Balsamic Chicken Tortellini

I'm baaaaaaack!  This summer has been a whirlwind for us, and it seems that new recipes always move to a back-burner when life gets in the way.  Here's a recipe I found on Pinterest at the beginning of the summer.  We've made it many times, and think you'll like it too.

1 (19 oz) pkg cheese tortellini - frozen or fresh (up to you!)
1 c grape tomatoes, cut in halves
1 c flat-leaf spinach, chopped
1 large boneless chicken breast
1/2 c Newman's Own Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper

Prepare tortellini according to directions.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes in strainer.

Cut chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, and cook over medium-high heat until thoroughly done.  Toss in 2-3 TBSP balsamic dressing and coat chicken.

Chop spinach and cut tomatoes.

Add chicken, spinach, and tomatoes to bowl with tortellini.  Toss in balsamic dressing until evenly coated.  Sprinkle with dried basil (I used about 1 1/2 tsp) and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately, or chill for a few hours before serving.

Comments from the cook:  We love pasta salad around here, and this one is a great addition to our arsenal.  The balsamic dressing listed above has been one of our favorites for a while, so basing a dish around it couldn't fail.  

We modified the recipe just slightly from the original (we don't marinate the chicken, and don't use the ground mustard), and have loved the results.  We have used fresh tortellini and really liked it...but have also had success with the frozen kind for a lot less (the Great Value brand at Walmart is about $2.75). We also use fresh basil when it's in season, and use 8-10 leaves diced for the recipe.

Originally found here, which links back to this great site.

P.s. May we have a quick moment of silence for how the countertops in this new apartment are SO MUCH BETTER LOOKING than the ones in the last!?  Hooray, times one thousand...

Chicken Pasta Salad

(Hello, first real food pics from my new lens. You are beautiful. The end.)

4 svgs farfalle (bowtie) pasta
3 svgs garden rotini pasta
1 chicken breast
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cucumber, cut into 1/2" chunks
pasta salad seasoning, to taste

Prepare pastas as directed. Drain and run under cool water until room temperature (or cooler if desired).

Cut chicken breast into small chunks and pan fry over medium heat. Add 1 TBSP of Italian dressing to chicken chunks when chicken is almost finished cooking.

Toss chicken, cucumber, and pastas together.

Add dressing (amount is really up to you, and depends on your tastes) and pasta salad seasoning.

Best when served chilled for an hour or so. Serves 6+.

To rejuvenate the next day, toss with a bit more salad dressing and another couple of shakes of pasta salad seasoning.

Comments from the cook: I debated whether or not to post this recipe. It's not really MY recipe. It's just 6 ingredients. Nothing is really homemade (unless you call browning a chicken breast HOMEMADE). But we eat it (or some version of it) at least once a week in the summertime. And I'm the boss of this very food blog, so I can post whatever I want! :)

If you read my other blog, you'll know that pasta salad seasoning is a BIG DEAL to me. My mom found a seasoning called "Salad Elegance" long ago (made by Johnny's), we got hooked on it, and then I moved to Utah. It was hard to find there, but not impossible. And then the place I always bought it stopped carrying it. So I did what any normal person would do. I ordered a $30 2.5-lb tub of it. And I've not been happier with a purchase ever since.

McCormick makes a version called Salad Supreme (sold in the spice section), which will work, if you don't have access to the loveliness that is Salad Elegance. My observation was that McCormick's SS has more celery salt, and is not as light tasting...but we ate it when times were hard and Johnny's got the boot from our local store. Until we took matters into our own hands, that is.

Variations of pasta salad are endless. My mom has added fresh tomatoes and olives to hers before. We also do a version that is just spaghetti noodles, cut-up pepperonis, chunks of cheese, Italian dressing, and Salad Elegance (for dinner when we're trying to UP the taste and HOLD the healthy!)

Either way, this is one of our favorites. And, I tell you, I've never been happier to own $30 of a spice.

Originally made by my mom, Alane Sleight.

Bowtie Chicken Caesar Salad

1-2 servings farfalle (bowtie) pasta, prepared as directed
1 pkg chicken breast pieces, plain
1 medium tomato, diced
mozzarella cheese, grated
lettuce
croutons
caesar dressing

Prepare pasta as directed. Rinse with cold water until pasta is cool to the touch. Drain.

Wash, dry, then tear lettuce. Dice tomato and grate cheese.

Cut chicken into smaller pieces if desired. (The pre-packaged kind usually comes in fairly large strips, so we generally cut them down into smaller bite-sized chunks.)

Assemble and top with caesar dressing of your choice.

Comments from the cook: This is one of our warm-weather recipes of choice! When we were still in UT, my co-workers and I frequented a place called Pizza Factory for office birthdays. This was my favorite dish there (served with their classic bread-twist). When we moved, I realized that I could re-create it fairly easily.

No fancy ingredients and no extensive preparation required. You can dry your own croutons, whip up your own caesar dressing, and grow your own lettuce if you really want to...but this one's an easy summer meal that you should really try. We usually use romaine lettuce, but only had iceberg around. Would be tasty with spinach leaves tossed in as well.

If you're trying to save a few pennies (packaged chicken is usually about $2.50), use an old-fashioned frozen chicken breast and prep your own chicken pieces in a skillet. Add a bit of salad dressing right before they're done browning for extra flavor.

A CookieSheets&CakePans original...kinda. :)