My apologies to those of you who were looking forward to the blueberry version of last week’s dairy-free lemon zucchini bread. Let’s just say that my first attempt at the new version revealed a few kinks to iron out. Hopefully, the dekinking will take place later this week, and the recipe will post next Wednesday.
Today’s recipe for summer pesto pasta salad was this week’s attempt at cleaning out the vegetable drawer and was much more successful than the blueberry experiment. It’s one of those recipes that tastes better the second day. Thankfully, it makes a generous amount of salad, so the man of steel and I didn’t have to fight over who got the leftovers.
Summer Pesto Pasta Salad
1 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
2 small or 1 grilled chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup oven-dried tomatoes*
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced sweet peppers
1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
1/3 cup cilantro pesto
Prepare the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Put in a large bowl.
Add grilled chicken and vegetables. Mix well.
Heat cilantro pesto in microwave for about 15 seconds. Stir it with a fork until it is smooth and not lumpy so it will spread more easily. Pour over other ingredients and stir until the pasta, chicken, and vegetables are evenly coated. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
*Slice 3 cups of grape tomatoes in half and cherry tomatoes into quarters. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and pour onto a large cookie sheet. Make sure all tomato pieces are skin side down. Slip into a 225° oven for 1 or 2 hours, until the pieces shrink by about 2/3. Remove from oven and cool. Refrigerate.
