Meatless Monday doesn’t mean you can’t have some “meaty” flavor. Portobella mushrooms have a rich earthy flavor and dense texture that give you the “feel” of meat without the cholesterol. Steak sauce is the driving force in the marinade and quinoa provides fiber and a good amount of protein.
Wipe the mushrooms to remove any loose dirt. Remove the stems and scrape out the gills. Cut in half and then cut each half into thick slices.
To make the marinade: Mix the steak sauce, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, garlic, and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil together in a small bowl.
Place the mushroom slices in a large zip top bag and add the marinade ingredients. Gently shake and squeeze the bag to distribute the marinade evenly. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or as long as overnight.
To Prepare the Quinoa: Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and the quinoa. Cook, stirring frequently 5 minutes or so until the quinoa is lightly browned.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Cook 20 minutes or so until the quinoa is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Prepare the mushrooms and onions while the quinoa cooks.
In a medium fry pan heat the remaining olive oil. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent.
Drain the mushrooms and add them to the onions. Toss to combine and cook for several minutes. You can finish cooking the mushrooms in the pan over high heat, stirring often. This will take 5 - 8 minutes. You can also finish the cooking on the grill.
To finish on the grill: heat a grill basket over high heat. Spray with non-stick olive oil spray. Add the mushroom and onion mixture and cook for 5 - 8 minutes stirring occasionally. everything should be kind of golden.
Spoon the quinoa into two shallow bowls. divide the mushroom mixture between the two bowls. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of blue cheese crumbles on each serving.
Most of the time grill meals stand alone as do pasta meals. That changed the other night when the two meals collided. What could be better than pasta, grilled chicken and vegetables? It’s kind of the best of both/all worlds. This makes a wonderful dinner and the leftovers (if there are any) get better with a day or two in the frig.
The dressing does double duty acting as a marinade for the chicken and vegetables as well as the sauce for the finished dish. This can be eaten warm, at room temperature or throw it in the frig to get cold and call it pasta salad.
A few healthy words on the ingredients. Whole wheat pasta is really delicious. It turns out “al dente” just by it’s very nature. It’s bigger taste and texture allow smaller quantites to feel like more. Less pasta means more veggies and a big bowl of goodness for a lower calorie and carb investment. While there is a good bit of olive oil in the dressing/marinade, some goes away in the marinating process and when you split this dish four ways, the impact isn’t too serious.
Dressing: Zest the lemon and squeeze the juice into a container with a tight fitting lid. Add the balsamic, zest, mustard, and anchovy paste. Finely chop the parsley and add it to the jar. Mince the garlic on a cutting board. Add the salt and continue to chop/smash until a paste forms. Add this to the jar. Pour in the olive oil and a few grinds of fresh ground pepper. Shake vigorously until mixture is completely blended.
Place the chicken in a zip top bag. Add 2 tablespoons of the dressing and seal the bag. Squeeze to distribute dressing over chicken. chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Place the asparagus in another zip top bag and add 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Seal the bag. Turn and shake the bag to distribute the dressing over the asparagus. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Store the rest of the dressing in the refrigerator.
When it's time to grill, remove the chicken and asparagus from the frig. Peel the onion and cut it in half crosswise. Use two wooden skewers to hold the onion together. Brush with a little bit of the dressing. Grill the chicken and vegetables. (15-20 minutes or so). Remove to cutting boards when cooked.
Cook pasta in salted water until "al dente" while the chicken and vegetables grill.
Cut the grape tomatoes in half lengthwise. Roughly chop the olives. Tear the basil into small pieces
Drain the pasta and put in a large bowl. Slice the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the pasta. Cut the asparagus in thirds and add to the pasta bowl.
Add the tomatoes, olives, and basil to the bowl and toss gently to combine. Add the rest of the dressing to the bowl and toss once more to mix everything together.
Serve in pasta bowls topped with the crumbled Feta Cheese.
Panzanella is a wonderful vehicle for the bounty of summer vegetables, It’s also a bread lover’s best friend. Any assortment of vegetables can be combined with toasted bread cubes. Toss it all with the vinaigrette of your choice and you’ve got a hearty salad that almost eats like a meal. Slice up some grilled meat or an interesting cheese and call it dinner. The ingredients listed below are what I made this time. I honestly make it differently every time. I’ve even grilled the vegetables. Choose a crusty bread that is just a little stale. This go round I used a multi-grain baguette, but sour dough would be wonderful, too. The bottom line for this recipe is use what you like to make the panzanella salad you’ll love.
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. Spray the bread cubes lightly with the olive oil spray. Bake 15 minutes until the cubes are lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
Quarter the tomatoes lengthwise. Remove the seeds and cut crosswise into 1/2 slices. Cut the onion in half crosswise. Cut each half in thin vertical strips.
Put the onions and tomatoes in a large bowl. Add the chopped pepper, cucumbers, and the bread cubes. Tear the basil leaves into bite size pieces and add to the bowl.
Dressing: Mash the garlic, anchovy paste and a pinch of salt in a mortar. It should be a fairly smooth paste. Combine the oil, vinegar, herbs, and the garlic anchovy paste in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake until the dressing is completely blended.
Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the bowl and toss to coat. Cover and chill for several hours. Serve.
Pasta salad meets lettuce salad in an easy one dish meal. This serves two very generously. Use the cut whole wheat pasta of your choice. The same goes for the herbs you use in the dressing.
Servings
2
Servings
2
Italian Salad with Pasta and Chicken
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Pasta salad meets lettuce salad in an easy one dish meal. This serves two very generously. Use the cut whole wheat pasta of your choice. The same goes for the herbs you use in the dressing.
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse and put in a large bowl.
Slice the onion lengthwise into narrow strips and add them to the pasta in the bowl.
Slice the peppers into thin strips abut the same size as the onions and add them to the bowl.
Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters depending on the size of the tomatoes and add them to the bowl.
Add the garbanzo beans, drained artichoke hearts, chicken, and olives to the bowl and toss to combine everything.
Dressing: Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to blend everything. Pour over the salad ingredients and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
When you are ready to serve, add the torn lettuce leaves and toss once more. Divide between two plates and sprinkle with the Romano cheese.
