Tortellini Salad with Asparagus and Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

This salad is so yummy! It makes a nice, light weekday meal. Both Paul and I found it hearty enough to stand alone as a meal, but it would also make a nice side dish for a bigger meal.

I love the flavor of the fresh basil and the shallot. And James really gets a kick out of the tortellini. :)

Tortellini Salad with Asparagus and Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Ingredients:

6 T. olive oil

1/2 c. fresh basil, finely chopped

3 T. lemon juice

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper

1 lb. asparagus, tough ends broken off and sliced on the bias (about 3/4 to 1 inch pieces)

2 packages (9 oz each) fresh cheese tortellini*

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 c.)

1/4 c. pine nuts**, toasted (optional)

*You can find fresh cheese tortellini with the fresh pastas in the same aisle as the cheese. It can be pricey, but since there is no meat in this dish, the cost is still comparable to other meals.

**OK, pine nuts are extremely expensive! Who knew? I have left these out both times we've had this salad, and it's still been delicious. I'm sure the pine nuts would add a nice texture and flavor to the dish, though, so if you're in the mood to splurge, go for it!

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil and season with 1 T. salt.

In a large bowl (big enough for the whole salad), whisk together the olive oil, chopped basil, lemon juice, minced shallot, minced garlic, 1/2 t. salt, and 1/2 t. pepper.

When water is boiling, add asparagus and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Scoop out asparagus with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander, do not discard the water. Return the pot of water to the stove and return to a boil. Rinse asparagus under cold water until cool. Toss asparagus in the bowl with the salad dressing.

When water returns to a boil, cook tortellini according to directions on the package. When pasta is tender, drain and toss with the asparagus and dressing while still hot. Refrigerate salad until chilled (at least 30 minutes).

Just before serving, toss salad with halved tomatoes and Parmesan cheese (and toasted pine nuts, if using). Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Enjoy! :)

Smoky Chipotle-Chicken Corn Chowder with Salsa Salad

I enjoyed this Rachel Ray recipe a lot more than the last one I tried. It was flavorful and yummy. Be forewarned, though, the soup is on the spicy side! Those chipotle chilies in adobo sauce are mighty spicy!

The food didn't photograph very well (with my limited skills and basic camera anyway), but it was definitely tasty. My favorite was the soup, but to my surprise, James really loved the salad! Well, he ate a bunch of avocado from it anyway. ;)

Here are the two recipes:

Smoky Chipotle-Chicken Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 chipotle chili in adobo, chopped (these come in a can in the Mexican food section of the store)

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 t. ground coriander

1/2 t. cumin (wow, I totally left this out last night...I was having a very clumsy pregnant-brain night)

salt and pepper

tortilla chips (enough for 1 c. finely crushed crumbs and some more for serving)

1 quart chicken broth (or stock)

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

20 oz. frozen corn

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Preheat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add the onions, celery, garlic, chipotle chili, celery, coriander, cumin, and a little salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions start to become tender.

Meanwhile, crush enough tortilla chips to make 1 c. crumbs. You can do this either in a food processor or by hand in a ziploc bag. Add the chips and chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Add chicken and corn and continue to cook until chicken is done (about 5 minutes). At this point, simmer on medium-low heat until you are ready to serve. If the soup is too thick add more broth, and if it's too thin, keep simmering until it reduces to your liking. Stir in parsley before serving. Serve with Salsa salad and tortilla chips.

Salsa Salad

Ingredients:

juice of 2 limes

1 T. dijon mustard

3 T. olive oil

2 ripe avocados

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine lime juice and mustard with a wire whisk. Gently whisk in the olive oil. Set dressing aside. Slice the avocados and cut the grape tomatoes in half. Place them in a large bowl. Add the lettuce, cilantro, and red onions. Toss salad with dressing and serve.

I think I may top the soup with a dollop of sour cream in the future to offset the spiciness. It was a little too much for me otherwise. Like I said, though, the soup was very tasty. Also, the salad dressing is rather strong, so you may want to taste it before pouring it all on the salad. I probably would have used a little less of it if I had tasted it first.

Enjoy!

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

I really, really enjoyed this recipe. I got it at an enrichment activity cooking class. I'm not sure if I've ever had the salad it was named after at Applebee's, but if it's anything like this salad, I'm sure I'd love it! The dressing is my favorite part. :) If you're not a Dijon mustard person, don't worry, I couldn't taste the mustard in the dressing.

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

Dressing

6 T. honey

3 T. rice wine vinegar

1/2 c. mayonnaise

2 t. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. sesame oil

Salad

1-2 frozen, breaded chicken tenderloin(s) per person (or more, if you are Paul ;) )

2 c. green cabbage, sliced thin

2 c. red cabbage, sliced thin

6 c. romaine lettuce, chopped (I just bought a bag of it, pre-chopped.)

1 carrot, shredded

2 green onions, chopped (including the green part)

1/4 c. toasted sliced almonds (I left this out because I don't care for nuts in salads.)

