Showing posts with label con. Show all posts
Showing posts with label con. Show all posts
Friday, February 6, 2015
H E B Con Agra Meal Maker Challenge Week 2 Chicken Caprese Tortellini Salad Featuring Hunts Diced Tomatoes
To make the prep work as quick and simple as possible, I used refrigerated tortellini, pre-cooked chicken breast strips and bottled Italian dressing. While the tortellini cooks, you have a pocket of time to chop some red onions and fresh basil. Simply add all of the ingredients to a pretty serving bowl, pour the zesty dressing on top, and give it a quick toss before serving!
Chicken Caprese Tortellini Salad
a Weekend Gourmet Original
Ingredients:
- 14-ounce can Hunts Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic, drained well
- 8-ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini (mixed spinach and regular)
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella pearls (or diced fresh mozzarella)
- 2 cups HEB Fully Cooked Diced Chicken Breast
- 1/4 cup purple onion, cut into thin slivers
- 3-4 basil leaves cut in a chiffonade
- 1 cup bottled Italian dressing
Directions:
- Cook the tortellini according to package directions. When cooked, immediately drain and plunge them into a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes to quick chill.
- While the pasta cooks, prep the onion and basil.
- To assemble the salad, add the cooled tortellini to a large serving bowl. Drain the tomatoes very well. Add the tomatoes, diced chicken, mozzarella pearls, purple onion and basil to the bowl.
- Pour the Italian dressing over the top and toss well to combine all ingredients.
Thats it! This dish is simple to make, gorgeous to look at...and delicious to eat. This is the kind of salad that will even get the thumbs up from everyone who tries it...even men who might not normally enjoy salad for dinner. The hearty tortellini and double shot of protein from the chicken and mozzarella make this dish filling, yet light. We loved the freshness of the Hunts tomatoes, and the way the fire roasting brought out their sweetness. This is a regular in my Summer dinner rotation, and I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!
The H-E-B/ConAgra Meal Maker Challenge is a lot of fun, but its also a contest. So...if you like my recipe, I would certainly appreciate it if you visited the H-E-B voting microsite and repinned it via Pinterest. Anybody can take part in the voting process, but my Texas readers will receive an added bonus: weekly coupons to save on the featured ingredient at your local H-E-B. At the end of the contest next month, the two food bloggers with the most votes will win some really cool prizes. Id be honored if you voted for my Salsarific Taco Skillet! Be sure to come back next Sunday for
another speedy family-friendly recipe.
Disclosure: I received compensation, as well as H-E-B and ConAgra products as part of this promotion. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Refreshing Chicken Berry Pasta Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette Featuring Con Olio Gourmet Olive Oils Balsamic Vinegars
I received three olive oils and three balsamic vinegars. The oils I received were blood orange, Milanese gremolata, and Cobrancosa from Portugal. All of them are flavorful, with complex flavors. The gremolata is flavored with lemon, parsley, garlic, and a bit of mint. Its perfect for adding flavor to grilled chicken breast or fish. I love it! But? I knew that the blood orange would be my featured flavor. The citrus flavor is perfectly balanced...but not the least bit assertive. The three flavored balsamic vinegars I received were fig, lavender, and grapefruit. The fig is pretty addictive...its perfect drizzled over figs that are stuffed with goat cheese for simple gourmet appetizer. The lavender has a nice floral finish, and the grapefruit? Its downright addictive, and it pairs perfectly with the blood orange olive oil to make a citrus vinaigrette.
I used the vinaigrette to flavor a light, yet filling pasta salad: Refreshing Chicken-Berry Pasta Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette. The evenings are still quite warm here in Texas, so light dinners like this are perfect when you dont want to eat something heavy. With a double shot of protein from chicken and feta cheese, this pasta salad isnt heavy, but it is filling. The berries add a pop of color and flavor, and a few nuts provide a bit of crunch. This would be perfect for any end-of-summer potlucks that you might have planned. It makes a large amount, so youre likely to have leftovers. Luckily, it tastes even better the next day!
Refreshing Chicken-Berry Pasta Salad
with Citrus Vinaigrette
a Weekend Gourmet original
Step 1: Cook 8 ounces penne pasta in well-salted water. While the pasta cooks, make the vinaigrette. Add the following ingredients to a measuring cup: 1/4 cup Con Olio blood orange olive oil, 1/3 cup Con Olio grapefruit balsamic, 1 tsp. honey, 2 tbs. finely diced shallot, and salt & cracked black pepper to taste. Whisk well to combine and set aside.
Step 2: Season 1 lb. boneless chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste. Sear in 1 tbs. olive oil in a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. After they cool, cut into bite-sized pieces. Combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl: the cooked pasta, cooled chicken, 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup chopped strawberries, 1/2 cup crumbled feta, and 1/2 cup pecans.
Step 3: Add the citrus vinaigrette and toss well to evenly coat all the ingredients. You can serve the pasta salad immediately at room temperature, or you can chill for 1-2 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
This pasta salad is so good...the fruit combines perfectly with the sweet-tart citrus vinaigrette! The salty feta and crunchy nuts provide the perfect contrast of flavor and texture, and the chicken provides protein to keep you full. Put it all together, and you have a fabulous weekend lunch or summertime dinner.
If you live in the San Antonio-Austin area, make sure to go visit one of Con Olios two locations. They allow patrons to sample all of their flavors of olive oil and balsamic, so youll know if you love it before you ever walk out the store! I have my eye on two other flavors that I want to try ASAP: Meyer lemon olive oil and dark chocolate balsamic. Both sound insanely delicious!
Disclaimer: Con Olio sent me complimentary bottles of their olive oil and balsamic in order to facilitate this post. The opinions expressed are solely mine.
Disclaimer: Con Olio sent me complimentary bottles of their olive oil and balsamic in order to facilitate this post. The opinions expressed are solely mine.
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