Sunday Night Dinner

I really enjoy cooking but because of my daily schedule, I don't get to cook dinner every night of the week.  In fact, Craig and I usually eat leftovers or throw something together quick and end up eating around 8:00pm Monday through Thursday.  So Friday, Saturday and Sunday's are the days that I can spend time in the kitchen cooking and baking (and enjoying a glass of wine, or course!)  And on Friday and Saturday nights we often get together with our friends, so we don't always get to eat a good dinner together then either.  With our crazy schedules in mind, at the beginning of our marriage Craig and I decided to make it a priority to spend Sunday nights together enjoying dinner and relaxing before we start another week.  So Sunday night dinner has been a fun tradition in our family that we hope to continue even as our family grows.

Here is a new recipe that I made for Sunday night dinner this past week.  It was delicious!

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad:

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by Cathy at Wives with Knives

Salad:

• 4 oz farfalle pasta, cooked per instructions
• 2 cups of leftover roasted chicken, diced
• 1/2 cup of low fat feta cheese
• 1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, halved
• 1 cup of kalamata olives, halved
• 1/2 cup red onion, sliced thinly
• 5 basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Vinaigrette:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2-3 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Prepare the vinaigrette first. Combine all of the ingredients together and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Set aside to allow flavors to mingle.

Cook the pasta in well seasoned water per instructions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Add the chicken, feta cheese, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, onion, basil, and pine nuts to the drained pasta. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette and serve immediately. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net