Layered Tortellini Pesto Chicken Salad

We have a new favorite recipe! Yummy!!I made this salad last night (also from the Pillsbury magazine, what a treasure!) and it went over very very well. Kinley didn't love it because there were peppers in it, but Tanner ate a huge bowl and asked for more and Justin told me six times that he really really liked this new dinner. He said it's the best new recipe I've made in a long time and he wants it repeated soon! The pic in the magazine shows it all layered and pretty before mixing it up, but I couldn't get that step quite right. So my picture shows it all mixed up and ready to eat :)

I've modified it slightly from the original:

Layered Tortellini Pesto Chicken Salad
Ingredients
3 uncooked cups cheese-filled tortellini
1 cup peas, cooked and cooled
5 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped or shredded chicken
1 medium red or orange bell pepper, chopped small
1/2 cup low-fat or fat-free Miracle Whip or mayo (I used miracle)
1/2 cup basil pesto (from the spaghetti sauce aisle)
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

Directions
In a small bowl or food processor, mix mayo, pesto and buttermilk. Chill in fridge at least 90 minutes.
Cook and shred/chop chicken. Chill in fridge at least 90 minutes.
Cook tortellini as directed on package. Drain, rinse with cold water, spray lightly with Pam spray to keep from sticking, chill in fridge for at least 90 minutes.
Prepare lettuce, pepper, and peas. Can be mixed and chilled ahead of time.
When ready to serve, mix all ingredients in a large bowl and serve immediately.

Healthy Pasta Primavera

I tried this recipe from the Pillsbury monthly magazine, of all things. It was calling to me from the shelf in the grocery line. It is lower-calorie and it was delicious! The kids inhaled it! I have slightly modified it. The picture doesn't show how delightfully creamy it was, and for some reason I neglected to capture the yummy mushrooms in the photo! But the entire pan is gone now so there will be no repeated attempts!

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup cherry halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup diced, cooked chicken (optional)
2 cups halved fresh snow pea pods (optional, and did not use)
12 oz uncooked fettucini
1 1/2 cups fat-free (skim) milk
3 tbs cornstarch
1 tbs chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup light ricotta cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh parmesan cheese (not in the green can!!)
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Directions
1. Cook and drain fettucini as directed on package. Lightly spray with Pam and toss to keep from sticking together. Cook and chop chicken.

2. Meanwhile, in a 2-quart saucepan, heat milk, cornstarch, basil, salt, and pepper to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 2-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens. Remove pan from heat.

3. In a blender or food processor, place 1/2 cup of the sauce, the ricotta cheese and the parmesan cheese. Cover; blend on medium-lo speed until smooth. Return mixture to remainint sauce in saucepan; stir well.

4. In a nonstick pot, heat broth to boiling over medium-hgh heat. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, broccoli and onions; cover and cook 4 minutes. Add tomatoes (and pea pods, if used); cook 1 minute longer. Add sauce and cooked fettucine; heat until hot. Transfer to serving platter if desired, and sprinkle with additional fresh parmesan cheese.

*optional items: one option called for 1/2 cup more milk. I can agree with that. Also, asparagus can be substituted for the broccoli or peapods.

Spinach Pasta Salad

Salad:
1 lb. Pasta, cooked al dente, drain, rinse in cold water
3 C cooked chopped chicken
5 C fresh spinach, shredded
1 C black olives, chopped in 1/4’s
4 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled
3 cups diced tomatoes (grape tomatoes, YUM!)
3/4 C monterrey jack cheese, shredded

Dressing:
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced

Blend dressing ingredients. Pour over mixed salad. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes before serving.

SLAW

SLAW (making this for enrichment tonight reminded me how good it is...)

This recipe was given to me by the owner of the blue moose café in Boise. I was pregnant and had been in three times that week for it, sighing that I wished she could make it in Provo for me. She promptly gave me the recipe. It is always served with a thick slice of fresh toasted and buttered garlic bread. WHOA YUM.


½ head of green cabbage
½ head of red cabbage
craisins
sunflower seeds (toasted lightly)
sliced almonds (toasted lightly)
feta cheese crumbled
4 chopped cooked chicken breasts
1 bottle of poppyseed dressing (use to taste.. less is sometimes more)


Toss all ingredients together just before serving. Does not keep for very long because cabbage loses its crunch. To simplify I toast the seeds and almonds together in dry pan on stove top and buy the bags of cabbage already shredded. (although you lose out on the pretty purple color).