Two Fantastic New Concoctions

Michael Benjamin spent most of the week here, and I am still swooning over the phenomenal chicken dish we concocted on his last evening here. We winged it, but here's an after-the-fact recipe with estimated quantities:

Pâtes avec Poulet, Poivron, et Vinaigrette

1 package angel hair pasta
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into little-ish pieces
1 coloured pepper cut into bite-sized strips
1 handful fresh cress
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup feta cheese
1-1 1/2 cups vinaigrette
1 small clove garlic, minced

1. Boil pasta according to package directions.
2. Sautée chicken pieces, pepper pieces, and garlic with generous salt and lemon pepper, until beginning to carmelize.
3. At the Last minute, add 1/2 of the chopped cress and 1/4 cup of dressing to chicken mixture.
4. Toss pasta with dressing, rest of the cress, feta, chicken mixture, and walnuts.

Vinaigrette:

Mix together in a small bowl:
Juice and zest of one lemon
2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic,, minced
2 tbsp. chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. honey
salt and pepper
1 scant cup of olive oil

With the leftovers of this dish, I created a new one this evening:

Deconstructed Tzatziki Salad

1 cucumber, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 bunch of radishes, chopped
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2-3/4 cup Greek yoghurt
1 clove garlic, minced
2-4 tbsp. chopped herbs (mint, cilantro, parsley, and cilantro all taste nice)
1/2 tsp. honey
juice of one small lemon
pepper to taste

1. Toss together radishes, cucumber, and shallot.
2. Mix together remaining ingredients into a thick sauce and toss with veggies until lightly coated/
3. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts and chopped watercress on top.