Friday Night Feast V

Oh how I loved this week's Friday Night Feast! I wanted to do something light and summery and I thought of this recipe that I had tried more than a year ago and hadn't made since. I can't imagine why I didn't make this recipe again and again because it was absolutely delicious. It's healthy, too!

Warm Pasta Salad with Vegetables, Broiled Feta, and Shrimp
~This is a complete one dish meal~

• 12 ounces Pasta (I used Whole Grain Rotini and it was awesome)*
• 8 ounces feta cheese (in a chunk, not crumbled), cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined (I buy frozen raw shrimp)
  
• 1/2 cup red onion, sliced into half-moons
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups snow peas (fresh or frozen...I use fresh)
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 1/2 cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (you don't really need this, but it's quite good in it)
• Salt and Pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions (you can do this ahead, if you want, and just heat it up in the microwave). Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Preheat the broiler while you arrange feta slices on a tin foil lined baking sheet.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet. Add shrimp in a single layer and let cook 1-2 minutes, then flip them to finish cooking 1-2 minutes. They are done when they are pink and opaque. I actually sprinkled some Greek seasoning I had and it tasted great. Be creative with seasoning the shrimp, or just cook it plain. It tastes great both ways!
4. Remove the shrimp and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same skillet and add the onion and garlic to cook for a minute.
5. Add the snow peas and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until crisp tender, about 5 minutes.
6. 
7. Meanwhile, pop the feta under the broiler for 2-4 minutes (keep an eye on it). It should get golden brown on top.
8. Add the tomatoes and the cooked shrimp to the vegetable mixture and cook for a minute. Sprinkle with basil.
9. Add the vegetable and shrimp mixture to the pasta. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Add slices of broiled feta.
10. Enjoy it with someone you love, like I did, and then store the extra in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.

* I was super stubborn about the "use whole wheat or whole grain pasta instead of regular pasta" thing. I figured it had to taste really bad if it was whole wheat or whole grain. But then I watched this show (that I absolutely love, by the way, and plan to write a post on soon) called Zonya's Health Bites. She talks about how regular pasta has no nutritional value and that whole wheat and whole grain pasta is not only packed with nutrition, but it fills you up much faster. So you end up eating less pasta and it's better for you. I gave in and tried and it...I discovered that I actually like it better! It's delicious!

This recipe was adapted from a recipe in Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals