Great Summer Night Meal

I have a confession...not life-altering but just the same...I love sesame oil/seeds...anything sesame "says me" (cheesy)! Anyway, with that off my chest, I made us a sesame pasta chicken salad for dinner the other evening, and it was delightful! Seeing that the weather is hot! hot! hot! I decided to go with something lighter and chilled! So, I chose this off my Pinterest and went to work on our dinner! Here is how you make this exceptional salad...

First you're going to start with a small pan/skillet and heat it up over medium/high heat. Add 1/4 cup of sesame seeds and roast them in the pan. (You won't need oil, water or anything like that). Remember to stir them frequently so they don't burn. After you have "browned" the seeds, remove them from the heat completely and set aside. Now, you are going to cook one package of bow tie pasta in salted water. While you have the pasta cooking you are going to combine the following in an air tight jar (I just whisked mine in a bowl) and mix very well; 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 1/3 cup of light soy sauce, 1/3 cup of rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 3 tablespoons of sugar, the browned sesame seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Mix this dressing well.

Sorry, this is the only pic I got. (It's the dressing) The camera died right after this! But believe me, it doesn't need a picture to show you how delicious it is. Just read the ingredients and allow your taste buds do the rest of the talking :)

Once the pasta is finished, drain the water and run cold water over the pasta to cool it off. Pour the dressing over the pasta along with 3 cups of shredded and cooked chicken, 1/3 cup of cilantro, and 1/3 cup of chopped green onion and mix well. Voila! You have a fast, easy, super delicious, cool dinner on a hot summer day! I found this recipe at Trickschefs.com. Here is the run down and directions one more time


Sesame Pasta Chicken Salad
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped green onion

Heat skillet on med/high heat. Add sesame seeds--cook, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook about 8-10 minutes or as package directs. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water then transfer to a large bowl. 

In a jar (or bowl) combine the vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, giner and pepper. Mix well.

Pour dressing over pasta and toss. Gently mix in chicken, cilantro, and green onions

~Happy Eating~