An Easy Supper -- Two Ways

We're awfully busy around here lately. Last night, given the task of creating a quick supper, I foraged through the refrigerator/freezer and found about a pound of zucchini and summer squash from the farmer's market; half an Amish onion; half a can of diced tomatoes with jalapenos left over from our mole experiment; and three frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

So -- I sliced the squash, along with the onion, and sauteed/steamed them with olive oil, a good spoonful of jarred minced garlic and some Trader Joe's seasoning. After the squash was tender I added the tomatoes and turned the heat down to simmer.

Meanwhile, I sprinkled the chicken breasts with more Trader Joe's seasoning and stuck them in the contact grill until they were nice and brown on the outside, tender on the inside. While this was going on I put a pot of water on the boil and cooked up a small package of Trader Joe's rainbow radiattore.

When the pasta was tender I drained it and added it to the vegetable pan, tossed everything together and plated it. I sliced up two of the chicken breasts on the diagonal (the third was a treat for Cassie and Gertie) and placed them on each pasta plate. I added a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan/Asiago/Romano cheese mix to each plate.

Great meal, with the added bonus of leftovers.

Tonight when I got home I added just a touch more olive oil to the refrigerated pasta mixture, added a few good splashes of balsamic vinegar and a grind of pepper, and topped everything off with more grated cheese. Instant pasta salad -- this, I think, was actually better than the hot version the evening before.

Hmmm...no more leftovers. I guess it's back to the drawing board tomorrow.