Sesame chicken cucumber noodle salad

This morning I woke up with a really sore back from spending all day yesterday outside in my garden, digging and planting. But, I went for a run and now I am back to normal (I love that running does that!) We really have been cheated of any spring this year, but finally we had a decent day perfect for gardening. Our local farmers market opened up just a couple of weeks ago and I was so excited to finally go and by fresh, from local farmers. But, due to the cold spring weather we have had the growing season is lagging several weeks behind normal and there was only a few stands open, mainly with flowers. My four-year old daughter loves to go for the Kettle popcorn and those guys were there too, so she got a huge bag to take home and share with her siblings.

 Well, I bought some beautiful plants; a nice cherry tomato plant, a couple of pepper plants and most of my herb plants. I can't wait to get my herb garden going! Buying them at the grocery store is so expensive and so much goes to waist. In addition to my beautiful chive plant I now have mint, basil, cilantro, parsley and thyme. This should cover most of my recipes. I may add dill and oregano, since these show up in a few of my Mediterranean recipes. I will keep you posted on how they are all doing. The meal of the day today is this gorgeous looking chicken salad I found in Eating Well Magazine. It is full of great colors and healthful goodness. I am a big fan of Chef Ming Tsai, who is behind this recipe, and I try to catch his cooking show whenever I can (hardly as often as I would like!). I just like the food he cooks and trusted that this recipe would be great. And I was not disappointed. Mr. Ming knows his stuff and I am glad I can serve something this good and healthy to my family. Everyone, except my two little ones enjoyed this salad. They did however like the chicken and ate that plain! No one went hungry!

Sesame chicken cucumber noodle salad

8 ounces Chinese egg noodles

 or other thin noodles or pasta, fresh or dried

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 cup thinly sliced scallions

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon Asian chile sauce (I used Sriracha)

2 heads baby romaine, or 1 head regular romaine lettuce

1 1/2 pounds cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts

sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices and chilled

2 medium red bell peppers, diced

1 large English cucumber, peeled seeded,

halved lenghtwise and sliced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Fill a large bowl with water and add ice cubes. Cook noodles in boiling water until just tender, 2-4 minutes (see package directions). Drain and transfer the noodles to the ice water. When the noodles are cold, drain well and transfer to a very large bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, whisk peanut butter, vinegar, sesame oil and Sherry in a bowl until smooth. Add scallions, cilantro, if using, soy sauce and hot sauce, and stir to blend.

Core lettuce and cut into bite size pieces.

Add the lettuce, chicken, bell pepper and cucumbers to the noodles. Add three- fourths of the dressing and toss to coat (see note). Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining dressing if desired.

Toast raw sesame seeds in dry skillet 2-3 minutes

Transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Serve garnished with the sesame seeds.

Note! Go easy on the dressing. I only used about half of it. Don't dress the salad until you are ready to serve. If you are planning on eating this over a few days (there is a lot!) dress the salad as you go, otherwise the lettuce will become soggy.

Serves 8-10 well

Recipe adapted from Ming Tsai as featured in Eating Well Magazine, May/June 2011