Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Buy

• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 1 (8 ounce) package bow tie (farfalle) pasta
• ½ cucumber - scored, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced
• ½ cup diced red bell pepper
• ½ cup coarsely chopped red onion
• 2 diced Roma tomatoes
• 1 carrot , shredded
• 1 (6 ounce) bag fresh spinach
• 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin orange segments, drained
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• ½ cup sliced almonds , toasted
• 1/4 cup feta cheese

On Hand

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 clove garlic , pressed

Instructions

• To make the dressing, whisk together the ginger root, rice vinegar , orange juice , olive oil , sesame oil , onion soup mix , sugar , and garlic until well blended. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the bowtie pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, and rinse under cold water. Place pasta in a large bowl.
• To make the salad, toss the cucumber , bell pepper , red onion , tomatoes , carrot , spinach , mandarin oranges, cooked chicken , feta crumbles, and almonds with the pasta. Pour the dressing over the salad mixture, and toss again to coat evenly. Serve immediately.