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What's for Dinner: Chinese Chicken Salad
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Chinese Chicken Salad.
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Chinese Chicken Salad
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Normally, I don't give diet books even a second glance. (I'm a big believer in the "everything in moderation" philosophy of eating.) I do, however, love Men's Health editor David Zinczenko's "Eat This, Not That!" series of books, so when I saw his name on this soon-to-be-released title, I had to take a look.
He describes the dinner salad below as "fusion cuisine at its finest." I'm more taken by its ease. A satisfying (and low-cal) dish you can toss together in less than 10 minutes it's perfect for this time a year, when so many of us are multitasking with baking, shopping, decorating and wrapping gifts.
To short cut, substitute bottled dressing.
For salad
1 small head napa cabbage
1/2 head red cabbage
1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 cups chopped or shredded cooked rotisserie chicken
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup canned mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Salt and black pepper to taste
For vinaigrette
1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 1/2-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
Slice the cabbages in half lengthwise and remove the cores. Slice them into thin strips. Toss with sugar in a large bowl. Add chicken, cilantro, oranges and almonds.
Make vinaigrette. Place vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame and peanut oils, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. (I whisked it by hand.)
Add dressing, little by little, to salad until it is coated to your liking; you should use about 1/2 to 3/4 cup. (Recipe makes 11/2 cups.) Toss to combine, and season with salt and pepper.
If adding cold chicken to salad, toss it first with a few tablespoons of vinaigrette and heat in microwave at 50 percent power.
Serves 4.
-- Adapted from "The 8-Hour Diet" by David Zinczenko with Peter Moore (Rodale, Dec. 24, 2012, $26.99)
First Published December 12, 2012 12:00 am
