I adore the freshness that my garden’s green onions bring to a salad. Walk out my patio door, yank up a few onions, waltz them inside, make a few chops to them on the cutting board, and a recipe gets instant spiritedness. I consider my green onions to be place-holders for the additional garden-fresh veggies that soon are down the road. In my spring garden a few rows over from the green onions, burgeoning tomato plants now wave in the wind. Soon we’ll be able to say goodbye to the produce aisles at the supermarket when our backyard plot moves into its heyday.I added those green onions to a delightful chicken pasta salad that we enjoyed for dinner last night and probably will dine on throughout the weekend. (For sure this dish will grow better each day as it further marinates.) Whole-wheat penne pasta and chopped, cooked chicken breasts get enlivened with the tomatoes, green onion, red onion, and feta cheese, with a little fat-free Italian dressing to tie it all together.
Bistro Chicken Pasta Salad, served alongside some cut-up orange slices and some fresh grapes, made one of the best weekday meals we’ve enjoyed in a while. As we move closer in to the summer, the dining fare will be lighter, so this recipe’s a winner as things “lighten up” a bit.
Bistro Chicken Pasta Salad
2 cups penne pasta, whole-wheat, dry
cooking spray
1/2 pound skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 1/4 cups chopped Roma tomatoes
4 ounces Feta cheese
1/2 cup fat-free Italian dressing
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cook pasta according to directions. As you cook omit oil and salt. Drain pasta. Lightly coat skillet with cooking spray and cook cubed chicken until done. Shred the chicken. In a large bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Add pasta and chicken and toss. Best if allowed to chill in refrigerator a few hours before you serve. Makes 9 servings of 3/4 cup each.
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