Pampered Chef Mandarin Pasta Salad

This fresh, Asian-inspired main dish is ideal for impromptu entertaining.


Dressing:
1 teaspoon finely chopped, peeled fresh gingerroot
1/3 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Onion Soup Mix
2 teaspoons sugar
1 garlic clove, pressed

Salad:
8 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta
1/2 cucumber, scored, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach leaves
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin orange segments, drained
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted


1. For dressing, finely chop gingerroot using Food Chopper. In Small Batter Bowl, combine gingerroot, vinegar, orange juice, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soup mix, sugar and garlic pressed with Garlic Press; whisk until well blended. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use.

2. For salad, cook pasta according to package directions in Professional (8-qt.) Stockpot; drain and rinse under cold running water using large Colander. Place pasta in Simple Additions™ Large Bowl.

3. Meanwhile, score cucumber using Lemon Zester/Scorer; remove seeds using The Corer™. Slice cucumber using Ultimate Slice & Grate; cut slices in half. Dice bell pepper using Chef’s Knife. Coarsely chop onion using Food Chopper.

4. Add cucumber, bell pepper, onion, spinach, mandarin oranges, chicken and almonds to pasta. Pour dressing over salad; toss using Bamboo Spatula Set. Serve immediately. Yield: 12 servings

Nutrients per serving (11/2 cups): Calories 210, Total Fat 9 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Carbohydrate 21 g, Protein 11 g, Sodium 210 mg, Fiber 2 g

FYI: You can make this without using any Pampered Chef items! I didn't add the mandarin oranges to our salad for the party and I forgot about the cucumber. I make this salad quite often for myself; here's a tip to help it keep for small servings. I keep all the ingredients prepped in seperate containers with lids in the fridge. Then I just toss them together in the serving size I want and throw some Newman's Own Lowfat Sesame Ginger dressing on it and I'm good to go. The homemade dressing is AWESOME, but when I'm making the salad for my lunches, etc, Newman's does the job. As far as the almonds go, I much prefer raw slivered almonds. More flavor and crunch.