Chicken Tamale Casserole

• 1 cup (4 ounces) pre-shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 whole egg)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy) 
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• Cooking spray
• 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso) (I sometimes use green)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast 
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream 

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. 2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. 3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2008

Kristi's Las Cruces Halloween Burritos

My friend Kristi has fond memories of eating these burritos at her town Halloween carnival.

1 lb of ground beef
1 small can of green chilies
1 chopped white onion
2 shredded potatoes (peeled first) I use a cheese grater
grated mozzarella

Sauté ground beef and onion, then add shredded potatoes, green chiles, salt and pepper. (I added a little garlic powder and cumin as well.) Spoon mixture into a flour tortilla and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Then individually wrap into tin foil and place in oven 350 for about 20 minutes. This steams each burrito and melts the cheese. These are great to send with family the next day for lunch. (You can also freeze the foil packages before baking and bake some at a later time.)

I got 9 medium burritos from the recipe as is. You can stretch this recipe by adding more potatoes. 

Paradise Bakery-style Sugar Cookies

I can't remember where I first saw this recipe. When you want sugar cookies without the hassle of chilling, rolling, cutting, and frosting, these are the answer. (Eva likes them with jimmies; I like them with sugar crystals.)

1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups shortening
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg, beaten
4 1/3 cups cake flour*
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
sugar, for decorating

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugars and shortening using an electric mixer. Mix on slow speed 30 seconds, then scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.

Slowly add vanilla and egg while mixing.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, mixing on slow speed until just blended. Do not overmix.

Scoop with an ice-cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place directly on cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with palm of hand.

Bake at 375° for 9-10 minutes. Cookies are done when small cracks appear and are pale golden. Ideally, the edges do not brown.

*very important! The cake flour, in addition to not overmixing, gives these cookies their tender, crumbly texture.

"My Favorite Salad" Panini

a.k.a. My New Favorite Sandwich

{recipe from Tasty Kitchen}

• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• ½ cups pecans
• ½ cups dried cranberries
• ½ cups blue cheese crumbles
• ¼ cups reduced fat mayonnaise
• 8 slices focaccia bread (I used 12 grain hazelnut bread from Kneaders–swoon!)
  
• 2 whole seasoned and grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1 whole apple, cored and thinly sliced

Process the spinach, pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese and mayonnaise in a food processor until uniformly smooth. (I tried my blender, and it didn't work at all. I had to transfer it to my little food processor. Worked like a dream.)

Spread mixture on each slice of bread.

Top one slice of bread (per sandwich) with grilled chicken slices and apple slices. Place sandwich halves together.

Grill on a panini press or grill pan until bread is toasted. (I used my George Foreman grill. No butter on the bread necessary.)

**In the picture above, I was having leftovers for lunch the next day. I was out of apples, so I had it without. I was also too lazy to get out the grill. It was still delicious, but better with the apple and grilled.

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

I found this recipe on Our Best Bites. It is truly fast and easy, but it doesn't taste like something you threw together quickly. A big hit with Marc and Max.

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne
based on a recipe by Martha Stewart

• 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 6 cups whole milk
• 10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone* (6 ounces) you could also make that 1/2 mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you're going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Use a little extra olive oil if needed.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot (I just use the pot I cooked my pasta in), melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie. If cooking, sprinkle on top.
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Freezer instructions:

To freeze, prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool. Cover pan well with plastic wrap. Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, preheat oven to 400. Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside. Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese. Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.

Crockpot Potato Soup

This recipe is from A Year of Slow Cooking. I am making friends with my crockpot and loving this blog.

5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced (I use jarred)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper (you might want to decrease this for less kick)
2 quarts chicken broth
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, to add at the end (I always use reduced-fat cream cheese)
crumbled bacon, grated cheese, and green onion as garnish

Use a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware. Add onion and garlic. Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. The potatoes should be fork-tender. You can use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the soup, or a hand-held immersible blender. (I left a few chunks in mine.)

After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved. Stir a few times during the 30 minutes.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, green onion or chives, and cheddar cheese. Serve with homemade bread if you really want to crank up the comfort food factor.

Crockpot Thai Coconut Chicken

Another recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. Delicious! And Thai doesn't get any easier than this.

