¡Tacos Sobre Polenta!

Polenta!  Have you tried it?  I bought it the other day & it has sat in my cabinet while I thought about how to use it.  I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I figured with corn as a base, something taco-like sounded good.

One very cool thing about polenta is that 2 1/2 inch slices are just 70 calories.  Motivating.

So, I started gathering supplies: cilantro, salsa verde, shredded colby & monterey cheese, green onions & bell peppers.

Next, I just sliced the polenta & cooked it up in my griddle.

Eating the rainbow right here folks:

It was super good.  Even my husband liked it!  Just 343 calories for the whole dinner.

Then, I used the leftovers for breakfast.  Just added poached eggs, cheese, onions, cilantro & of course, salsa verde.  Just 224 calories.  Polenta, right?

Italian Bowtie Pasta Salad Using Tyson Foods' Sliced Salami & Pepperoni

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Have you ever tried Subway's Italian BMT sandwich?  Well, it's pretty good & I wanted to recreate that  in a pasta salad! 

 I attended a demo at Walmart for Tyson Foods' Pepperoni Toppings.  She was also making a pasta salad a little different than the one that I was planning to make.  She was the happiest.  Lady loves her job!

She cut her pepperoni like this for the pasta:

Finished Product!

It was good!

So, I headed home to get my own pasta salad going.  I grilled my chicken:

Gathered my other ingredients; here are a few:

Italian Bow Tie Pasta:
1/2 box of bow tie pasta
4-5 chicken tenderloins
1/4 cup of Olive Garden Signature Italian Dressing
1/4 cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese
6 slices of Tyson's Sliced Pepperoni
6 slices of Tyson's Sliced Salami
1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
1/2 orange bell pepper (diced)
1/4 cup of grape tomatoes (halfed)
1 tbs of dry ranch dressing mix (trust me)
1/8 cup of red onion (diced)
Dried (or fresh) parsley to garnish

-Grill chicken, then dice it & let it cool
-Cook the bow tie pasta (al dente) & let cool
-Dice the peppers, onions, tomatoes
-Slice the pepperoni & salami in 4ths (I found kitchen shears to be more effective, than a knife)

-Combine prepared ingredients with italian dressing, parmesan & ranch powder. Refrigerate for 2 hours
-Garnish with parmesan & parsley

ENJOY! 

The Tyson's Sliced Pepperoni & Salami were high quality & super yummy!  Such an easy dish to put together & take to a picnic or potluck!  I used them again today & made english muffin mini pizzas for my little kiddos.  They would be great in hot pasta or added to a salad too!


Find more recipes on their website.  Follow Tyson on Facebook & Twitter!

Check out my Google+ album for more pics here.