Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

2 limes - juiced for marinade chicken
2 chicken breasts - grilled
box whole wheat pasta - rotini

Veggies: all chunked to bite size pieces - grill if you have time
1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
2 large red peppers
1 med (8-9") baby zucchini
1 med vidalia onion
1 cup baby carrots
3 medium tomatoes

Dressing:
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Basil - 1 cup packed, cut small with knife
olive oil - 1/4 cup
(could be pureed together in blender)
light balsamic dressing (I use Paul Newmans')
pine nuts
asiago cheese

Makes a lot ! 10 - 2 cup servings roughly
marinade chicken, then grill, about 5-6 minutes per side. let sit 5 minutes covered, then cut to bite size pieces.
Chop all veggies to bite size - I like the peeled stems as well as the florets of the broccolli.
Veggies could be grilled also - or add raw for more crunch.
If pureeing basil, place leaves loosely in blender, start and drizzle olive oil in thru top. add some balamic is still too thick to blend.
In a bowl, whisk together garlic, basil and dressing.
toss chicken & veggies together in large bowl, pour dressing over.
top with pine nuts & just before serving, sprinkle cheese over top.


Number of Servings: 10

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user FARSIDEJULIE.