Asian Salad – Topped with Grilled Chicken

Way back in high school, my good friend, Jeannie Elias, had a huge influence on my life. Jeannie was on fire. She spoke as fast as the speed of light, using dozens of crazy voices, to retell entire movies, line by line. Those were before the days of easy access to entertainment. I couldn’t get enough of hanging out with Jeannie.

Naturally Jeannie studied acting, schlepping me along to the Banff School of Fine Arts in the summer of 1970. Studying acting was fun, especially in the middle of all that stunning, natural beauty. Filling out the application form, with birthdate pushed back 3 years, allowed me freedom from chaperones. Even that was Jeannie’s influence.

In 1975 Jeannie introduced me to sushi. At first it seemed mighty odd to be eating raw fish. She tricked me into tasting eel, which was as tasty as could be, but I never would have knowingly tried it–not after reading “The Tin Drum.” Fond memories of Jeannie and the time we spent together keep me entertained to this day.

Funny how we all live a little in the past, somewhat in the present and a tad in the future. Our food lives parallel that scenario. We recreate and dream about what we loved, struggle to be contemporary in our recipe selections and are eager to learn about the latest upcoming food trends.

Asian Salad 

• 1 chicken breast, flattened (see meat tenderizer in the photo below), sprayed with olive oil, well seasoned, grilled and sliced (see 3 short videos below)
• 1 lettuce, washed and torn
• 1 c snow peas, strings removed, cut in thirds or slivers on an angle
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2-3 green scallions, chopped
• 1 c bean sprouts, well rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c dry noodles, broken into pieces, browned in oven until golden (Ramen or similar type. Serve extra on the side to those who are not overly health conscious)
• 1/2 c pine nuts, browned in 300 degree oven until golden (or toasted slivered almonds)

Mix salad ingredients, add dressing and serve right away to keep noodles crispy.

Dressing

• 1 T olive oil (or a healthy oil of your choice)
• 1 T sugar (maple syrup, or your favorite sweetener)
• 2 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 T soya sauce
• 1 t sesame oil

Mix dressing ingredients to blend flavours. Make a double portion as a chicken dipping sauce or for those who prefer extra dressing.

Asian Salad Print Ready Recipe

Final notes:

• Thank you to a wonderfully supportive Jittery Cook fan, Dorothy Salomon, for this Asian Salad recipe, which I tweaked a little to satisfy my personal preferences. I omitted the Ramen Noodle Mushroom Soup flavour package from the dressing. Contact me if you want Dorothy’s original version.
• Thank you to Christina Abboud for illustrating how to use the Pampered Chef grill pan, oil spray bottle and meat tenderizer, all in 3 short very jittery videos below. I promise that all future videos will include the people’s heads. I was so mesmerized by the subject that I forgot to keep my eye on the viewfinder.
• Jeannie, if you are reading this, I just want to say ‘I still love you!’

Pampered Chef Grill Pan (2.5 minutes)

Pampered Chef Oil Spray Bottle (1 minute)

Pampered Chef Meat Tenderizer (45 seconds)