Tonight's dinner was quick, last minute decided, and pretty darn good. It consisted of chicken breasts (skin on, bone-in) roasted with herbs in the oven and a saute of crimini mushrooms, button mushrooms, oven-roasted red peppers, spinach, and onions over a bed of whole wheat penne pasta. Accompanying this mixture of light and yet again earthy flavors was an even lighter tomato-cucumber salad with basil and red onion. Dad forgot to bring that dish out until after dinner, but it made it even better, providing a garden-sweet accompaniment to the meaty and hearty summer meal.
The tomatoes and cucumbers were fresh from my grandmother's garden, while the basil was fresh from our own backyard herb garden, making this salad even better! I do love eating locally if at all possible, and this meal qualified rather well except for the chicken and pasta. It's really easy to make since you can just put the salad components together with some salt and pepper and let it sit in the refrigerator until ready to serve. It's totally raw and really flavorful with a tsp of olive oil stirred in to bring together all of the mediterranean flavors in a great harmony.
The main course was also fantastic with the mushrooms lending a real heartiness to the dish, while the red peppers added a good amount of sweetness in comparison. The spinach was nice and freshly wilted without being totally destroyed in the cooking process. It added a nice fibrous and healthful touch to a dish that incorporated an excellent array of both colors and tastes to the beholder. That is always my main focus when cooking: if you can add a bunch of different colors and tastes while tying everything together with some sort of theme, you have a winning meal every time!
- Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms & Spinach over Pasta
