Basil Pesto Pasta Salad with Spinach

I made this recipe recently and was very impressed with it. Although it may be another salad, I recommend trying it. I packed this up for my lunch today and it was sooo good! I didn't include the chicken because I didn't want to take the time to cook it, and it was still perfect.
*Also, I cut the recipe down to about half, which served 2 medium-sized salads

Pesto Pasta Salad with Spinach

 

1 pkg bow tie pasta whole wheat or plus 

1 TB olive oil

1 cup basil pesto jarred or homemade (see below)

1/4 cup Italian dressing

1 cup chicken grilled, can, rotisserie 

2 cups spinach 

1 pint cherry tomatoes 

1/2 cup feta cheese

1. Cook the bowtie pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water. Drain the pasta and run it under water. Drizzle with olive oil and stir around.
2. Put the pasta in a large serving bowl and stir in the pesto and Italian dressing. Add the spinach, chicken, tomatoes and feta cheese. Toss to combine. Salt and Pepper to taste.
3. Cover the pasta and refrigerate. If the pasta seems dry before serving, you can stir in another tablespoon of olive oil.

*I have never bought basil pesto before, and I looked at several recipes online to get a feel for a good basil pesto. I tossed ingredients together, but here is an estimate of the measurements (you can double if you are using normal portion amounts, since I cut it down to 1/2.)

1/3 C very finely chopped walnuts

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese 

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

*combine ingredients together for the pesto

Tortelini pasta and spinach salad

 Tortellini Pasta and Spinach Salad

Here is a very simple, basic recipe that I recommend.  Sorry it took me a while to post and you may consider it more of a summer dish, but I promise that there will be several delicious fall recipes coming up soon! Yes, I created this recipe, but trust me that it's worth trying. All you need:

1 package of spinach and cheese tortellini pasta. (I used the Barilla brand, which may be harder to find, but I bought it at Target.)

1 package of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1/4-1/2 bottle of Italian dressing

1/2 C Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package (the brand I used took 10 minutes). Drain, and let cool.

Mix pasta with dressing, cheese, and spinach, then voila! You've got yourself a tasty pasta. Keep in mind that proportions with the ingredients can be changed according to your taste. I personally like less dressing but some people may enjoy more. This serves about 5-6 medium-sized salads

Slow Cooker Mango Salsa Chicken Salad

This recipe was absolutely tasty. I usually do not like eating left overs again and again, however, I ate this for dinner almost a week straight. It was sweet and flavorful with just enough zest. All you need to do is throw the 6 (I used 5) ingredients into the crock pot and allow to cook. I love to top this as part of a salad (Cafe Rio style), however, you can also roll it up with rice into a warm tortilla. You won't regret giving this a try! (This recipe is adapted from http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/02/healthy-meals-monday-slow-cooker-mango.html.) P.S. I only used 2 large chicken breasts, and it still turned out just fine.

Mango Salsa Chicken Salad

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were frozen)
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (However, I didn't use beans because I really don't like them.)
3 cups mango salsa (This large jar was from Costco.)
Cumin to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp.)
Lemon Pepper to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp.) Or (what I did), about 1 tsp of lemon juice and 1/8 tsp pepper

Put chicken breasts in crock pot. Mix all other ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour over chicken breasts and cook on high for 4-6 hours.

Garnish with cilantro or parsley, if desired.

Different ways to serve the chicken:
 with tortilla chips
over rice
as part of a salad (see below for details)
With rice rolled up inside a tortila.

For the salad:

Mix up romaine lettuce with green, leafy lettuce. Warm up a whole wheat tortilla. Serve the lettuce on top of the tortilla, then top about a 1/2 C rice, then the mango salsa chicken. If desired, shred Monterey Jack cheese on top for extra flavor. Sqeeze a dash of lemon juice on top. There is no need for dressing since the salsa from the chicken provides enough tender texture and flavor. Enjoy!!

Pineapple Fruit Salad Bowls

Since the pineapple I used was smaller, it doesn't look as much like a bowl, but I found this idea on Pinterest so I decided to try it out.

Pineapple Fruit Salad Bowl
Take a fresh pineapple, slice off the top, and then slice the pineapple in half length-wise.

Cut out the pineapple and scoop out the remains.

Fill it with the pineapple as well as colorful fruit and voila! You've got a couple of yummy fruit salads.

Berry Spinach Salad with Roasted Vanilla Pecans

 Berry Spinach Salad with Roasted Vanilla Pecans

I decided I had to post this because it's delicious. I have experimented a bit for good, candied pecans for a salad, and this way works great. There's no specific recipe to it since it's a simple salad, but all you need is:

Fresh green spinach
Berries of your choice. I used strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries
Crumbled Pecans

To roast the crumbled pecans, preheat the oven at 375. Sprinkle vanilla extract, cinnamon, and sugar onto the pecans. Place them on top of a small sheet of aluminum foil and curl up the edges to make a small bowl so they won't spill out. Bake for 10 minutes (while cooking, you will notice the house will start smelling really good--a baked, vanilla smell :)

Once the pecans have cooled, mix together with the berries and spinach. You can serve with raspberry vinagarette, however, I usually just mash the berries, making it healthier and keeping it sweet. Serves great as a side or as a healthy meal after being sick of junk food.