1 13.5-oz can coconut milk
1 T brown sugar
1 T soy sauce
1 T Thai red or green chili paste, or more to taste (I used red, and went with 1.5 T)
1 t fish sauce
1 yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1/2 large eggplant
1 sweet potato
chicken thighs (I used 7 frozen boneless, skinless)
1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated.

Combine the sauce ingredients: coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili paste, and fish sauce in the bottom of your crockpot stoneware. Taste. If you think you need more chili paste, add some, carefully. It's hot stuff!

Add the chicken pieces to the sauce, flipping them over a few times so they get nice and saucy.

Wash and cut the vegetables, and add to the crock.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. This is done when the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables have reached desired tenderness.

Serve over white rice.

(The best thing about this was that Marc, Max and I all enjoyed the eggplant! I never cook with it, we didn't think we liked it. We liked it in this.)

Crockpot Apricot Chicken

Another one from A Year of Slow Cooking. Seriously fast and easy, and better than my old apricot chicken recipe! (oops, forgot to take a picture)

11 oz jar of apricot preserves

1 t dried minced onion flakes

1 T dijon mustard

1 T soy sauce

1/4 t ginger

1/4 to 1/2 t red chili flakes

6 chicken thighs or equivalent body parts
a few pecan halves, optional

I used frozen thighs. Drop the chicken into your crockpot.

In a small bowl, mix all the other stuff and pour on top of the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, high for 4-6--if your chicken isn't frozen, your dinner will cook faster.

Serve with white or brown rice and veggies. (Toss on a few pecan halves if you like. We do.)

Gâteau au Yaourt (Yogurt Cake)

I made this delicious cake last week and I'm sure I will make it again repeatedly. As a bonus, it is fast and easy!

The recipe comes from Clotilde Dusoulier's Chocolate & Zucchini, and she says:

"The basic yogurt cake recipe can be tinkered with endlessly. You can add citrus juice or zest to the batter; fold in berries, chocolate chips, or nuts; substitute ground almonds or cocoa powder for part of the flour; cut the cake in two and spread raspberry jam, lemon curd, or ganache in the middle; or dress the cake with whatever frosting or glaze you like. . . but every time I go back to the original, unadulterated gâteau au yaourt, I am reminded [of] its delightful simplicity."

I just had a piece for breakfast with some hot chocolate and it was simply divine.

80 ml vegetable oil
250g plain unsweetened yogurt, preferably whole milk
200g sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 T. light or amber rum (optional -- I didn't have any, so I increased the vanilla)
240g flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
a good pinch of fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 180º C. Grease the sides of a 25cm round cake pan or springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla, oil, and rum, if using, and whisk again.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (I confess I skipped this step!) Pour the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and whisk until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let stand for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the pan to loosen. If you're using a springform pan, unclasp the sides. Otherwise, flip the cake onto a plate and flip it back on the rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Pâte Brisée (Savory Short Pastry)

A great crust for quiche or any savory tart. French crusts are always made with butter, rather than shortening. They're not as flaky as ones made with shortening, but they sure do taste good!


200g flour
1/2 t. fine sea salt
125g chilled butter, diced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
ice cold water

Combine flour, salt and butter in a medium bowl. Rub the mixture with your fintertips or a wire pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Beat the egg slightly in a small bowl. Form a well in the center of the flour mixture, add the egg, and blend gently with a fork. When most of the egg is incorporated, knead gently until the dough comes together. If it is a little dry, add ice water, 1 T. at a time, until the dough forms a ball. Avoid overworking the dough, or it will become tough.

Shape the dough into a slightly flattened ball. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to a day. Let stand at room temp. before using, just long enough that the dough can be rolled out without cracking (usually about 10 minutes).

Sprinkle flour lightly on a clean work surface and on your rolling pin, and roll the pin over your dough 2-3 times with moderate pressure. Rotate the dough by a quarter of a turn and roll the pin over it 2-3 times. Repeat until you get a circle large enough to line your pan, sprinkling both your work surface and rolling pin with a little more flour when the dough starts to stick to either.

Variation: flavor the dough with a T. of dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano), 1/2 - 1 t. ground spices (nutmeg, ginger, cumin), or 30g hard grated cheese (parmesan in particular).

Pâte Sablée (Sweet Short Pastry)

Makes enough to line a 25cm tart pan, or 6 10cm tartlet molds.

