My summer salad kick

Ive been making the same salad, with minor variations, two or three times a week. The recipe is from Sunset, introduced to me by Warren, but I have now made it my own. Here's the original recipe as it appears in Sunset and some variations:
Ingredients
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
2 navel oranges (or canned mandarin oranges for easier prep.)
About 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I skipped this step entirely)
4 fresh wonton wrappers, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips (I use chinese noodles instead.)
6 cups finely shredded cabbage
2 cups cubed cooked chicken (or marinated tofu)
Spicy soy-ginger dressing (recipe follows)
1 large avocado, cubed
4 green onions (including green tops), sliced diagonally
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Preparation
1. In a 2- to 3-quart pan over high heat, bring about 1 quart water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, then plunge asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
2. Cut off and discard ends from oranges. Following the curve of the fruit, cut off peel and outer membrane. Slice oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, then cut these rounds into quarters. Set aside.
3. Pour the vegetable oil into a 3- to 4-quart pan (the oil should be about 1/2 inch deep) and set over medium-high heat. When oil reaches 350°, add wonton strips and fry, stirring, until golden brown on both sides, about 30 seconds total. Lift out with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain. (I didn't do any of this.)
4. In a large serving bowl, toss the cabbage, chicken, and asparagus with the dressing. Top with avocado, orange slices, and wonton strips, then garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Spicy soy-ginger dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Asian red chile sauce (such as Sriracha), and 1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup vegetable oil or grapeseed oil, whisking constantly. Season with salt to taste.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.
Yield
Makes 6 to 8 servings
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Nutritional Information
CALORIES 308(56% from fat); FAT 19g (sat 3.1g); PROTEIN 15g; CHOLESTEROL 36mg; SODIUM 317mg; FIBER 4g; CARBOHYDRATE 20g

Sunset, JUNE 2006

My variations: I have been making it with the Frog/Commissary Cookbook recipe (Christian turned me on to this one) for curry vinaigrette:
1/2 c olive oil2/3 c corn oil6 tbsp lime juice1/4 c cider vinegar1 tblsp salt1 1/2 tsp pepper1/2 tsp nutmeg1 1/2 tsp ground cumin1/2 tsp fresh ginger 1/4 c honey1/4 tsp cayenne1 tsp curry1/2 tsp ground cardamon1 tsp ground coriander2 tblsp minced garlic
yum! I marinated some tofu in this, then fried it up, and used fresh sugar snap peas instead of asparagus. Rice and Spice in Corvallis has some fried crunchy noodles that do not have hydrogenated oil in them; they are gluten-free as an added bonus. Please don't eat or feed your kids hydrogenated oils.