Recipes

Ladies Lunch Bow Tie Pasta Spinach Salad

Ladies Lunch Bow Tie Pasta Spinach Salad

Today I had a couple fo friends over for my Ladies Lunch Bow Tie Pasta Spinach Salad with grilled chicken.
It has all kinds of yummy goodness in it and everyone loves this recipe! A yummy tangy sweet Chinese flavor that you just can’t get enough of.
I got this recipe years ago from a sweet friend when I lived in Texas.

Setting the table

Going with a turquoise and Lime green theme I used lime green napkin rings and woven placemats that I bought on serious clearance at pier 1 imports.

99 cents each…for each thing…oh yeah SCORE! Here are some similar napkin rings

I just love the look of turquoise and lime green together.

It feels Beachy and fresh and clean. You may remember this fun beachy tablescape that I did in my dining room awhile ago. I brought in a little turquoise to it but I mixed it with silky brown. Wait until you see the fun sea shell chocolates I used in a glass apothecary jar! 

The floral napkins that I used in this ladies lunch have multiple colors in them which work perfectly with my bold color scheme.

I used these same napkins here in this tablescape.

The woven placemats add some texture to the table as well as a Mexico/Caribbean flare don’t you agree?

I usually try to bring in some texture to my tablescapes like I did for this romantic outdoor dinner for two in our backyard. 

I love entertaining at home in the backyard is my all time favorite place! 

Setting the table in a fun way just adds to the meal. I really enjoy creating a pretty table to enjoy your meal.  You can see many more of my tablescapes here

Making the ladies lunch bow tie pasta spinach salad

This is the best tip- Grilling ahead of time! I grilled these chicken breasts this morning…with snow still on the ground….but the sun was shinning and it was beautiful outside.

I love to get a head start on my lunch by taking advantage of grilling early in the morning.

Here is my video and recipe on how to grill chicken.

After the chicken is grilled and cooled. I sliced the chicken on an angle and then into thirds for nice even pieces.

At this point I get a pot of boiling water going to cook the bow tie pasta. Once the water is boiling, I add in some salt and pour in the bow tie pasta.

I cook it for about 10 min or until it is al dente (cooked so as to be still firm when bitten) no one likes mushy pasta.

I learned a lot about cooking pasta when we traveled to Italy and had a pasta making class. It was a dream come true and just plain AWESOME! 

For the greens I used fresh baby spinach leaves because have a little sweeter flavor. I really like to use that in my Bow tie spinach salad.

I add in chopped cashews, mandarin orange slices, toasted sesame seeds and the cooled bow tie pasta…yummers!!

The dressing is what makes the salad! It is oil, vinegar, teriyaki sauce but I have used soy sauce too, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. You can play around with the ratios to get it just the way you like it.

I like it a little sweeter. 

This Bow tie pasta salad with grilled chicken is the perfect meal for a lunch! Feel free to use different nuts, maybe throw in some celery for a nice crunch. Even try different greens it is really flexible. 

Tip- Make the the day before because the flavors get even better! 

You could serve this with some yummy homemade orange rolls

It was so nice to visit with my gal pals and just chat…I need to do this more often.

Sometimes I feel like I live in the cyber world too much these days.

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Chinese bow tie pasta spinach salad with grilled chicken and dressing

Delicious and easy to make Chinese Bow tie pasta spinach chicken salad
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 195kcal
Cost 13.00

Equipment

  • Grill
  • stove
  • Stock pot

Ingredients

  • SALAD DRESSING INGREDIENTS
  • 1 C vegetable oil
  • 2/3 C teriyaki sauce
  • 2/3 C white wine vinegar
  • 4 T sugar I may have added more sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • PASTA INGREDIENTS
  • 16 oz bow tie pasta cooked al dente approx 10 min. Let cool
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt add salt to boiling water
  • 1 Pot boiling water
  • SALAD INGREDIENTS adjust amounts to your taste of whatever you have in your fridge
  • 1 10 oz bag fresh spinach
  • 1 cup craisins
  • 3 cans mandarin oranges
  • 1 bunch green onions chopped
  • 1/2 C parsley or cilantro chopped
  • 1/4 C sesame seeds toasted
  • 1 C honey roasted peanuts but I used cashews or use any other favorite nut
  • 2 C grilled chicken

Instructions

  • Grill Chicken
  • Boil water, add salt, add pasta cook until done. Approx 10 min
  • Mix dressing ingredients add to cooked pasta and chill. Toss together pasta and Salad ingredients before serving.

Notes

The dressing makes a lot so you may want to refrigerate the leftovers. Keep salad in fridge until ready to serve. 

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Karins Kottage

Welcome to Karins Kottage! There is always something fun going on! You would think after becoming an empty nester couple that our nest would be very quiet and empty but our Kottage nest is usually more full than what we started out with! You might find me hosting a birthday party or graduation party and a baby shower on the same weekend or a big outdoor get together with 25 of our friends and family in the backyard or maybe I might be in the kitchen trying out a new recipe for my hubby and I to grill on the BBQ for a quiet night for the two of us. I am passionate about entertaining and setting a beautiful table! I may or may not have an addiction to cloth napkins and fun salad plates oh and goblets too! I think I will always have a home decorating DIY project in the works as long as my hubby is on board with me haha. We have painted A LOT in the 6 homes we have owned in the 35 years that we have been married as well as re-done multiple pieces of furniture, added wall and ceiling treatments, replaced lights, bathroom fixtures and even tiled floors! I have sewn what seems like a million window treatments for our home as well as for family, made slipcovers, and duvets and even a formal dress or two!

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