Healthy and tasty salad with pasta, spinach and chicken. Serves 10 – 12 easily. Keeps in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Ingredients:
4 Cups orzo pasta (cooked)
4 Cups fresh chopped spinach
4 Chicken breasts grilled & sliced
1 Red bell pepper (seeded & cut into bite size strips)
1 Small red onion (cut into bite size strips)
1 Small can sliced black olives
1 2.25 oz jar capers (drained)
1 Fresh lemon
½ Cup chopped pecans or pine nuts
1 Cup flaked/shaved parmesan cheese
1 12 oz bottle Cookwell & Company olive & lemon vinaigrette dressing
Cracked black pepper and garlic salt – to taste
Directions: Grill the chicken breasts ahead of time and put in the refrigerator so they are cold when you mix them into the salad. You can also use a store bought rotisserie chicken.
Cook and drain the orzo pasta according to directions on package. While the pasta is cooking, slice the red pepper & onion. Rinse the pasta with cold water & drain again to stop the cooking process. In a large bowl combine the orzo, red pepper, onion, capers & black olives with approximately 3/4 of the bottle of dressing. Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the pasta and stir. Then add the sliced chicken, mix well and set aside in the refrigerator to chill & marinate for awhile. About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve it, mix the orzo combination with the fresh chopped spinach, pecans and shaved parmesan cheese. Add the remaining olive & lemon dressing, cracked black pepper, garlic salt and toss well.
Gordon Daugherty 