Balsamic Chicken, Spinach and Tomato Pasta Salad

Balsamic Chicken, Spinach and Tomato Pasta Salad

Serves 8

Prep: 15 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1 (20-oz) pkg cheese tortellini

1 lb skinned and boned chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 ½ c Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach, chopped

¼ c. fresh basil, chopped

1 ½ c fresh cherry tomatoes, halved

½ c. diced yellow bell pepper

Directions:

Place chicken in a zip-lock bag with 1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette.  Marinate for at least 2 hours, but best if marinated overnight.  Take chicken out of bag and discard marinade.

In grill pan, grill chicken, about 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through. 

Place yellow bell pepper slices in grill pan and grill about 2 minutes on each side.

Whisk together balsamic vinaigrette and yellow mustard in a bowl.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drizzle with olive oil and let cool for 10 minutes.

Toss together pasta, chicken, balsamic mixture, spinach, and remaining 3 ingredients in large bowl.  Serve immediately, or, if desired, cover and chill 1 hr before serving.

Cheese Enchiladas

White Bean and Kale Soup

Yield: 6 to 8 servings || Time: 1½ to 3 hours, partially unattended

1 pound dried white beans (such as cannellini, Great Northern, or navy), rinsed and picked over
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and black pepper
6 cups vegetable stock
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
One 2-by-1-by-¼-inch Parmesan rind, cut into bite-sized pieces, if desired
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1½ pounds kale
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup roughly chopped basil leaves
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

1. Put the beans in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by 2 to 3 inches. Cover and bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the water simmers gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on their size; season with salt. (You can do this step a day or two ahead of time: Cool the beans, transfer them to an airtight container with their cooking liquid, and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the soup.)

2. Put the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the drained beans along with the stock, tomatoes, Parmesan rind, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup simmers steadily, and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Remove the thick stems and ribs from the kale and discard them; roughly chop the leaves. Stir the kale and soy sauce into the soup, cover, and cook until the kale is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the thyme stems, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind (if desired). Stir in the basil and taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. (Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to several days.)

Jax notes: Also, I used all dried herbs except garlic because that' s what I had. I didn't use a parmesan rind because I didn't have one. And, I forgot to add the soy sauce initially, then added it later, but it tasted fine with or without.  I also added sausage

Pesto Orecchiette With Chicken Sausage

Pesto Orecchiette With Chicken Sausage

Serves 4

Hands-On Time: 20m

Total Time: 20m

Ingredients

·       3/4  pound  orecchiette

·       1/2  pound  green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

·       1  cup  frozen peas

·       1  tablespoon  olive oil

·       8  ounces  fully cooked Italian-style chicken sausage links, thinly sliced

·       1/3  cup  pesto

·       1/2  cup  grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the green beans and peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and vegetables and return them to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Add the sausage, pesto, Parmesan, and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and vegetables and toss to combine (add more cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce).

Tip

This recipe is also delicious with uncooked Italian sausage. Remove it from the casing and cook until no longer pink before adding it to the pasta and vegetables.

Nutritional Information

Calories 666; Fat 26g; Sat Fat 7g; Cholesterol 67mg; Sodium 913mg; Protein 32g; Carbohydrate 76g; Sugar 5g; Fiber 9g; Iron 4mg; Calcium 291mg

Mom's enchiladas

3 cups shredded chicken

2 cups (8 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers

1/2 cup sour cream (plus more... see below)

1 (4.5-oz) can chopped green chilies, drained

1/3 cup cilantro

8 (8-in) tortillas

vegetable cooking spray

1 (8-oz) container sour cream (you could definitely use less)

taco sauce

toppings: diced tomato, chopped avocado, chopped green onions, olives, chopped cilantro, cheese

1. Stir first 5 ingredients together

2. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over each tortilla and roll up

3. Arrange in a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish

4. Coat tortillas with vegetable cooking spray

5. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown

6. Stir together sour cream and taco sauce, about a 1:1 ratio, or to your liking

7. Spoon over hot enchiladas and sprinkle with toppings

CHEF'S Notes... lol jk. Just "notes": 

-We used no cilantro in this recipe because we didn't have any, and it was still tasty.  

-We also added sautéed corn the chicken mixture which was a good addition.   

-Also, the first time I made this, I must've stuffed the tortillas a lot because I only got 6.  The second time, I must've skimped on the innards, because I  made more than 8...just in case you care. 

Gnocchi with Sage-Butter Sauce

Ingredients:
2 (12-oz) packages potato gnocchi
1/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried sage (or about 2 tsp fresh sage)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook gnocchi as directed.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until the garlic has softened and is beginning to turn golden brown, about 4 minutes. 
3. Stir in the sage and salt for a few seconds, then add the cooked gnocchi. Toss gently with 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and the pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese to serve.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Yup.  They turned out quite delicious.  I will make this again for sure.  The chicken had a bit of a sweet taste to it because of the honey, and all the flavors blended together quite nicely.  

I'm not sure the amount you're supposed to put in each tortilla, but the way I did it, we ended up with 6 (very filling) enchiladas.  For the shredded chicken, I just bought a rotisserie chicken, and used that.  My one difficulty was finding Green Enchilada Sauce, which I finally found it at Whole Foods.  Mom said they sell it at Kroger though, so hopefully you won't have any trouble finding it.

Something not on the recipe, but that is probably obvious, that you can do: I sprinkled with fresh diced tomatoes, as well as shredded lettuce (from my garden, yeah!).  I think next time I will add some olives too. 

We ate it with brown rice, cooked with some diced tomatoes in it.  

6 tablespoons honey

5 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon chili powder

4 cups chicken, cooked and shredded

1 can black beans, rinsed

tortillas

green enchilada sauce

shredded cheddar cheese

1. mix honey, lime juice, chili powder, and chicken together and marinate for at least 1 hour. 

2. cover bottom of baking dish with a small amount of enchilada sauce.  assemble enchilada by placing a heaping spoonful of chicken, a spoonful of beans and cheese in tortillas.  roll up and place in baking dish.  top with remaining sauce and cheese.  

3. bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until warmed through and cheese is melted.