Japanese Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite salads. Not only does it taste delicious but the dressing is low fat, so I don't feel as guilty when I eat a lot of it. You can prepare the chicken as described below or to make it really fast and easy I like to use left over chicken from this recipe.

Japanese Chicken Salad
recipe courtesy Cathy Richards

1-5 oz. can LaChoy Rice noodles-not chow mein noodles
3-4 chicken breasts-sprinkled with powdered ginger and garlic salt, wrapped in foil and baked for 1 hour at 350, cooled and shredded.
1 head lettuce-shredded (I use red or green leaf lettuce or a combination of the two if I double the recipe)
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup shredded cucumber
1-2 oz. package slivered almonds, toasted
2-3 green onions, sliced

Combine above ingredients together in a large bowl. Toss with salad dressing - recipe below.

Dressing:
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
Heat until sugar dissolves — cool

(All ingredients, except noodles and dressing, may be prepared in advance, covered and stored.)

Warm Broccoli Cheese Spread

Wow I can't believe it has been a whole two months since I've posted a recipe! Some of that time I was on vacation, but still that is no excuse. Hopefully I can get back in to the swing of things and post some yummy recipes if any one is still out there after my hiatus.

I tried this warm broccoli cheese spread the other night for book club and it was a hit. It was really easy and fast to put together and tasted delicious!

Warm Broccoli Cheese Spread
adapted from Taste of Home

1 package low fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained and patted dry
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and salad dressing mix until blended. Fold in the broccoli and 1 1/2 cups of cheese.

Spoon into a shallow 1 quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve warm with crackers.