Pasta Salad With Grilled Lemon Chicken Roasted Peppers And Goat Cheese Recipes

ROASTED-PEPPER PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Shake off the excess water. Meanwhile, place the bell peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan, add the garlic and broil until charred, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover and set aside about 5 minutes. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and toast, shaking the pan, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Squeeze the garlic from its skin onto a cutting board. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt; mince and mash the garlic into a paste with a large knife. Peel the roasted peppers and slice into strips; transfer to a large bowl. Add the garlic paste and drizzle with the olive oil. Finely grate about 1 teaspoon lemon zest into the bowl and squeeze in all of the lemon juice. Add the bocconcini, basil, almonds, pasta, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; toss.
• Photographs by Antonis Achilleos

GRILLED CHICKEN AND PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the grill for high heat. Season both sides of chicken breast halves with steak seasoning.
• Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Remove from heat, cool, and cut into strips.
• Meanwhile, place the rotini pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain, and rinse with cold water to cool.
• In a large bowl, mix together the cheese, onion, lettuce, and tomatoes. Toss with the cooled chicken and pasta to serve.

PASTA WITH GOAT CHEESE AND ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Place asparagus on a large rimmed baking sheet; dot with 1 tablespoon butter, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, tossing occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes; cut into 2-inch lengths.
• While asparagus is roasting, generously salt boiling water. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Set aside 1 1/2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
• In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth. Add goat-cheese mixture and asparagus to pasta; toss to combine, adding more pasta water if necessary for sauce to coat pasta. Serve pasta garnished with chives.

GRILLED VEGETABLE SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Cut out the pepper stems and then slice each lengthwise along the ribs or ridges into 3 or 4 large triangular wedges. Trim the stem and blossom ends from the zucchini and squash and cut them lengthwise into thin slices. Trim the eggplant and cut crosswise into 12 slices 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick. Peel the onion and cut into 1/4-inch slices.
• Trim the portobello mushroom stem even with the cap so it will lie flat on the grill. Brush all over with 1/2 tablespoon of the Rosemary Garlic Oil. Set aside.
• Set a cast iron grill pan over high heat and coat with vegetable cooking spray. Let it warm up for 3 to 5 minutes (or light your outdoor grill). Using a pastry brush, coat the zucchini, squash, eggplant, and red onion slices with about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining oil; it will be a very thin film, but it should be enough. The peppers do not need any. Grill the vegetables, except the onion in batches as necessary, on each side, rotating them 45 degrees to make cross-hatch grill marks. They should be cooked until they are nicely browned, but not charred, cooked through but still hold their texture. The peppers will have black marks on the outside, but they are eaten with their skin and bright color intact. Grill the mushroom stem side down first, so when it is turned and finishes cooking, the juices will be retained. Reduce the heat to medium high and grill the onion, turning and rotating as described, until tender and browned but not burned. Here are the approximate cooking times, which will vary with your grill: Peppers - 6 to 7 minutes per side Zucchini and squash - 2 to 3 minutes on first side, 2 minutes on second Eggplant - 4 to 6 minutes per side Red Onion - 3 to 4 minutes per side Portobello - 5 to 6 minutes per side As the vegetables are cooked, transfer them to plates or a large baking sheet lined with wax paper. Transfer the portobello to a cutting board and let cool for at least 5 minutes; then slice. Be sure to reserve any mushroom juices. Season the grilled vegetables and mushroom lightly with salt and pepper.
• Line a large round or oval serving platter with the arugula. Arrange the grilled vegetables decoratively in bunches around the edge of the platter. Pile up the pepper wedges in the center.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice with the remaining Garlic Rosemary Oil. Mix in any reserved mushroom juices. Drizzle evenly over the salad. Crumble goat cheese on top. Serve at room temperature.
• Combine all the ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes, preferably 1 hour. If not using within several hours, cover and refrigerate for up to a week.;

BAKED GREEK SALAD

Steps:

• Roasted Greek Salad with Lemon Dressing
• Preheat oven to 475 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Prep all vegetables as written above in ingredient list.
• Add chopped red and orange peppers, diced tomatoes and cubed goat cheese and mix together.
• In a small bowl, combine olive oil, oregano, garlic powder and salt and mix well.
• Drizzle half of the oil mixture onto the vegetables on the baking sheet and use hands to combine.
• Slice a lemon in half and place onto the baking sheet with inside facing up.
• Roast Greek vegetables for 17-20 minutes.
• Remove sheet pan from oven.
• Carefully squeeze lemon (it is hot) into oil mixture and whisk the lemon and olive oil dressing together.
• Add raw quartered cucumbers, drained and pitted Kalamata olives and raw sliced red onion and drizzle entire pan with remaining oil and gently toss with a spatula to combine.
• Serve Greek Salad warm or room temperature.

ROASTED VEGETABLE PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk the first four ingredients; set aside., In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, sweet peppers, onion and garlic. Add the oil, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Transfer to a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 425° for 35-40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Cool to room temperature., Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package directions; drain., In a large serving bowl, combine roasted vegetables, pasta, green onions, basil and pine nuts. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Add cheese; toss gently.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH GOAT CHEESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Put each chicken breast half between two sheets of plastic wrap; pound lightly to flatten evenly. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken pieces.
• Lightly oil the grill or grill pan. Grill over medium coals or medium-high heat for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.*
• If desired, place a few spoonfuls of the red pepper puree (recipe below) on the plate, place the chicken breast on top of the puree, and spoon the herbed goat cheese sauce (recipe below) over the chicken. *The minimum safe temperature for chicken is 165 F / 74 C.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil, wine, and chicken broth in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Continue cooking over medium heat until reduced by about half.
• Add the parsley, goat cheese, salt and pepper, and garlic herb seasoning, if using. Continue simmering, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thickened.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine the roasted red peppers , garlic, hot sauce in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Force it through a mesh sieve, if desired.
• Taste and season, as needed, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Enjoy!

CREAMY GOAT CHEESE PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta: Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• Make sauce: Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until the garlic becomes aromatic. Add the goat cheese, half and half and stir. Whisk until smooth.
• Add pasta: Reduce the heat to medium. Add the cooked penne and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Stir well to coat the pasta and let it bubble in the sauce for 1-2 minutes.
• Finish: If you'd like a thinner sauce, add more of the pasta water as needed. Mix in the basil, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the lemon juice and zest and more pasta water if needed. Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
• Garnish and serve: Garnish with parsley and serve.