Here is another great recipe for a salad that makes a meal. Adding chicken or salmon to a crunch salad gives you protein and enough substance to make a new meal out of leftover cooked meat. Add a whole grain roll and a glass of milk and your main food groups are all represented. This recipe uses bottled Oriental or Asian black bean sauce for convenience. You can easily substitute peanut sauce if you prefer, and if you are really ambitious you can make your own black bean sauce. This allows you to monitor the sodium, which can be high in prepared sauces. Be mindful of the red chili peppers – start with just using one and see how your family fares – you can always add the second if they are ready to try a spicier version. This is a super low-fat alternative to the fast food oriental salads offered at Wendy’s, McDonald’s and Burger King.
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Oriental-style black bean sauce
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2/3 cup chopped green onions
2 dried red chili peppers, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
Romaine lettuce leaves
orange bell pepper, sliced thinly
dried egg noodles for garnish
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 can mandarin orange segments
Method:
Slice the chicken breasts into thin slices. Use a shallow glass dish (I use my pyrex lasagna dish) to combine chicken and black bean sauce. Make sure the chicken is well-coated with marinade. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about half an hour. Spray a wok or large non-stick skillet with vegetable cooking spray. Add the chicken and saute over medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes or until it is no longer pink inside. Stir in cucumber, green onions, bell pepper, chili peppers and peanuts. Saute for another minute then remove the wok from the heat. Arrange romaine lettuce leaves on four large dinner plates or salad bowls. Spoon the chicken mixture over the lettuce leaves. Garnish with the egg noodles, sesame seeds and mandarin orange segments. Serve immediately.
This recipe makes four servings of 187 calories each. There are 9 carbs per serving, 28 grams of protein, 573 grams of sodium, 4 grams of fat and 66 mgs of cholesterol.