Asian Miracle Dressing

It's been two weeks since I cleared out my exercise room and despite all my good intentions, I've yet to find my way there. While there's no excuse for the first week, I've been laid low this week with a bitch of a cold...but there's always another day. I did get my cross country skis and boots down and my snow shoes and poles are in easy reach...ready and waiting for me to get some ambition. Maybe with the fresh snow we are getting overnight I may just make it outside.

I have been doing a lot better diet wise now that all the Christmas goodies are gone...well pretty good...there's been a few slip ups.

My daughter gave me a bottle of Toasted Sesame Oil for Christmas along with her favorite salad dressing recipe, "Asian Miracle Dressing". I'm not sure where she got the recipe but she had served it to us once on a salad of mixed greens, baby Romaine, goat cheese, green onions and walnuts and it was delightful. I didn't have and greens so I put together a salad using some ingredients I had on hand and both the hubby and I loved it.

Breaded Chicken Breast

Garlic Fried Rice

Chickpea Salad with Asian Miracle Dressing

Chickpea Salad With Asian Miracle Dressing
1 can chickpeas rinsed
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1 small/medium tomato chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1 avocado chopped
pepper to taste
Toss above ingredients with Asian Miracle Dressing

Asian Miracle Dressing
1/8 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 T. maple syrup (I used 1 T. honey)
a pinch of salt
a grind of pepper
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp.toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil.
Whisk until well blended

Garlic Fried Rice
3 c. cooked brown rice
1 c. carrot curls
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 T. oil

Saute onion, garlic and carrots in oil until tender, add rice and mix well. I like to increase the heat and fry the rice enough to brown it some.