summertime lunch: lightened up chinese chicken salad

In the quest to find a new healthy, filling and delicious summertime lunch (that is also bikini body friendly), I whipped up this chinese chicken salad. A far cry from your boring turkey sandwich on wheat, this salad is super tasty and you will not even know it has been lightened up. Added bonus: this recipe calls for a good deal of napa cabbage, which has recently begun showing up in my CSA box. If you leave off the dressing and wontons until just before eating, this makes a great lunch to pack for work or school. Enjoy!

jen

Ingredients

Dressing:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Salad:

1 cup sliced grilled chicken breast
16 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers, shredded
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
4 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
1/4 cup diagonally cut green onions

Preparation

1. For dressing, whisk together ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Set aside.
2. Grill or broil chicken until cooked, cool and slice.
3. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a large pan with nonstick cooking spray, arrange shredded wontons in a single layer and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
4. In a pan, saute almonds over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
5. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, wontons, almonds, cabbage, and green onions. Toss with dressing and serve.

Makes 5, 1 cup servings. Nutrition Info: 220 calories per cup.

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