Curry Mango Grilled Chicken and Impromptu Pasta Salad

my parents came to visit for my birthday this past week and my dad got me a nice gas grill for my balcony. i feel like it goes without saying that grilling is by far the superior mode of cooking, so ive been grilling burgers and chicken like crazy ever since i got it and below is the first photo shoot. oh- isnt my new cactus cute?

Ingredients:

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

- 1/4 cup Curry Mango Marinade

- 1 cup color Rotelli cooked as directed (this is for a single serving)

- 2 tablespoons ceasar salad dressing

- 1 heart handful of cherry tomatoes

- 1/4 of an onion cut into thin slices 

- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

- 1/6 cup diced red and/or yellow peppers

Preparation:

I recommend marinating the chicken for a couple of hours, but if your in a rush or are hungry like i usually am by the time i start cooking, just coat the chicken in the marinade and let it sit while you boil the water for the pasta Marinate chicken for a couple of hours in the fridge before heating grill and grilling on medium -medium high until juice run clear. 

cook pasta as directed and toss with veggies, feta, and ceasar dressing. i didnt have any feta, but really wanted it in there, so im just including it in the ingredients. also, if i had some, i would have grilled zucchini and added that as well. 

Bring it tofu princess- my alfredo sauce will wreck you

so i was chatting on the phone with my best bud yesterday while i was doing some last minute grocery shopping at safeway, and i mentioned my impromptu dinner menu. For a quick pasta meal, i dont think you can beat a nice mushroom alfredo with gemelli pasta, peas, spinach and sautéed chicken. Looking to save time and lets be honest, effort, i opted to buy jarred sauce rather than labor all night over a homemade alfredo. To say the very least, i was bauked at and ridculed for my laziness by my pal. This pissed me off, not because she was right and it was annoying for her to point it out, but because it came from a girl whose very own homemade alfredo rivals the taste and consistency of skim milk! (i know, low blow right? but its totally true, the girl hasnt seen the likes of whole milk or cream in over 15 years, EASY!)

anyhow, i was starving and impatient ended up throwing this quick monday night pasta dish together in no time right after challenging VB to an alfredo cookoff. All i have to say to vanessa is: BRING IT tofu princess, i will wreck you!

ingredients:

- 1/3 box barilla gemelli pasta (cooked to al dente)

- 1 jar alfredo sauce of your choice (i heart bertolli)

- salt

- pepper

- 1/4 cup frozen peas

- few handfuls of fresh spinach

- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

- 1/2 lb chicken breast

- 1 tablespoon minced garlic

- 1/3 cup chopped onion

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation:

in a saute pan, saute the chopped onion and minced garlic with some salt and pepper. add in the mushrooms and continue sauteing for a couple of minutes. Add in chicken and cook until no longer pink and then add in spinach and adjust salt/pepper as needed then cover until spinach wilts. add in alfredo sauce and simmer.

in the meantime fire up some salted water and cook the pasta as directed on the package. once al dente, drain and toss with alfredo mixture.

some handy recipes i want to try

im a little obsessed with martha stewart recipes so heres a couple i'll be trying soon:

Chicken Salad

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (2 small whole breasts)
• 3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup finely diced fennel
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery
• 2 cups halved red seedless grapes
• 6 slices pumpernickel bread
• 1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed
• Olive-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Combine salt and pepper in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with half of the salt-pepper mixture; place in the skillet. Reduce heat to medium; cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from the pan; set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine yogurt, mustard, chives, tarragon, and remaining salt-pepper mixture. Core apple, and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Place apple in a medium bowl with lemon juice, and toss to combine. Add fennel, celery, and grapes. Cut reserved chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to salad with yogurt dressing; stir to combine. Divide salad among 6 slices pumpernickel bread, and sprinkle with watercress. 

lemon cumin chicken

1 medium lemon

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

1 medium clove garlic, smashed and peeled

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1 lb.), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Finely grate 1 tsp. zest from the lemon and then juice the lemon.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken, lemon zest, cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring, until the chicken is just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the parsley and 2 Tbs. of the lemon juice. Discard the garlic if you like. Season to taste with salt and pepper.