Crunchy Asian Salad...YUMMY!

Dressing:

1/3 cup avocado  oil

1/3 cup rice vinegar

3 Tbl sugar

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Salad

-1 pkg (3 oz) ramen noodles any flavor

-1 bag (16 oz) coleslaw mix with cabbage and carrots **(I prefer chopping up napa cabbage instead because it has a leafy texture vs. the extreme crunchiness of regular cabbage; I coarsely  shred carrots  and add them.)

-8 medium green onions sliced

-½ cup sliced almonds (toasted)

-1 medium red bell pepper cut into strips (a mixture of other non-green peppers tastes great, too: yellow, orange, red)

-2 seedless oranges, peeled, coarsely chopped **(I use a small can of mandarin oranges, juice drained, instead to make things easier. Refrigerate the can for a couple of hours before serving for a more fresh taste)

-2 cups coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach leaves
-2-3 cups cooked chicken. I prefer the deboned rotisserie chicken from Costco and use about 1/2 package for a single batch of salad.

*In large bowl, beat dressing ingredients with wire whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is well blended.

*Break up ramen noodles in bag before opening. Discard seasoning packet from soup package. Add noodles and all remaining salad ingredients except oranges and spinach to dressing; toss to mix well. Stir in oranges and spinach. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 8 hours. (If you leave the dressing off, the salad itself keeps well for a day or so in the refrigerator).

Balsami-Ginger Chicken Lettuce Cups

(from Woman's Day magazine)
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
1 C long-grain white rice (we really like brown rice with this as well)
2-4 oranges (I also use canned mandarin oranges, which are great as well)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 small head Boston lettuce, leaves separated

1. In crock-pot combine sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and red pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender, 6 to 7 hrs on low or 3 to 4 hrs on high. Make sure not to cook too long since you want sauce to keep chicken moist.

2. While chicken cooks, cook the rice.

3. Meanwhile, cut away the peel and white pith of an orange. Cut the orange into thin half moons and place in a bowl. Fold in the scallions.

4. Using two forks, shred the chicken into the medium pieces and stir into the cooking liquid. Fill the lettuce leaves with the rice and top with the chicken and orange mixture.

Makes 10-12 cups.