Summer Pasta Salad w/Artichokes

Every once in a while I have trouble deciding what I should eat for the week.  This week was one of those weeks.  When I was cooking for Ryan and myself together, I made sure that everything I made was something that we could both enjoy.  Now that I'm only cooking for myself, I decided it was time to make something that I would enjoy that Ryan would never eat.  Okay, so I know that I was feeling really anti-pasta a few weeks ago, but as I've said before, life is all about balance.  So no, the pasta in this recipe isn't super healthy, but the added veggies make it a little healthier.  And it's absolutely delicious, so it's worth it.

Pasta is also not something I eat all the time, so it's okay to eat it every once in a while.  I thought about making this recipe with another grain, but I just couldn't picture it turning out the same.  The thing about eating a nutritious and healthy diet is that you can't deprive yourself or make things you don't enjoy just because they're healthy.  What happens then is that you feel like you're missing out on something good and end up bingeing at some point.  Not good.  The best thing you can do for yourself is find delicious, healthy recipes and treat yourself to yummy food every day.  And the occasional un-healthy treat is okay, but just don't make a habit of it. 😉

I ate this pasta salad for lunch 4 days in a row at work and didn't get sick of it, which is the mark of a truly good recipe.  There are so many different flavors with the peppery arugula, sweet peas, and briny artichokes & olives that every bite brings you something a little different.  I kept the dressing for this pasta salad really simple because there were so many complex flavors in it already.  The dressing is just a mix of red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper to bring a little added acidity and bring all the flavors together.  Want to make it vegetarian?  You can easily leave out the chicken.  Vegan?  No problem, leave out the feta too, you'll still have a tasty salad.  You could even make it gluten-free by subbing in brown rice pasta.

Total Time: 20-25 minutes

Servings: 5-6

Ingredients:

2 cups dry pasta

4 cups arugula

1 cup feta cheese

1 1/2 lbs cooked chicken breasts, cubed

2, 14 oz jars marinated artichoke hearts

1 cup pitted green olives, sliced

1 cup fresh peas

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta according to instructions.  With 2 minutes left in the pasta's cooking, add the fresh peas to the boiling water.  Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Slice your green olives, artichoke hearts, and cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.
3. Add arugula, pasta, chicken, artichokes, olives & peas to a large bowl and toss to combine.  Top with feta cheese and sliced basil.
4. Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt & pepper.  Dress individual pasta salad portions to keep the veggies fresh.