Picnic fare
Over the past couple of years we’ve gotten into a wonderful routine of taking a picnic almost every weekend of the summer. These excursions usually involve a drive to a park or other “put in” near a bike path and then pedaling a roundtrip of about 14-16 miles. Once we’re back to our car we unload our cooler, the picnic basket, and a couple of lawn chairs. I’ll spread out the tablecloth and unpack the plates and food. Watching the scenery under a shady tree is a delightful way to spend part of a Saturday or Sunday.
Yesterday we did a piece of the Banks to Vernonia trail (one of our favorite routes) and ended back at Manning. This pasta salad was a part of the menu. I enjoyed three helpings it was so good, justifying all the biking we’d done as a good excuse for my indulgence. Dessert was The New York Times chocolate chip cookies I posted yesterday.
Roast chicken and bow tie pasta salad. Recipe adapted from Cooking Light magazine.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta) (about a half pound)
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 2 breasts)
- 1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
- 1 cup thin diagonally cut celery
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Cool completely.
Combine orange juice and the next 7 ingredients (orange juice through rice vinegar) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine. Add pasta, chicken, grapes, celery, red onion, walnuts, chives, and parsley; toss gently to combine.
