Sesame-Orange Dressing (Chicken Salad)

This salad was the result of having leftover rotisserie chicken on hand. I'll print the directions (which I've never tried) for making the salad starting with raw chickies though. Just know that this can come together in no time if you've got some cooked chicken on hand. For the life of me I can't remember what blog I got the "adapted" recipe from, but the dressing was originally from Cooking Light magazine. You could use the dressing in all sorts of vegetarian applications too... nice just used on a slaw mix or even a stir fry if you add some cornstarch.

Sesame-Orange Salad Dressing:
(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, June 2009)

This recipe is Low Fat, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Soy Protein-Free and optionally Gluten-Free

2/3 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed is best – about 3 small Navels)
2 Tbs rice vinegar (I did add a bit more of this than called for)
4 tsp soy sauce or wheat-free tamari (for gluten-free)
1 Tbs sesame oil (the good, dark kind if you have it)
2 tsp packed brown sugar
1(+) tsp hot chili sauce (such as Sriracha)
2 Tbs flax meal / ground flax seeds
1 to 2 green onions, minced (optional)
lightly toasted sesame seeds (I used Gomasio seaweed blend so I didn't have to fuss with toasting [read, burning] the seeds)

Whisk everything but the sesame seeds together and allow the dressing to sit for ten to fifteen minutes while you make the rest of your salad. After dousing your salads in this yummy dressing, sprinkle each salad with 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame seeds.

What I read on a blog...

"To prepare a large Asian-Style Orange-Sesame Chicken Salad, I coated 12 ounces of chicken (8 to 10 would be ideal for two people) with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon sherry, 3/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. I then sauteed the meat over medium-high heat in about 2 teaspoons of refined sesame oil. To prepare two salads, I chopped up one large romaine heart, topped the lettuce base with store-bought coleslaw cabbage mix for some crunch, sprinkled on a thinly sliced carrot, followed by the cooked chicken, the dressing, and finally the sesame seeds."

What I did...

Using shredding blade of food processor, shred some carrots and red cabbage. Toss with some of the dressing and set aside.
Dice leftover rotisserie chicken.
If you have one like I did, dice a nice ripe Bartlett pear.
Arrange chopped Romaine lettuce on each plate, toss with some of the dressing.
Add chicken and diced pear to the dressing that's left over and toss to coat.
Place some of the slaw in the center of the Romaine on each plate.
Now top that with your chicken and pear mixture.
Sprinkle the whole salad with either toasted sesame seeds or Gomasio.