Spinach Salad with Pasta & Teriyaki Chicken

I had to hurry and add this salad recipe before fall is here! We ate this for dinner many times over the summer. It's a very filling salad because it has pasta and chicken. I've been using a few different recipes when I make this, so I kinda make it a little different every time. This is how I like it best, but it's easy to adjust the salad ingredients to taste. Sometimes I don't add the parsley, sesame seeds, or Parmesan, and it's still great. I originally got this recipe from a friend and combined with this recipe here, I tweaked them to make it how I wanted. Make sure you serve it immediately after adding the dressing so the spinach isn't soggy. Sometimes I like to mix everything except the spinach, dish it up for my kids, and then stir in their spinach, because it won't be the same the next day, and I HATE to have soggy leftover salad that you can't save. It makes a bunch, so don't make that mistake like I have!

Spinach Salad with Pasta & Teriyaki Chicken
Dressing
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup bottled teriyaki sauce
2 TBSPs rice vinegar
2 TBSPs cider vinegar
3 TBSPs sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad
8 oz bow tie pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled
2 cups cooked chicken, tossed with 2-3 TBSPs teriyaki sauce
1/2 bag fresh spinach (about 5 ounces)
3/4 cup craisins
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 TBSPs sesame seeds, toasted
3/4 cup. honey roasted peanuts
Fresh Parmesan (optional)

1. Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended.
2. Mix about 1/2 cup of the dressing with the cooked pasta in a large bowl and marinate for at least one hour.
3. Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Just before serving, add pasta and toss. Add dressing to taste and toss. Serve immediately.
Makes 4-6 large servings

This is it minus the sesame seeds and Parmesan.