When my vegetable garden started producing enough goodies to harvest I had to start getting creative in the kitchen. So far I have an overabundance of summer squash, a few cherry tomatoes and lots of basil. So, I came up with this concoction for dinner one night.
Ingredients: 1 large chicken breast 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved buffalo mozzarella, cubed summer squash 1 cup frozen peas bowtie pasta Parmesan cheese olive oil salt & pepper (to taste) grill seasoning
Start with slicing the squash in strips from end to end, about 1/4" thick. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with grill seasoning or just plain sea salt and pepper.
Place on hot outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan. Butterfly the chicken breast, brush with olive oil to both sides and sprinkle with grill seasoning. Grill each side approximately 4-5 minutes depending on thickness.
While squash and chicken are grilling cook the pasta adding the frozen peas straight to the boiling pasta for the last two minutes.
Slice up the squash and chicken into bite size pieces.
In a large skillet on low heat 1 Tbs olive oil. Add pasta, peas, chicken, and tomatoes. Toss to coat in olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add basil, squash and diced buffalo mozzarella at the very end. Serve and enjoy!
Our weather has been kind to us and our tomato plants this summer. As a result, we've become creative with our tomato enjoyment so that our prolific crop doesn't go to the mold and rot. As you may know, life has been in a bit of an upheaval for our family recently. Consequently, time and energy for cooking is scarce. We have been enjoying the generosity of our brothers and sisters from church as they provide meals for us 4 days-a-week. On Tuesday this week we enjoyed a friend's meatloaf and mashed potatoes. (Thanks Poes!) As I put the meatloaf in the oven to cook, the overflowing basket of tomatoes on the counter caught my eye and I decided that they would make the perfect addition to a tasty meal. As I mentioned earlier, time and energy are scarce, but popping the tomatoes in to roast with the meatloaf takes very little time or thought.
Ingredients: ~Grape Tomatoes - about a handful for each portion ~Olive Oil - enough to coat the tomatoes. ~Salt and Pepper and any additional seasoning that suits your fancy. I used a garlic/onion/bell pepper/parmesan blend that I have in my cupboard. In a medium bowl toss tomatoes with olive oil and season, gently stirring until tomatoes are evenly coated with oil and seasoning. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, places tomatoes on sheet. Use a rubber spatula to scrape out all the extra oil and seasoning, drizzle over tomatoes.
Roast tomatoes in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the skin starts to split.
If you're pressed for time, you can roast in a hotter oven, just don't make the mistake I did. When the meatloaf finished, I took it out of the 350 oven to rest and put the tomatoes in on the bottom rack and increased the temp to 450. Sure enough, the tomatoes cooked quickly. But we also found out that our new hardwired smoke detectors work. The hot olive oil splattered all over the bottom of the oven, filling our kitchen with smoke. Ooops.
Anyway, this dish is such a treat and it is a great answer to the steamed vegetable rut that I get into. You know, throw some frozen green beans into a microwave safe dish with a dash of water and nuke for 3 minutes. These tomatoes are zesty and a bit sweet, and burst with flavor in your mouth. For a different serving idea throw some diced peppers alongside the tomatoes in the oven and toss with pasta and some fresh basil. You won't be disapointed.
