Main dish salad is perfect for celebrating Olympics

By Linda Gassenheimer

Celebrate the Beijing Olympics with this main-dish salad, a simple meal made with shiitake mushrooms, chicken, cashew nuts and an Asian dressing. It’s perfect summer evening fare, warm or at room temperature.

Most supermarkets stock toasted sesame oil, which lends a nutty flavor. Steamed Chinese noodles can be found refrigerated in the produce department.

If you would prefer making the dish with ingredients on hand, angel hair pasta can be used in place of Chinese noodles, white vinegar diluted with a little water in place of rice vinegar, regular sesame or canola oil in place of toasted, walnuts in place of cashews and any sliced mushrooms in place of shiitake.

This meal contains 642 calories with 27 percent of calories from fat.

Wine suggestion: Toasted sesame oil calls for a toasty wine; try a California chardonnay.

HELPFUL HINTS

Any type of cooked chicken can be used.

Minced garlic can be found in jars in the produce section of the market.

A quick way to slice scallions is to snip them with a scissors.

COUNTDOWN

Place water for noodles on to boil.

Mix sauce.

Boil noodles.

Make salad.

SHOPPING LIST

To buy: 1 bottle toasted sesame oil, 1 bottle rice vinegar, 1 package steamed Chinese noodles, 3‚Ñ4 pound cooked chicken breast meat, 1 red bell pepper, 1 small package shiitake mushrooms, 1 bag ready-to-eat romaine lettuce, 1 bunch scallions, 1 small package cashew nuts.

Staples: Low-sodium soy sauce, bottle minced garlic, salt, black peppercorns.

Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

11‚Ñ2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (divided use)

1‚Ñ4 pound steamed or dried Chinese noodles

3‚Ñ4 pound boneless, skinless, roasted or rotisserie chicken breast

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 red bell pepper, sliced (about 1 cup)

1 cup sliced shiitake or portobello mushrooms

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Washed, ready-to-eat romaine lettuce (about 3 cups)

2 scallions, sliced

2 tablespoons cashew nuts

Place a medium saucepan filled with water on high heat.

Mix the soy sauce, vinegar and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.

When water boils, add the noodles. Cook 2 minutes and drain in a colander. Run cold water through them. Set aside.

Heat the remaining 1‚Ñ2 tablespoon sesame oil in a wok or nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the chicken, garlic, red pepper and mushrooms. Stir fry 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove pan from the heat and add the noodles, sauce mixture and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well.

Divide lettuce between 2 dinner plates. Spoon noodle and meat mixture over lettuce. Sprinkle with scallions and cashews. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 642 calories (27 percent from fat), 19.6 g fat (2.9 g saturated, 10 g monounsaturated), 144 mg cholesterol, 53.7 g protein, 60.9 g carbohydrates, 8 g fiber, 742 mg sodium.