Tonight was my night off from the gym so this means I got to cook a dinner that is a little bit more elaborate to make. I made blackened baked trout, warm veggie mix (corn, green beans & carrots), this garden pasta salad plus cheddar bay biscuits (recipe coming soon). Can you say heaven? Everything was sooo good! I had to really work on not over eating. The key is to eat just a little bit of everything so that the pounds don’t start creeping up on me!
I don’t know about you but I have a limit of how many meals I cook in a row. Mine is 3 days. I’ve cooked dinner for 3 consecutive nights and after tonight’s dinner I’m glad I’ll be taking a break from the kitchen tomorrow. Not that tonight’s dinner was hard to make, in fact, it was very easy and fast! However, I have to add in the time it takes me to photograph the photos if I’m going to blog about it. So yeah, I worked hard tonight! Tomorrow we’ll probably have Chipotle or something like that (um hello! Who doesn’t like Chipotle?)
So tell me, do you have a limit on how many meals you cook per week or consecutively? Do share!
I think this pasta will make a great left over dish for Friday (Mr. Delish always has pizza on Fridays and I rarely join him so I’m on my own on what to eat). I may just add grilled chicken and whoa-la! I have a complete dinner!
Garden Pasta Salad with Bocconcini
Recipe from Food Network Magazine – Serves 6
For the dressing
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Salad
- 8 oz campanelle or fusilli pasta
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup halved bocconcini (small mozzarella balls)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts or silvered almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
- freshly ground pepper
Directions
Make the dressing; Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil; add the garlic and cook 2 minutes. Remove the garlic and place in a blender with the cherry tomatoes, vinegar and basil; puree until smooth. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream and blend until smooth. Season with salt & pepper.
Make the salad: Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water; shake off the excess. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and toss with the dressing.
Shave the zucchini into strips with a vegetable peeler or mandoline; halve the strips crosswise and add to the pasta. Add the tomatoes, bocconcini, pine nuts and basil and toss. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, up to 6 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.
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