Tomato Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken and Olives – A Quick Dinner For One!

Tags

basil, Chicken, gnocchi, kalamata olives, marinara, parmesan, pasta, pesto

 On nights when my husband and daughter go to our church’s youth group, we usually just grab leftovers to eat for dinner. The other night, I was in the mood for something other than the leftover risotto we had, so I decided to get a little creative! How about gnocchi with chicken, Kalamata olives, tomato pesto and fresh basil? Worked for me! It was delicious!
I had some dried gnocchi in the pantry, leftover marinara and pesto sauces and some pre-grilled Foster Farm chicken in the fridge. I almost always have fresh basil and a jar of Kalamata olives hanging around the house, so a tasty dish was coming together! Kalamata olives aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved the additional acid that they added to the dish.

This dish could easily be adapted to be vegetarian or even vegan by eliminating the chicken and/or cheese. It was super quick to make (about 10 minutes) and was enough for me with 1 or 2 servings leftover.

So here’s what I did….

Tomato Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken and Olives

16 oz. package of Gnocchi

1 cup marinara

¼ cup pesto (I used jarred sundried tomato pesto)

¼ cup Kalamata olives, sliced

5 oz. grilled chicken strips

5 fresh basil leaves, cut in strips

Parmesan cheese

Cook gnocchi according to package, usually boiling it 3-5 minutes. In a small saucepan, warm marinara, pesto, olives, and chicken. When gnocchi is cooked, drain and toss with sauce and chicken. Serve topped with fresh basil and grated parmesan.

Warm Greek Quinoa Salad – Going Meat-free Tonight and Loving it!

Tags

Artichoke Hearts, Bulgar, Cooking, Food, Goat Cheese, kalamata olives, quinoa, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

 

Once again, I had a major learning experience in the kitchen. In dreaming up this recipe, I thought I would buy some good goat cheese rather than the feta in a plastic bowl that I usually buy. I’m here to tell you Feta Cheese does NOT = Goat Cheese. This fabulous ingredient is just one in the symphony that made this dish sing! This was a vegetarian dish that was bursting with flavor! We ate it warm, but it would be great served chilled as well. The expected Greek flavors of kalamata olives and goat cheese, were complimented by artichoke hearts and fresh, organic spring onions. The quinoa/bulgar mix made it a hearty dish that was very satisfying.

Tip: If you’re looking to cut fat and calories, canned artichoke hearts are a great ingredient! These canned hearts are usually packed in water. Their counterparts in glass jars are usually packed in oil. Of course, if you’re cooking your own artichokes you can totally control the fat content! 

You can easily adapt this into a vegan dish by leaving off the cheese. It would still taste great, but the cheese definitely adds  great flavor!

Warm Quinoa Salad

8.8 oz of quinoa or bulgar/quinoa mix

4 oz cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can artichoke hearts, quartered

2 spring onions, sliced

5 oz kalamata olives, sliced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp Garlic olive oil

1/2 tsp Garlic powder

Salt and pepper

2 oz goat cheese, crumbled (See tip below)

Fill a large sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. Add quinoa or bulgar mix, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Half way through the cook time, sauté next 5 ingredients in garlic olive oil over medium heat. When quinoa is doing cooking, drain in a sieve and then add o sautéed vegetables. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir well. Scoop up servings on plates and sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.

Tip: I found the goat cheese to be very soft and sticky, so it was difficult to crumble. I put the cheese in the freezer for a few minutes and it hardened enough so that it crumbled much easier. Only put it in the freezer for a FEW minutes though! It hardens up very fast.

Enjoy!