2/3 c. chow mein noodles

Directions:

Cook the chicken according to the directions on the package (you can also cook your own if you're feeling ambitious, or use grilled chicken to make it more healthy). Mix all the dressing ingredients together. I recommend using an airtight container and shaking it to thoroughly mix the ingredients. Toss the ingredients for the salad. You can either toss the salad with the dressing, or pour the dressing on top of each serving.* Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put it on top of each salad.

*I knew that Paul and I could never finish this much salad in one sitting, so I didn't toss the whole salad with the dressing. Instead, I saved the dressing and salad in different containers and was able to enjoy the leftovers for lunch over the next couple days! :) I don't think it would save very well with the dressing already on it (it would become soggy).

What to do when your pitas grow mold...

It seems we are cursed when it comes to veggie pitas. Last week it was the sprouts and avocado that went bad. This week we got new sprouts and avocado. We chopped up all our ingredients, opened our bag of whole wheat pitas, and found MOLD! So sad! Instead, we had pita-less pitas!


We had salads (thank goodness we had a bag of spinach), and they were delicious! We grilled a chicken breast (that was marinated in zesty italian), and put it on top of all our delicious pita ingredients. The only thing we couldn't use was the hummus. I'm not sure what we'll do with the rest of it now.

BBQ Chicken with Tomato, Corn, and Avocado Salad

We have another winner! This chicken was delicious, and so was the salad! Thanks once again to Chef Britta and to Mandy for introducing us to her.

Also, Paul and I finally got around to spending our last gift card from our wedding($100 to Crate and Barrel), yes two years later, on Wednesday night. One of the things we purchased was this grill pan which made it possible for me to try this recipe in the first place (we don't have a grill). I highly recommend it even after only one use! I'm looking forward to lots of new grilling endeavors in the upcoming weeks and months (and years). :)

BBQ Chicken with Homemade Rub and Sauce
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (Really, you can use whatever chicken pieces you want. I used three large chicken breasts cut in half because I like smaller pieces.)

Spice rub:
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Barbecue Sauce:
1 and 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses (Don't be scared by the "unsulfured". It says that on all the types of molasses we saw at Safeway.)
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
1 and 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 and 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
First make the barbecue sauce. (Note: You should make this a bit earlier in the afternoon because it simmers for a half hour and then you have to let it cool to room temperature.) Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Heat your grill (or grill pan ;) ) to medium and lightly oil the grates. Mix all the ingredients for the spice rub together. Cover both sides of your chicken pieces with the spice rub (be generous! it's tasty!) and place on the grill. Cook the chicken, flipping it over frequently until done, about 15-20 minutes. In the last five minutes of grilling, baste both sides (I used a brush) with the barbecue sauce. While the chicken is grilling, prepare the salad. Serve chicken with extra barbecue sauce on the side, for dipping.

Tomato, Corn, and Avocado Salad
Ingredients:
1 ear corn (husk and silk removed, tip cut off)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (I don't think we had a whole pint. We just bought a bag of them.)
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
2 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced - green parts only
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from half of a lime) (My lime wasn't very juicy, so I used both halves.)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:
Cut the kernels of the ear of corn off into a medium size bowl. Add the halved tomatoes, sliced avocado, scallions, lime juice, and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss lightly and serve.


It was a great dinner! :) We will definitely make it again. There was a lot of barbecue sauce leftover, so we put it in the fridge. The chicken was so juicy and tender! The spice rub sealed in the juices as it was grilled. VERY good recipe!

Here's a link to Chef Britta's recipe in her own words: BBQ Chicken and Tomato, Corn, and Avocado Salad.

Adobe Chicken and Spinach Salad

Last night's dinner turned out pretty great. The chicken was very fast and easy, and it had a good flavor. I just assembled the salads on our individual plates while the chicken was cooking and then added the sliced up chicken on top with some of the onions when it was done. We used ranch dressing, and it tasted good, though you could experiment with what dressing to use or use none at all.

The chicken can be served as a main dish on its own, too. It was my idea to put it on top of a salad, but you could also serve it with rice or some kind of potato and have a vegetable on the side.

Here's the recipe for the chicken:

Adobe Chicken (from the Hatrack Cookbook)
Ingredients:
1 dash olive oil
1 frozen chicken breast per person (although mine were thawed)
1/2 c. frozen pearl onions per person (I didn't have these, so I used half a white onion, coarsely chopped)
1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
dried oregano
garlic salt
pepper

Directions:
Heat oil in a frying pan. When it shimmers (or sizzles when you splash a tiny bit of water on it), add the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with all three spices while the bottom side browns, then flip them over and sprinkle the other side while the second side browns. Add the onions and then the apple cider vinegar. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover. Cook for about 20 minutes (I flipped my chicken halfway through, but the original recipe didn't say to), or until chicken is done. Serve immediately.


This is a great dinner when you need something relatively fast, but you can't make it ahead of time.