Sesame Chicken and Bean Salad

A healthy, delicious and nutritious, low-fat Asian-style chicken and bean salad.

Recipe Ingredients:

Sesame Dressing:
3/4 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons grated gingerroot or 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Salad:
2 (15-ounce) cans black or pinto beans, rinsed, drained
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, broiled or grilled, shredded
1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces, cooked until crisp-tender
4 green onions and tops, sliced
6 cups spinach leaves
2 tablespoons sunflower kernels

Cooking Directions:

1. For Sesame Dressing: Mix all ingredients. Makes about 1 cup
2. For Salad: Combine pinto beans, chicken, asparagus, and green onion in bowl. Drizzle with Sesame Dressing and toss. Arrange spinach on plates; spoon bean mixture over and sprinkle with sunflower kernels.

Makes 6 servings (about 1 1/4 cups each).

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/6 of recipe): Calories 308; Fat 9g; % Calories from Fat 25; Calcium 146mg; Carbohydrate 30g; Folate 305mcg; Sodium 978mg; Protein 28g; Dietary Fiber 9g; Cholesterol 46mg.

Recipe provided courtesy of The Bean Education & Awareness Network.