So next weekend I am catering a lunch, something I have not done in a long time. I saw this salad on a blog a month ago by Jamie Oliver and thought it would be perfect. I just finished making it and it is delicious!!! I did increase the dressing recipe by half, it just didn’t seem like enough. I also used only the red pepper. I hope the girls on our fundraising committee like it as much as I do. I’m going to serve it with some Bruschetta and French Bread and fresh fruits.

Asian Noodle Salad

SALAD:
1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 small bag bean sprouts
3 sliced scallions
1 peeled, sliced cucumber
chopped cilantro-to taste
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet

DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped

Mix together salad ingredients in LARGE bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs and serve in a big bowl or platter.

I dressed this salad right away and think I should of left out the spinach until just before serving.

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

I got this recipe from a friend of mine. She made it for a home party I went to. I absolutely love it and will be making it often this summer. The dressing is light with a orange ginger flavor. It is good served right when you make it or you can wait until it chills. It could be served as a main course salad, it has lots of chicken in it.

Sula’s Orange Chicken Pasta Salad

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise (I use fat free)
½ cup (from the can) orange juice
2 t. dried basil leaves
¼ t. ground ginger

Salad
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed (about 2 cups cubed)…I’ve also used the frozen cooked Tyson chicken to expedite the preparation time.
2 cups rotini pasta, not over cooked and drained
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin orange segments, drained
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup dried cranberries

Mix the first four ingredients together. If salad is not going to be served right away, double the amount of dressing as the salad tends to be dry if it has been chilled. Reserve ½ to 1 cup of dressing to add just before serving.

Pour the dressing over the remainder of the ingredient in a large bowl. Mix lightly. If you make this too far ahead of time, the noodles and chicken soak up the dressing.

Delicious!

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s ribs! It started pouring and severe weather warnings just as I was going out to do them tonight so they are now on tomorrows menu. They are cooked with rum and pineapple. I can’t wait to see how they turn out. I’m going to truly try to keep this blog updated.