Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

1 (12 ounce) package radiatore pasta
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup salad oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (i left this out)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped green onion
4 cups torn fresh spinach leaves (i left this out)

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in sesame seeds and cook until golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Pour dressing into a sealable container, and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together pasta, cooked chicken, and 1 cup dressing (reserve remaining dressing). Cover salad, and refrigerate at least 6 hours.
Directly before serving, stir in parsley, green onions, and spinach. Toss with remaining dressing, if desired.

{Southwestern Eggrolls with Cilantro Cream Sauce}

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (thawed and diced)
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers (I omitted this)
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (I omitted)
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
5 (6 inch) flour tortillas (I used the fresh 10 inch ones from Sams Club)
1 quart oil for deep frying (I baked)
DIRECTIONS
Pour 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook chicken approximately 5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until tender.
Mix chicken into the pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterey Jack cheese so that it melts.
Wrap tortillas with a clean, lightly moist cloth. Microwave on high approximately 1 minute, or until hot and pliable.
(If you use the fresh ones, don’t do step 4- Just put a large spoonful of the mixture in the middle and fold all four sides.)
Bake with fold side down at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy)


Cilantro Cream Sauce
Original recipe yield: 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temp.
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 (7 ounce) can tomatillo salsa (I used green chile sauce)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
DIRECTIONS- Combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, pepper, celery salt, cumin, garlic powder, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in a serving bowl.

{Pizza Twist}

Rhodes dough

pizza sauce

mozzerella cheese

Choice of toppings

1 egg

Roll dough into a large rectangular shape and spread sauce over it.

Add your favorite pizza toppings and mozzerella cheese

Cut slits in both sides and fold together. Twist slits together (hopefully you can make yours look prettier than mine) Brush egg on the top to make it shiney.

Bake at 350 until the top starts to brown.