Ruthanna posted an asparagus salad with orange that would repeat your orange chicken flavor, & asparagus is in season now.

ORANGE AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

3/4 to 1 lb asparagus
1 to 2 oranges, peeled & sectioned
1 Tbsp chopped shallots
1 Tbsp basalmic vinegar
½ tsp honey
1 tsp dry sherry
1/4 c orange juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
orange zest
salt & pepper to taste
mint to taste

Put steamed and blanched asparagus and peeled and sectioned oranges in a bowl. Add dressing, toss, and chill. Just before serving sprinkle with salt, freshly ground black pepper, sliced orange zest and chopped fresh mint.

Or Weed's broiled asparagus with Parmesan is great, too.

Parmesan Crusted Asparagus
3 Â 4 servings

1 lb asparagus, ends trimmed
3 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (packed) grated Parmesan cheese

Cook or steam asparagus until just crisp-tender. Err on the side of undercooked, since you will be putting them under the broiler for additional minutes later. Plunge into an ice water bath to retain color and halt cooking. Drain very well. (I went as far as putting them on a clean kitchen towel and patting dry.)
Preheat broiler.
Arrange asparagus on broiler-proof platter. Mix softened butter with basil, garlic and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Put butter mixture in microwave and heat until pourable. Drizzle butter mixture all over asparagus, then sprinkle the parmesan on top.
Broil asparagus until topping browns, watching closely to avoid burning.
If you use a cookie sheet to broil them, slide a flat spatula under them to transfer to your serving platter - this will keep the yummy parmesan crust attached to the asparagus.

Thanks Kathleen, both recipes look delicious & asparagus have been on sale lately.

This is my current favorite dressing for spinach salad. I've been putting it over plain spinach, but you could certainly add a few strawberries to the salad, and or pine nuts, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds.

Good luck - the rest of the meal sounds wonderful!

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Strawberry Balsamic Dressing

1 cup of fresh hulled strawberries
3 tablespoon of canola oil (or other flavor neutral oil)
1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (to taste)
1 teaspoon sugar (or to taste depending on the sweetness of the strawberries)
Cracked black pepper
Salt

Cut the strawberries into chunks and mix with the sugar. Let sit for about 15 minutes until they are very juicy. Put the macerated strawberries into a blender with the balsamic. Blend until smooth. Add the oil and blend for a few seconds until completely emulsified. Add cracked black pepper and salt to taste.
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I also have been making the following for an appetizer for every get together for the last couple of weeks:

Asparagus Wrapped in Crisp Prosciutto with Balsamic glaze
Ingredients:
½ cup balsamic
1 tbsp honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
16 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed
16 slices prosciutto
Coarse salt and cracked pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with olive oil.
Put balsamic in small non-reactive sauce pan. Add honey and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 min or so until reduced by about half and it is thick and syrupy.
Wrap one slice of prosciutto around each asparagus spear, starting at the bottom, and spiraling up to the tip. Place the wrapped spears on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove, and shake the pan back and forth to roll the spears over. Return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes, or until asparagus is tender, and prosciutto is crisp.
Drizzle balsamic glaze over the spears and serve immediately

I would definately do a Cheese Tray as an appetizer. The Chicken sounds vaguely Moroccan, susbstitue the Rice with Couscous, Israeli if you can find it, and then I love this as a cool accompaniment. If you can't find fresh Beets to roast, I have used grocery store baby Beets right from the can very successfully. Cut them into quarters, depending on how large they are. Don't get pickled Beets by mistake!!

I do not add nor advocate little green words in my postings!!

MOROCCAN BEET SALAD

6 Â 8 Medium Beets
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 Teaspoon Cumin, or to taste
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
½ Cup Minced Fresh Parsley

Wrap Beets in foil and roast at 400 degrees F until tender to the point of a knife. Cool and slice into ¼" slices. Place in a serving bowl.

In a small bowl, place Lemon Juice, Garlic, Cumin and Salt and Pepper, whisk in Olive Oil, and pour over Beets. Let sit for a few hours. Server on a bed of lettuce if desired and sprinkle with Parsley just before serving.

Steve

Yum, Steve, that beet recipe sounds good. I love beets.

I also agree, a simple cheese tray would be a good appetizer, especially with the spicy chicken. And I was going to suggest asparagus as a side but I've been beaten to the punch a couple of times in this thread already!

Annie

The recipe is from Zanzibar according to the cookbook Ginger East to West. It calls for duck but I've made it numerous times substituting chicken thighs with no ill effects. (Browning & turning a whole duck [in this case, maybe 2] in several inches of fiery oil is just not as much fun as it sounds, LOL!)

I love the idea of the beets but don't know if DH will pitch a fit since he thinks beets MUST be pickled. Beets or Asparagus or maybe both???? And the dressing on the spinach salad sounds yummy but dessert is fruit based so I may pass on that this time.

Thanks for all the suggestions & confirmation on the cheese tray appetizer.