Pasta and Grilled Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Prep Time:  1 hour


Salad:
2 - 12 oz. packages of Wacky Mac or tri-colored noodles
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
4 medium carrots, sliced
6 oz. can medium olives
2 bunches of broccoli cut into bite-sized florets
16 oz. package of frozen petite peas
2 chicken breasts, grilled and cubed

Sauce:
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dry mustard
3 tsp poppy seeds
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar

1.  Boil the pasta until al dente (usually 1 - 2 minutes less than the package indicates.)  Add the broccoli, carrots,  and peas to the boiling pasta during the last 3 minutes.  Drain.  Rinse with cool water and place pasta and lightly cooked vegetables along with the raw vegetables and grilled chicken in a large serving bowl.

2.  Mix the sauce ingredients in a container with a lid and mix until fully blended.  Pour the sauce over the pasta and vegetables and serve.  (Can make the salad in advance and refrigerate until ready to eat.)

Servings:  8 - 10 main dish servings

I received this recipe from my neighbor, Melissa Adams, and our family loves this!

Greek Spinach-Pasta Salad with Feta and Beans

Makes 6 servings

6 oz. fresh spinach (I buy the 10 oz. bags from Walmart or Smith's for $1.99 and just use a little more than 1/2)
1 - 15 oz. can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese (I buy the large bricks of President's feta cheese from Costco, come home and cut the block into 9 smaller pieces (each piece is about 4 oz.) and freeze each of the 9 pieces until I need them.  This way 4 oz. of crumbled feta cheese costs less than $1)
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
12 oz. dried whole wheat pasta (farfalle, penne, etc.)

1.  In a large serving bowl combine, spinach, beans, cheese, tomatoes, garlic, lemon peel and juice, oil, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Cover; let stand at room temperature while cooking pasta or up to 2 hours; stir occasionally.

2.  Cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.  Toss cooked pasta and pasta water with spinach salad mixture and serve.

 This recipe was in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine in February 2011 and my whole family loves it.  It goes together fast.  I can have this recipe ready in 30 minutes and I can't say that about very many of the dishes I prepare for dinner.  My whole family loves it!

Spaghetti with Roasted Butternut Squash

Prep Time:  1 hour

2 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces
1 bulb garlic, separated in cloves and peeled (halve large cloves)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
14 to 16 oz. package of whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup butter
3 slices bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Sliced green onions (optional)

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.  In 15x10x1-inch baking pan toss together squash, peeled garlic cloves, oil, and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.  Evenly spread squash in pan.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until squash is tender and lightly browned.

2.  Meanwhile, cook spaghetti, with 1 Tbsp. of salt added to water, according to package directions.  Drain; keep warm.

3.  In small saucepan heat butter over medium heat until it turns the color of light brown sugar, stirring frequently.

4.  In serving bowl toss spaghetti with about half the browned butter.  Toss squash, garlic, bacon, nuts, and nutmeg with the remaining browned butter.  Serve squash mixture over spaghetti.  Sprinkle with green onions if desired.

 Makes 6 servings

(This recipe was in the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine in September 2009.  I've tweaked it a little.)