75g chilled unsalted butter, diced, plus a pat to grease the pan
75g sugar
150g plain flour
1/4 t. fine sea salt
1-2 T. cold milk

Grease a 25cm tart pan with butter.

Combine sugar, salt, and flour. Add butter cubes and rub into the dry ingredients with the tips of your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add a tablespoon of milk and blend it in, handling the dough as lightly as you can. The dough should still be crumbly, but should clump if you gently squeeze a handful in your hand. If it doesn't, add a little more milk, teaspoon by teaspoon, and blend again, still working lightly.

Pour the mixture into the tart pan and use the back of a tablespoon to spread it evenly over the bottom. Using the heels of your hands and your fingers, press down on the dough to form a thin layer, covering the surface of the pan and creating a rim all around. Don't worry if the dough is a little dry, this is normal. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to a day.

Variations: flavor the dough with 1 t. vanilla extract or finely grated citrus zest, 1/2 t. spice such as cinnamon or nutmeg, or 1 t. liqueur (Grand Marnier, rum). Add these ingredients along with the butter.

Chicken Tacos

This is the easiest crockpot recipe I've ever made. Just place:

chicken breasts (4?)
a jar of salsa
a can (or two) of black beans, drained
a can (or two) of corn, drained (you could also use frozen corn)

in crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Take chicken breasts out and shred. Add chicken back to pot and stir. Serve with hot tortillas, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

I decided to try a new way of using up over-ripe bananas this week because I had a LOT. (Thanks, Jill!) I found the recipe here and it was a huge hit with my family -- it's rich and delicious.

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa (I prefer dutch process)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom of 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Beat sugar, eggs, and oil in large bowl at medium speed until combined. Beat in banana and vanilla at low speed. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; beat into banana mixture at low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3 Spoon batter into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

p.s. I made a double batch and found that there was too much batter for my 2 8x4" loaf pans. Next time I'll try a 9".

Roasted Chicken and Vegetable Pasta Primavera

1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears
1 c. matchstick-cut carrots
1/2 medium sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes
8 oz. uncooked penne
2 c. sliced rotisserie chicken breast
3/4 c. whipping cream
2/3 c. shaved fresh Parmesan

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Snap off tough ends of asparagus and cut into 2" pieces. Combine asparagus, carrots, onion and garlic in jelly roll pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss gently to coat. Bake for 10 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown; stir vegetables. Add tomatoes and cook an additional 5 minutes.

While vegetables roast, cook pasta. Drain well, reserving 1/3 c. pasta water. Keep past and reserved water warm.

Combine chicken, vegetables, pasta, reserved pasta water, and whipping cream; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size 1 1/4 c.)

*Note: I used Costco grated parmesan with great results. This dish tastes too rich to be a WW recipe (7 points)!

Breadsticks

(oops! forgot to take a photo of the finished product!)

My cousin Charlotte got this recipe from a roommate who took a food preparation class at BYU. These are fast, easy, and a big hit with the fam.

1 1/4 c. warm water
1 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 - 3 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. melted butter
garlic salt/parmesan cheese

Proof the yeast. Mix sugar, salt, and 2 1/2 c. flour. Add yeast mixture and stir to form dough. Add more flour if needed -- it's better to be on the stickier side. Let dough rest 10 minutes.

Put half of melted butter in a jelly roll pan. Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape and then press into pan. Brush with remaining butter. Cut dough into strips with a pizza cutter and sprinkle with parmesan and garlic salt. Let rest another 10 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

**Notes: I happened to check on mine at 15 minutes and they were totally done. Also, I got a grinder in the spice section at Target that has sea salt and garlic -- delicious.

Miracle Bread

My friend Hannah brought me a loaf of this bread, along with a copy of the recipe. It's really good! And the best part is, it only takes one hour to make, start to finish! (That's why I named it miracle bread. It seems miraculous to me.)

I've made the white and the whole wheat, and they are both delicious and super-fast. Both a hit with my family. With bread this fast and easy, I just might stop buying bread altogether!

