the night before super bowl sunday my daughter decided to have her friends over to watch the game. she asked me if i could make some fun stuff to eat for the gathering, and before i could open my mouth in response (my mind was already going a million miles a minute with great ideas) she reminded me this was a group of teenagers, and they'd want at least some foods you'd typically expect to eat while watching the big game. okayyyyy. such as, I asked? "can you make chicken wings"? she says- - hmnnnnn. not really? she decides she needs to make some calls for feedback, and i decide that no matter what, we'll need to have a {semi-healthy} salad on the menu. i've been craving a good home made "chinese chicken salad" for a while, so it's first on the list without hesitation. the rest of the  choices eventually comes together like this: chips and home made salsa, amazingly delicious home made ribs courtesy kristen's dad (wow wow wow), chicken wings (thanks to the frozen section at whole foods) with organic cut celery and ranch dressing, ken's delicious home made onion dip (must ask for the recipe) with chips, (did i mention my huge bowl of crunchy yumminess of a chicken salad?), a selection of cheeses with sliced baguettes,

chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, mini brownies, homemade cookies, macaroons....i'm almost embarrassed to go on....we were feeding a group of hungry teenagers-what can i say? i had so little time to put it all together that i took a few shortcuts with my salad-it was so easy to prepare and a big hit!

• 1 small savoy (or nappa) cabbage, very finely sliced

• 1 romaine or iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced

• a bunch of organic green onions, thinly sliced

• a good sized bunch of fresh organic cilantro, finely chopped

• 1 whole organic roasted chicken, meat (mostly the white meat) removed and finely sliced-or, use this recipe to make the sesame ginger chicken breasts at home, then slice them up

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

• 3-4 mandarin oranges (satsumas), peeled and sliced, then separated

• fried wontons (you can buy these or fry them at home rather easily)

• toasted sesame seeds

for the sesame-ginger dressing:

• 3 tbs vegetable oil (i used avocado)

• 2-3 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 1-2 tbs seasoned rice vinegar (adjust amount if necessary)

• 1 tsp lime juice (freshly squeezed)

• 1-2 tbs soy sauce or liquid aminos

• a good chunk of grated ginger (use microplane)

• toasted sesame seeds

• 1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper (for spicy)

• a pinch of sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• if you like it on the sweeter side, add 2-3 tsp raw honey

whisk all the ingredients together, taste and adjust quantities, then add to salad and toss just before serving. crunch.