Sunnys Grilled Cobb Pasta Salad Recipes

SUNNY'S GRILLED CHICKEN AND KALE SALAD WITH SUNNY'S CREAMY "EQUAL-PARTS" HARISSA SALAD DRESSING

Steps:

• For the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the harissa paste, mayonnaise, buttermilk, cilantro, scallions and a few grinds of black pepper.
• For the salad: In the same large bowl, add the kale salad mix, chicken, grapes, strawberries and tomatoes. Use 2 serving spoons or tongs to toss and coat everything with the dressing on the bottom. Serve, but this is a salad that actually will hold 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator without the kale wilting!

SUNNY'S BBQ SALMON AND EASY SALAD

Steps:

• For the salmon: Pat the salmon dry. Place the salmon skin-side down on a piece of nonstick aluminum foil on a baking sheet or a cedar plank that was soaked in water for 1 to 2 hours. In a zigzag motion, drizzle the liquid smoke over the flesh of the salmon and brush it in; let rest 5 minutes. Season the salmon with salt.
• For the rub: In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, chile flakes, salt and pepper. Gently pour the seasoning blend over the entire top of the salmon, patting it into the flesh evenly. Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven or a grill to 300 degrees F.
• Drizzle the olive oil over the salmon. Place the salmon on the foil directly onto the grill or in the oven (or the salmon on the plank). Cook until medium rare, 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the size.
• For the easy salad: In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, onion and lemon juice. Sprinkle lightly with salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Rest for a few minutes, then drizzle over the olive oil and toss again.
• Remove the salmon from the skin and flake over the salad.

SUNNY'S GRILLED COBB PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• For the grill: Prepare a grill for high heat.
• Cut each chicken breast open and in half to make 4 thin chicken fillets. With a meat mallet, gently pound each chicken fillet to even thickness. Sprinkle the chicken with the paprika and some salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
• Put both the chicken and corn on the grill above the direct heat. Cook the chicken on one side for about 4 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. For the corn, simply rotate to get charred and blistered kernels on all sides. This takes about the same time as the chicken, so tend to both simultaneously. Remove the chicken from the grill and cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Allow the corn to cool enough to cut the kernels off, then do just that. Put the corn in a bowl. Once rested, finely chop the chicken: not big chunks, nice lil bits the size of peas.
• For the pasta: Bring a pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• For the dressing: In a small food processor, add the mayonnaise, avocado, scallion, lime zest and juice, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Blend until smooth; if needed, add a splash of water to thin to desired consistency.
• For the salad: To the large bowl of pasta, add the sun-dried tomatoes and dressing and mix to combine. Arrange the chicken, corn, eggs, bacon and cheese on top of the pasta salad.

GRILLED PORK MEDALLIONS WITH PASTA

Steps:

• To make the marinade: In a blender or food processor combine banana peppers, mustard, and honey. Blend until smooth, and set aside 3 tablespoons for the pasta sauce.
• Pour the remaining marinade into a re-sealable plastic bag. Season the pork with salt and pepper and add them to the bag. Seal and distribute the marinade equally on the pork. Marinate at room temperature up to 2 hours or in the refrigerator if longer than that. Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to let pork come to room temperature.
• Preheat a seasoned cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta.
• Remove the pork medallions from the marinade and give a gentle shake to remove excess marinade. Place on the grill pan. Let cook 4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and loosely tent with aluminum foil while the meat rests.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, about 12 minutes. In a medium saute pan on medium heat, heat the oil. When it begins to swirl, add the onions. Season the onions with salt and pepper, and sweat until tender.
• Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add reserved marinade and stir. Once combined, add the heavy cream and stir until slightly reduced and thickened, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in the grated Parmesan, and parsley. Drain the pasta and add to sauce, coating well. Serve alongside pork.

PEPPERY PASTA

Steps:

• In a large straight-sided saute pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, pepper and a pinch of salt. Heat and toast the pepper until the oil is fragrant with the pepper scent, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and allow the moisture to evaporate from the pasta for a couple of minutes.
• Add the pasta to the pan with the olive oil, raise the heat to medium-high and continuously toss the pasta with tongs to coat with the olive oil and pepper. Remove from the heat, add the lemon zest and cheese, toss and then transfer to a serving bowl and serve.