Greek Pasta Salad with a Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

I love a nice chilled pasta salad for a summer lunch and they are obviously the perfect side dish for any picnic or BBQ.  But I am not always all that crazy about those that are doused in mayo.  Talk about wasted calories! I would much rather have an extra glass of sangria then mayo-laden pasta salad.  This is a lovely alternative. Totally guilt free and absolutely bursting with flavor.  I used my sister's Roasted Tomato Salad Dressing and it went perfect with the feta and olives.  So yummy!  And actually I felt that the salad tasted even better the next day after all of the flavors got to hang out with each other a bit.  If I was making this for a party, I would definitely put it together the night before.

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Greek Pasta Salad with a Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette 

For the vinaigrette:
Roasted Tomato Dressing
Container of cherry or grape tomatoes
Small red onion (I used 3 chopped green onions, since that is what I had on hand.  Any onion would work really)
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 1/2-2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & freshly ground black Pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Empty and entire container of tomatoes on a baking pan. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast in the oven until they start to split, about 15 min. While roasting, mince a small red onion & put in large bowl. Take roasted tomatoes and juice from the pan and put in bowl with the onions. Mash the tomatoes with potato masher or fork. Stir in dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar. In a slow steady stream, stir in olive oil while stirring with a whisk or a fork.  Stir until well blended, add salt & pepper to taste.

For the pasta salad:
1/2 box cavatappi pasta, cooked according to directions on box (or another ridged pasta; penne, fusilli or gremili would be nice)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 english cucumber, sliced into rings and then cut into fourths
1 can black olives, sliced into rings
1 block feta, crumbled
a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

Cook pasta to al-dente, according to directions printed on the box.  Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.  Set aside to allow to cool down.  This is a good time to make up your vinaigrette.  Once your vinaigrette is made, combine all ingredients for the salad in a large bowl.  Pour dressing on top and mix well.  Chill for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to combine.

I have a hard time waiting to eat this yumminess, but I have to admit it tastes best chilled.

You could definitely add cooked chicken or shrimp to make this more of main course.  It would be delicious!

Baked Chipotle Panko-Crusted Chicken Tenders

It is no surprise that children love chicken tenders- but lets be perfectly honest here.... so do us adults!  Especially when they are super crunchy, totally healthy and with a little kick of smokey spice.  These Baked Chipotle Panko-Crusted Chicken Tenders are just that.  Do you see how amazingly crunchy they are?!  There is seriously no need to fry these guys thanks to the panko bread crumbs. The flavor of the Chipotle chiles adds just the right taste profile to satisfy us grown-ups. If you aren't familiar, Chipotle chiles are smoke dried jalapeños. Just a sprinkle gives no heat just smokey flavor. But go a little too heavy handed and you will be in for a surprise.  So please be sure to taste this stuff before seasoning too heavy.  The heat can catch up on you!  You can definitely leave the Chipotle chili spice out if your children are sensitive to strong flavors, but my 4 year old loved them.  Don't be afraid of introducing your kids to new flavors.  You will be surprised at just how complex their tastebuds can be if you give them a chance!  

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Baked Chipotle Chili Panko-Crusted Chicken Tenders

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast tenders (if you can't find already prepared tenders use chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2" thin and cut into 1 1/2" wide strips)
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2-1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper spice (I love McCormick's brand)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350F. Cover a baking sheet with foil and lightly spraying with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a shallow dish, add the flour and season with salt and pepper.  In another shallow dish, season the eggs with salt and pepper and lightly beat.  In a third shallow dish, combine panko breadcrumbs with oregano, chipotle chili pepper, garlic salt, and pepper.

Dredge tenders in the flour to coat, shaking off any excess flour. Dip the floured chicken tenders into the egg and then coat the chicken tenders with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips.

Bake chicken tenders for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown, flipping once part way through the cook time. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Un-fried, "Fried" Ice Cream

I got together with the girls last week for another yummy dinner.  Mexican was the menu and I was in charge of dessert this time.  I had fried ice cream for the very first time not too long ago at a fantastic restaurant here in Cleveland called Momocho.  It is crispy, sweet, and although fried, the ice cream is still super cold and totally frozen.  It's a fun concept!  I wanted to try recreating the dessert tonight, but thought maybe I could make something similar without the added fat that frying would give.  I found this recipe at Christie Jordan's blog, Southern Plate.  It was so yummy and couldn't be easier!  We all loved the sweet and crunchy cereal topping paired with the french vanilla ice cream.  I totally sprinkled extra cruchies on my ice cream once I ate the rest off- it was the best part!  

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Unfried Fried Ice Cream
from Southern Plate

Container Vanilla Ice cream
3 Cups Honey and Oats Cereal*
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoons cinnamon

Scoop frozen ice cream out onto waxed paper lined baking sheets and place in freezer for at least an hour, or until hardened.

During that time, place cereal in gallon zipper bag and crush. Melt butter in microwave and stir in sugar and cinnamon, pour into bag with cereal and seal. Knead with hands until well mixed. Pour out onto lined baking sheet and place in oven at 350 just until toasted, about five minutes. Keep close watch as cereal will burn easily. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Roll hardened ice cream balls in mixture, pressing lightly as you do so. Place coated ice cream in 9×13 dish and return to freezer or serve immediately.

For serving, drizzle with honey and top with whipped cream and a cherry.

*Can also use corn flakes or cereal of your choice. Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, etc.
Yields about ten scoops of ice cream.