Tricolor Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad, but I am in love with this one. This was a huge hit with my friends. I almost forgot I was dieting and would have eaten the entire thing myself, except I remembered I should be careful :) This is so good! The basil pesto and pinenuts just add so much flavor and jazz up an ordinary pasta salad. This would be great served as a side dish for a BBQ and I also think you could add some grilled chicken to make it a main dinner course. But, however you want it, just make it! It will change the way you view pasta salad.
from My Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

1 12 oz. package Pasta Rotini, tri colored, cooked and drained
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 can black olives, sliced
¼ cups red onion, finely diced
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
6 fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
4 tablespoons basil pesto
2/3 cup creamy Caesar dressing
2 teaspoons sauté spice (equal parts black pepper, salt, and garlic powder)
½-1 cup toasted pine nuts

Cook pasta and coat with Caesar dressing while warm. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the pine nuts) and toss. Top with toasted pine nuts.

Note: I served mine at room temperature, but Chris ate it straight out of the fridge and said that was good too!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

This is Y-U-M-M-Y! When I was cooking it, Chris kept walking in saying, "It smells yummy, but it doesn't look yummy!" I kept saying, "Alright, alright, it will be great!" Well, Chris and I both agree that it not only smells yummy, it tastes yummy as well. And, once the sauce is mixed with the penne it looks yummy too! This is really good. Lexi ate it and her little friend, David, loved it as well, they are 2 and 3 years old people, so that is great that they would eat it. It is a unique twist on pasta. We love mexican food, especially chicken enchiladas, and we love pasta so for us the combination was a match made in heaven. Give it a try if you are sick of the same old pasta dishes. It is worth it. Oh, I need to add, that it is really easy to make as well. It was not a lot of prep and did not call for fancy smancy ingredients, so it is a great weeknight meal.

Serves 6 to 8
*Plan Ahead: the recipe calls for cooked chicken so use leftovers or plan enough time to cook the chicken beforehand.

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded ( I used two and next time I will use 3, we felt it needed a little more chicken, I also cubed mine)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 (10-oz) can green chili enchilada sauce (I used mild)
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 can large black olives, cut in half
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
16-20 oz. penne pasta (Depending on how "saucy" you want the pasta)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender. Add the cooked chicken, green chilies, spices, enchilada sauces and olives. Let the sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese is melted (but don't boil!). Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions or crushed tortilla chips ( we garnished with sour cream and cheese and it was just fine).

Note: I used a 14.5 oz box of penne, so we had leftover sauce. I am freezing the sauce so that I can use it later. So, it freezes well, just so you know.
souce:Kitchen Cafe

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

This is absolutely delicious! I loved this dish and so did my whole family. I made this in AZ for Christine's baby blessing dinner and it was a huge hit. Again, a bit time consuming, but so worth it. We had 10 adults eating this and there were still left overs, so it makes a lot! It can also be frozen though and reheated later.

Source: The sisters cafe blog

44 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (That’s about one and one-half 12-oz boxes)
2 c chopped cooked chicken
2 c fresh chopped spinach
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 c.)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tb dried parsley flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (any variety)

Cook shells according to package directions (be sure to stir every once in awhile so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan and tear apart); drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 2 13x9x2inch baking dishes.
In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.
Makes 8-10 servings.

Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Pasta

Since I made the decision three weeks ago to eat healthier and exercise on a regular day basis, I have been trying out a bunch of different recipes, with the large majority being vegetarian dishes. No, I am not converting, I just wanted to eat less meat. Well, telling Chris this, made him a little nervous, for he does not exactly share my new found love of vegetarian meals. So, tonight when I told him I was making this pasta dish, he said, "Oh great, another meatless dish." Well, after eating this pasta dish, he looked at me and said, "Okay, this is blog worthy." Seriously? I said. This means he LOVED it! And, he sure did. Now, he ate like 5 platefuls of this stuff so I know he really liked it! Anyways, this dish is really good. Really, I loved it! It has such nice flavors running all the way through it. The toasted walnuts and fresh grated parmesan really make this dish shine. So try it sometime when you are in the mood for a meatless dish.

Source:
My Kitchen Cafe blog

Ingredients:
2 heads garlic, papery skins removed, top quarter of heads cut off (on the pointy side of garlic) and discarded
6 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 pound short pasta ( I used Ronzoni smart taste brand: Rotini)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon
1 heaping Tbsp. fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, place a large rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut one 12-inch sheet of foil and spread it flat on the counter. Place the garlic heads, cut side up, in the center of the foil. Drizzle 1/2 tsp. olive oil over each head and fold up the sides of the foil to seal well. Place the foil packet directly on the oven rack (not on the preheating baking sheet) and roast until the garlic is very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the foil packet from the oven, open the foil and set it aside to cool.

While the garlic is roasting, trim the outer leaves off of the cauliflower and cut the stem flush with the bottom. Cut the head from pole to pole into 8 equal wedges and then cut the cauliflower into large bite-sized pieces. Place the cauliflower in a large bowl; toss with 2 Tbsp. oil, salt, pepper, and sugar.

Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Carefully transfer the cauliflower to the baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast until the cauliflower is well browned and tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

While the cauliflower roasts, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 Tbsp. salt and pasta; cook until al dente. Squeeze the cooled, roasted garlic cloves from their skins into a small bowl. Using a fork, mash the garlic to a smooth paste, then stir in red pepper flakes and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice. Slowly whisk in remaining 1/4 cup oil.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot. Add the chopped cauliflower to the pasta; stir in the garlic sauce, 1/4 cup cooking water, parsley, and 1/2 cup cheese. Adjust the consistency of the pasta with additional cooking water and season with salt and pepper. serve immediately, sprinkling with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and toasted nuts.

Note: I added a total of 1/2 cup cooking water in ours.