Extra Virgin Olive Oil (has to be a fruity one) and balsamic vinegar. Or nothing. I admit to being way to fond of arugula with way too much olive oil and Italian dense white bread on the side. Don't need vinegar for that (and my rosacea is the better for it). My husband has learned to like the oil and vinegar - years ago it was creamy salad dressing garnished with a tiny piece of lettuce. I used to call in chip dip on a plate.

This is one of my favorite salads-I also like to stuff a tomatoe with it also. "Sharon's Shrimp Salad" ************************ *4 cups cooked pasta (the tiny "O" ring pasta..al dente) * 1/2 lb cooked shrimp-sliced in half lengthways 1 cup thinly sliced celery 1 cup frozen green peas-cooked till just done! 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes-diced 1/2 cup diced sweet onion 1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, cut in chunks salt & pepper to taste grated rind & juice of 1 lemon DRESSING: ********* Equal parts of MARIE'S Blue Cheese Vinagrette (in produce case at the grocery) and Catalina dressing.Blend together & mix into the pasta salad. Mighty Tasty!!

i can't believe i chopped off the original poster's name and i apologize for that--i think it belongs to "dances in garden". if not, please step forward and correct me! but this was a good dish that was kind of fun to prepare and eat: Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps 2 cups, 4 handfuls, fresh shiitake mushrooms 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders 2 tablespoons light colored oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil Coarse salt and coarse black pepper 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 inch ginger root, finely chopped or grated, optional 1 orange, zested 1/2 red bell pepper, diced small 1 small tin, 6 to 8 ounces, sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped 3 scallions, chopped 3 tablespoons hoisin, Chinese barbecue sauce, available on Asian foods aisle of market 1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered Wedges of navel orange -- platter garnish Remove tough stems from mushrooms and brush with damp towel to clean, Slice mushrooms. Chop chicken into small pieces. Preheat a large skillet or wok to high. Add oil to hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or 2. Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more. Grate zest into pan, add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir fry mixture. Add hoisin Chinese barbecue sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. Transfer the hot chopped barbecued chicken to serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce along side. Add wedged oranges to platter to garnish. To eat, pile spoonfuls into lettuce leaves, wrapping lettuce around fillings and squeeze an orange wedge over. I was trying to replicate my favorite lettuce wraps from PF Chang's, so I changed a few things. I used ground turkey instead of chicken tenders, skipped the orange, added more complexity to the sauce, and had cilantro, basil and lime wedges on the plate for people to add to the wraps. This is what I added to the hoisin sauce: 5 tsp sweet chili sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, 1 TBSP sherry, 2 TBSP rice vinegar, 3 TBSP oyster sauce, and juice from half a lime. I think this made them much tastier. They were unbelievably delicious!! A keeper for company. i really enjoyed this but my husband didn't so i've only made it once. i certainly would be happy to make it for lunch with the girlfriends though! Braised Greek Chicken and Artichokes 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 chicken breast halves with skin and bones 2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained 2 tablespoons marinade reserved 3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and sautchicken until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons reserved marinade, broth, lemon juice, peel, and crushed pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until chicken is almost cooked through, about 10 minutes. Uncover; stir in artichokes and 2 tablespoons oregano. Simmer until liquid is slightly reduced and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon oregano. Season with salt and pepper; serve. Makes 4 servings. Bon Appétit December 2001 and we both liked this one really well: ORANGE HONEY-BAKED CHICKEN -- Daisy 1 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3 tablespoons honey 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind 1/2 teaspoon ginger 4 boned chicken breast fillets (about 500g) 2 tablespoons orange marmalade (1/8 tsp red pepper flakes) (2 T peanut butter added into the sauce to be reduced) Preheat oven to 200C. In baking dish, mix together orange juice, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons honey, orange peel and ginger. Add chicken pieces, turning to coat all sides. If time permits, let chicken marinate for 10 minutes. Bake, uncovered, for 8 minutes, baste with pan juices. Bake an additional 8 minutes, baste again. Glaze chicken with a mixture of marmalade and remaining 1 tablespoon honey, continue to bake 8-10 minutes or until done. Transfer chicken to serving plate. Reduce pan juices until thickened and pour over chicken, garnish with orange slices.

Here's the one I have made a few times. It was from Yahoo and seems to be a lot like Tyler's above. I add sesame seeds also. I haven't tried it with Tahini, but I'm sure it would be better. It's not as good as what I used to get in the NY. restaurants (the local Chinese restaurants don't offer it,) but it's a good no-frills estimation. Btw... the peanut butter absorbs the flavor of the toasted sesame oil. Without it (or tahini) the toasted sesame oil is going to be strong. "Cold Sesame Noodle: 1 lb Spaghetti or Linguini (cooked, drained, rinsed w/cold water) Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced (qty up to you) Snow Peas, thinly sliced (qty up to you) 1/2 C Peanut Butter 1/3 C Water 1/4 C Rice Vinegar (not the "flavored" kind) 1/4 C Soy Sauce 2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil 1 Jalapeno Chile, chopped (seeds & veins optional) 1/4 tsp Salt 2 Garlic Cloves DIREX: 1. Prepare the bell pepper and snow peas. 2. Cook spaghetti. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Transfer to a large bowl. 3. In the blender or food processor, blend together the peanut butter, water, rice vinegar, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, jalapeno chile, salt, and garlic cloves. Thoroughly scrape the contents and distribute evenly to coat the noodles and vegetables. That's it! I would add a little ground black pepper since the jalapeno won't set off the heat I want (I'd use a small serrano chile, which is definitely much hotter). This recipe seems very flexible...you can add sliced scallions (i.e., green onion), julienne or matchstick carrots, peanuts or almonds or cashews, toasted sesame seeds, cooked cubed chicken or spam (I know, right?!)...use your imagination. Bon appetit and happy cooking!"