FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER--chicken, asparagus and wild rice salad

  Big cubes of poached salmon would be a delicious substitution for the chicken in this wonderful spring salad. 

                                   MAPLE-MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 shallots, peeled and diced
• 1 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1.  Put all of the ingredients, except the oil, into a blender.  Blend on high.  Then pour in the oil in a slow, steady stream and process until thick.

                    CHICKEN, ASPARAGUS, and WILD RICE SALAD
                 adapted (I believe) from a British House & Garden Magazine

• 1 pound asparagus, rinsed, trimmed, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1 pound skinless, boneless poached chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch   pieces
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette
• red leaf lettuce, washed and dried
• 1/3 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
1.  In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes, or until bright green and tender, but still slightly crisp.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Drain again.
2. Toss together the asparagus, wild rice, and poached chicken with the Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Sprinkle with sea salt if needed.  Line a platter with the lettuce and mound the salad onto the lettuce.  Garnish with the toasted walnuts.