Pasta Salad With Grilled Lemon Chicken Roasted Peppers And Goat Cheese Recipes

GRILLED PEPPERS AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat grill to high. Roast red peppers on grill until charred, turning as each side blackens. Transfer to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Using paper towels, peel off blackened skin.
• Lay peppers flat on a clean work surface. Using a sharp paring knife, cut open peppers and remove seeds and ribs. Slice into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and black pepper; set aside.
• Slice goat cheese into four pieces, and place directly on grill. Heat, covered, until cheese starts to soften and melt. Remove from grill.
• Place one piece on each serving plate. Arrange lettuce leaves next to cheese on each plate. Drizzle greens and cheese with remaining tablespoon oil; season lightly with salt and black pepper. Divide reserved peppers among plates; serve immediately.

GRILLED LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place the chicken on a plate and rub both sides of the chicken fillets with 1-2 Tablespoons lemon pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to let the flavors develop.
• While the chicken is in the fridge, get the grill ready. When the coals are ready, spray the grill with a nonstick spray and place the chicken on the grill.
• Cook for about 6 minutes and turn over. Cook for another six minutes. Put the chicken on a plate to rest and to collect the juices.
• While the chicken is marinading, get a large pot of water boiling and put in the pasta noodles. Bring back to a boil, stirring the noodles so they don't stick to the bottom. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 7-11 minutes (or until the noodles are tender).
• Drain off the hot water and run a stream of cool water over the noodles until they are cold. Drain off most of the water, add 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil to prevent the noodles from sticking, and drain into a colander.
• To cook the broccoli florets, get a large saucepan with about 3 inches of water in it on the stove. Bring the water to a boil and put the broccoli in and toss to cook evenly. It only needs to cook for about 2-3 minutes, drain off all the water and run cold water on the florets to cool them off and stop the cooking process so they won't be mushy.
• All of these steps can be done ahead of time to make the salad easy to assemble. To make the dressing right in the bowl for the salad, place 1 Tablespoon lemon pepper with 1 Tablespoon water in a large serving bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. With a whisk, blend in the vinegar, oil, mustard, and honey.
• Slice the chicken into 1 inch cubes and put in the bowl with the dressing, adding the cooked pasta, broccoli, celery, oranges, and onion. Toss to coat.
• TIP: To get the segments from the orange, with a sharp paring knife, cut off the top and bottom of the orange so it will sit evenly on the cutting surface. Using the paring knife, cut down along the peel, following the shape of the fruit, removing any peel and white rind. Hold the fruit in your hand and carefully cut along both sides of each segment, going towards the center to free each segment. If you do this over a plate, you get all the beautiful juices from the fruit to add to the vinaigrette.

PASTA SALAD WITH GRILLED LEMON CHICKEN, ROASTED PEPPERS AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a bowl whisk together 3/4 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup olive oil. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a zip-top plastic bag and pour in lemon juice-olive oil marinade. Marinate for 1 hour, turning bag every 15 minutes. In same bowl combine remaining lemon juice and 1/2 cup olive oil to make a dressing, season with salt and pepper and refrigerate. Spray grill racks well with cooking spray and preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess; discard marinade. Brush chicken and peppers well with olive oil and grill until well browned and cooked through. Place peppers in a zip-top plastic bag until cool enough to handle; remove skins and julienne. Remove chicken to a cutting board and cut into strips. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente; drain. Rinse under cold running water until chilled. Toss with a touch of olive oil to prevent sticking and refrigerate. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and shallot and cook until garlic is just beginning to brown. Add wine and reduce until about a tablespoon or so is left in the pan. Add parsley, basil and olives. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Add to dressing, and combine well. Remove chilled pasta from refrigerator. Add chicken, peppers and dressing. Toss well to coat. Add goat cheese and Romano, toss well to coat and serve immediately.