separately (sugar and coconut = wet), then mix together. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Bangla Style Greens

1 pound leafy greens like baby bok choi, spinach or dandelion greens 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon panch puran 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or ref pepper flakes 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 1/12 cups finely chopped onions 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar if using bitter greens like dandelion Wash and thoroughly drain the greens. Chop coarsely and set aside. Heat the oil in a large wok or a large deep heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spices and cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, but not the salt. Stir briefly, then add the garlic and stir-fry for just 10 seconds. Add the onions and stir-fry, lowering the heat to medium after 2 minutes, until very tender and soft, about 10 minutes. If using sugar, add now. Raise the heat to high, add the greens and stir-fry until they are bright green, 1-5 minutes depending on the greens. Add the salt and continue to stir-fry until the greens give off their liquid, then cover and steam for 1 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to stir-fry until tender and cooked through. Timing will depend on the greens you use. Transfer to a bowl and serve hot. Serves 6.