5 1/4-1/2c. white bread flour
1/4 c. sugar or honey
1/2 T. salt (I use kosher)
1 1/2 rounded tablespoons instant yeast (I buy my yeast at Costco and keep it in the freezer)
3 T. vegetable oil
2 c. hot tap water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Mix briefly and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add a little more water; if very sticky, add a bit more flour. (It's best if you leave it on the slightly sticky side.) Mix for 5 minutes. Spray bread pans with Pam. Divide dough into two equal portions; shape loaves, place in pans and cover with a dish towel. Let rise 25 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (I use 9" loaf pans, but 8" ones should work as well.)

Makes 2 loaves.

For whole wheat bread, use the same recipe, substituting whole wheat flour for the white; add 1/2 c. applesauce with the hot water and oil and use 1/4 c. oil instead of 3 T. You may need to increase the mixing time a bit.

If you have a high-capacity mixer, you can double the recipe and make 4 loaves.

*Lately, I've been mixing this by hand, since my KitchenAid is on the fritz. I knead it for about 3 minutes, and the texture of the bread is wonderful! (I like the texture of all of my breads best when I mix them by hand, but do what you prefer.)

Multi-grain miracle bread!

Recently I've been experimenting with a multi-grain quick bread. I've tried it several different ways, and this is what I've had most success with:

2 c. 10-grain cereal (I use a Bob's Mill mix)
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
1/4 c. sugar or honey
1 1/2 heaping T. instant yeast
1/2 T. kosher salt
2 T. dough enhancer
2 T. vital wheat gluten
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. applesauce
1 1/2-2 c. hot water

(I added the dough enhancer and gluten because the loaves were a bit too heavy and dense (you can purchase them at grocery stores or on Amazon.) I sometimes add a couple of tablespoons of flax seed as well, because I love the texture that it adds.)

Mix dry ingredients by hand or in a stand mixer (I use a KitchenAid). Add wet ingredients and mix well. I sometimes need to add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Let the machine knead the dough for about 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half and form into oblong loaves. At this point, you can sprinkle the loaves with additional oatmeal or other grain or seeds, if you wish. Place in greased loaf pans (I use 9" ones) and cover with a dish towel. Let rise for 25 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

The whole wheat bread used to be my family's favorite, but now the multi-grain version has surpassed it!

Tex-Mex Nachos

• 3/4 pound ground round
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 3/4 cup taco sauce (I used water + taco seasoning)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained (I used pinto beans)
  
• 1 can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained
• 2 ounces fat-free baked tortilla chips (about 2 cups or about 18 chips)
• 3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Cook meat and green onions in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well, and return meat mixture to pan. Stir in taco sauce, garlic powder, pepper, beans, and corn, and cook until thoroughly heated. Spoon 1 cup meat mixture over 1/2 cup chips, and top with 3/4 cup lettuce, 1/4 cup tomato, 1/4 cup cheese, 2 tablespoons salsa, and 2 tablespoons sour cream. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

4 servings

Pasta with Chicken Wine Artichoke Sauce

I tried this recipe this week when I was pressed for time and didn't want to go grocery shopping (I didn't have fresh basil so I used a little dried, and I just used dumb parmesan cheese in a can). The sauce is very bright and flavorful and it really was super-fast! Delicious, now part of our rotation.

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) package kamut spirals
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (15-ounce) cans artichoke quarters, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• Chopped fresh basil (optional)

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until browned. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add wine, salt, pepper, and artichokes; simmer 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened and chicken is done. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and 1/3 cup basil. Place sauce and pasta in a large bowl; stir gently to combine. Garnish with chopped basil, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 434 (19% from fat)

Fat: 9.2g (sat 2.7g,mono 4.5g,poly 1.2g)

Protein: 40.1g

Carbohydrate: 49g

Fiber: 4.7g

Cholesterol: 72mg

Iron: 4.3mg

Sodium: 629mg

Calcium: 156mg

Chinese Chicken Salad

1 small head green cabbage
1 pkg. chicken ramen noodles, crushed (reserve seasoning packet)
1 bunch green onions sliced
1/2 c. sliced almonds, toasted
2 T sesame seeds, toasted
2-3 cups diced, cooked chicken

Dressing:
3 T seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 c. oil
1 T sugar
reserved packet of ramen seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper

Shred cabbage and combine with onions, chicken, and ramen noodles, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

For dressing, mix together rice vinegar, oil, and sugar in a blender/small food processor to emulsify. Add ramen seasoning and pepper. Add dressing, sesame seeds, and almonds to cabbage mixture just before serving.