Tommaso’s Sinful Delights

A friend was asking my suggestion what he should make for dinner.  I thought for a minute about a few things I had a craving for and are in season, combined his suggestion for whole wheat pasta, and put this recipe together.

Fresh Summer Salad

-1/2c olive oil
-1 medium red onion
- 3 ears of sweet corn
-1 pint of grape tomatoes
-1 lemon
-1 cup feta cheese
-2 cups sugar snap peas
-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
-1 tsp herbs de Provence
-1 TBSP fresh oregano, chopped or 1 tsp dried oregano
-1lb whole wheat penne pasta
-salt and pepper

Juice one lemon and whisk with 1/4 c olive oil in a small bowl.  In a deep dish, place chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper.  Pour lemon mixture over chicken breasts and marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat grill (or you can saute.)  Grill chicken breasts 8-10 min per side. 

While the chicken cooks, boil the corn for about 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.  Prepare the water for the pasta and bring to a rolling boil.  After salting the water, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.  While the pasta boils, preheat a saute pan with 2 TBSP olive oil and saute the red onion for 8 minutes.  When onions are soft and caramelized, place in a large mixing bowl.  Add 2 TBSP olive oil to the same saute pan and saute peas for 3-4 minutes.  Add the peas to the onions in the bowl.

Take each ear of corn and slice off the kernals with a sharp knife.  Add corn to the onions and peas.  When the chicken is done, cut it up into cubes.  Add it to the bowl and combine the grape tomatoes, feta, cooked pasta, oregano and herbs de provence. 

Stir and serve warm or chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

A lot of people do not like curry.  It can be overpowering in a dish, taking away from any other flavors.  The sweetness of the melon in this chicken salad balances the curry out, so if you don’t like curry I think you’ll enjoy this.  It’s savory and sweet, and very refreshing on a hot summer day.

Curry Chicken Salad

4 poached skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cooled)
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 cup cantaloupe, balled or cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup honeydew melon, balled or cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4c + 2 TBSP low-fat mayonnaise
1 TBSP curry
1/4 cup toasted almonds

To poach chicken, season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.  In a sauté pan, cover and simmer in water or chicken stock for 40 minutes.  Chop into bite-sized pieces and allow to cool in refrigerator.

In a large bowl, combine cold chicken, cucumber, melon, cantaloupe, yogurt, mayonnaise and curry.  Stir to combine.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (better if overnight to allow flavors to marinate.)

Serve over a bed of lettuce and top with toasted almonds.

I absolutely love goat cheese.  Its a staple in my house and something that you’ll always in my refrigerator and at any of my dinner parties in some form or another.  Why wouldn’t I or anyone  else love it?  Besides its marvalous and tangy taste, its half the calories, fat and cholesterol of cow’s milk cheese.  So, go ahead and indulge!

This salad is great if you want dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.  It’s quick, easy and refreshing!

Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese

1/2lb cooked pasta shells
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
4oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/4c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to package.  Rinse briefly under cold water to cool.

In a large bowl, toss together pasta, tomatoes, chopped basil, olive oil, goat cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Greek Pasta Salad

1/2 lb of your favorite pasta, cooked and cooled
1/2c cubed feta cheese
1 c pitted kalamata olives
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4c fresh oregano
3TBSP olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/2tsp dried oregano
1/8tsp salt
1/4tsp pepper

Mix together pasta, feta, olives, tomatoes and fresh oregano in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, prepare dressing by whisking oil, lemon juice, dry oregano, salt and pepper until emulsified.  Pour over pasta mixture. 

Note: Never buy the plain pitted black olives in a can!  Get them at the market, fresh.  Or, I buy a container at the Italian market with the pits intact.  They keep in the fridge for months.  Take them out as you need them and remove the pit with a cherry pitter. Remember once an olive is pitted, it looses it’s flavor.

Grilled Lemon Chicken

4 bonless, skinless chicken breasts
4TBSP olive oil
2 lemons, juiced
2TBSP fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried

Salt and pepper each side of the chicken breasts.  Place in a casserole dish.  Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, thyme together in a small bowl.  Pour over chicken and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

Preheat grill on high.  Grill chicken breasts 10-12 minutes per side.