Asian Chicken or Shrimp Salad

I've finally had a chance to look through the stack of magazines that accumulated while we were away and was surprised to find one of my recipes in the March/April edition of Simple and Delicious - a Taste of Home publication. It was a contest entry that took no prizes, but it's a nice recipe that's very easy to do and I do appreciate the "atta girl." I have a series of recipes that can be done in about 20 minutes. This is one of them. Shrimp can be used in place of chicken if you want a meatless entree. I round out the salad with tomato or egg flower soup for a more filling meal. You'll quickly see that this is a recipe that requires assembly, not cooking. One caution - dress the salad just before serving and don't drown the ingredients. The recipe makes more dressing than you'll need. Refrigerate unused dressing and use it as a dipping sauce. I'm quoted as saying “I serve this salad in lettuce leaves or in pita pockets to friends who enjoy something a bit out of the ordinary. This is fast, easy, a bit exotic and, best of all, delicious. If you like peanut butter, this is the chicken salad for you!" Sometimes I'm so full of it I can't stand myself. It must have been a peanut butter contest.

Asian Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
3/4 cup reduced-fat sesame ginger salad dressing
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 to 3 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 packages (6 ounces each) ready-to-use grilled chicken breast strips
or
1 pound shelled, cooked shrimp
4 cups chopped cucumbers
1 cup chopped sweet red pepper
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup grated carrot
8 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves or 8 small pita pockets
Chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Directions:
1) Combine salad dressing, peanut butter, sesame oil, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes and pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake well to combine.
2) Combine chicken or shrimp, cucumbers, sweet pepper, green onions and carrots in a large bowl. Chill until serving.
3) Just before serving, shake dressing and pout over the chicken or shrimp mixture. Serve on lettuce leaves or in warm pita pockets. Garnish with cilantro if using. Yield: 8 servings.