Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad

Whatever You Have... Just Throw It In!

Still surviving this retched heatwave. I can't stand hot, hazy and humid days. It always amazes me when people say they love this weather. Who in their right mind would love the feeling of damp, sticky clothes and frizzy hair? NOT ME. Ok enough complaining, but I wouldn't be a Rhode Islander if I didn't bitch about the weather.

One thing I am happy about is that I made this salad when I did. Now I can relax and I don't have to worry about cooking anything and heating up the house. Everything is right there in it... protein, veggies, and grains! I like to take it out of the refrigerator at least a half hour before I want to eat so that the flavors are even better.

I love dishes like this. Whenever I have leftover chicken, vegetables or pantry items that have been sitting around for a while, I make this pasta salad. The beauty of it is that you can make it with whatever you have on hand at the time, it always tastes great and it's never the same the next time you make it.

Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad
by Mixed Salad Annie

Dressing:
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped, stems discarded
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pasta Salad:
1 pound fusilli pasta
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup cauliflower florets, 1/2 cup broccoli florets, 1/2 cup baby carrots (quartered lengthwise), all steamed until aldente (about 5-6 minutes)
1/4 cup mixed black and green olives, pitted and sliced
1 small can water chestnuts
1/4 cup jarred marinated mushrooms, cut in half
1 small jar roasted red peppers, cut into strips
1/4 cup 50% less fat- sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

For Dressing:
Add the parsley, vinegar, garlic, mustard, and salt and pepper to a blender. Blend until all ingredients are incorporated. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the motor is running. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to box instructions and drain.

In a large serving bowl, mix the pasta with the remaining ingredients, except tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing, toss and refrigerate for about 2 hours or overnight.

Take pasta salad out of the refrigerator about a half hour before serving and toss in the tomatoes.

Light Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe from Cooking Light came in handy recently when I found myself with some leftover cooked chicken. I loved the idea of using phyllo dough for the crust. A lot of recipes use rich, fattening crusts that taste absolutely delicious, but my thighs may have a different opinion.

Since the phyllo dough is just lightly sprayed with canola oil cooking spray, the calories and fat content are kept in check.

I changed a few ingredients due to the fact that I had different vegetables on hand and opted to use less milk and more chicken broth. One thing that I noticed though, was that the juice was a lot thinner than it should have been and I wonder if is because of the change I had made. It's easy correct anyway, just add a little more flour.

Chicken Pot Pie
by Cooking Light

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups diced red potato (about 1 pound), I omitted the potatoes
2 cups diced onion, I used shallots
2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 8 ounces), I omitted the mushrooms
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup chopped green beans, my addition
1 cup chopped broccoli spears and florets, my addition
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, I used 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, I should have increased this to 3 tablespoons
3 cups fat-free milk, I used 2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth, I used 1 1/2 cups
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 12 ounces)
1 cup frozen green peas, I used 2 cups
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 (14 x 9-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add oil. Add potatoes and next 6 ingredients (through thyme), and saute for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; sprinkle flour over vegetables. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in milk and broth. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken, peas, salt and pepper.

Spoon mixture into a 2 quart baking dish. Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover remaining dough to keep from drying); lightly spray with cooking spray. Repeat layers with cooking spray and remaining phyllo. Place phyllo layers loosely on top of mixture in dish. Place dish on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until top is golden. Yield 6 servings.