Grilled Rasta Pasta

Hello again!

A lot has happened in my brief hiatus from blogging. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s dive in, shall we?

First off…I got married!

This might not come as a surprise to some of you, as I’ve been talking about it for a while now. The wedding went off without a hitch (no pun intended). It was a whirlwind, and I barely remember much of the reception because of that! I know it was amazing, though, so that’s all that matters.

Our honeymoon was incredible, and I’ll break that down in another post. We technically had two honeymoons in one…so look forward to that! I know I’m missing the time away from the world right now.

Another major development in life…we got a kid! No, not a real-life human child. A cat! It’s a funny story, really. As most of you know, I’m a producer for a local television station. I work the graveyard shift and work on the morning show while also listening to police scanners for any breaking news.

Well, the other night, I heard a police pursuit break out. An officer over the scanner said he thought there might be a body in the trunk of the car they were chasing. I called my overnight photographer to go check it out when the car crashed. He got there right when they were opening up the trunk…and much to everyone’s surprise, out popped a CAT!

There was, in fact, no body (thankfully), just a bunch of clothes. My photographer texted me asking if I wanted a cat. Mind you, it’s about 1:30 in the morning and I don’t get off until 7 a.m. I was confused by his question, but he explained that everyone left the scene (cops included) and the cat was left there! He was purring at his legs and needed some love.

Unable to deny any creature a home, I gladly accepted. This beauty is about a year old, a Himalaya/Siamese/Balinese mix. He’s incredibly lovey and won’t leave me or Rob’s side! I got him into the vet the next day to get him neutered, get shots, and get tested. Healthy as a horse (except for being a little underweight). We named him “Bolo” (I can’t take credit for that name, it came from a co-worker!) since he was in a police pursuit. In case you’re not up-to-date on your police terms, Bolo is an acronym for “Be On The Lookout”.

Now, let’s talk FOOD! I’ve eaten so much in the past few weeks that I’m sure I’ve gained about 20 pounds. I’ll be heading back to the gym on Monday, if my current kidney-stone status is over (yeah, I told you A LOT has happened since we last talked).

Cooking was put on the back burner for the past few weeks, so this was my first meal back in my kitchen. We got a ton of new kitchen gadgets from wedding guests, but one of my favorites so far is the grill pan.

I’ve told you my grilling skills are pretty terrible, so the grill pan is a wonderful reprieve from the difficulties of lighting up a grill. I’m obsessed with grilling everything now. I’ve probably used this sucker five times the past few days.

What better way to break in the grill pan than to grill up some chicken and veggies? And might I add, is there anything better than grilled onions?! Yummo. I seasoned my chicken with a Jamaican inspired spice blend (allspice, curry powder, to name a few) then grilled up some red onion, red bell pepper, and jalapenos.

Toss that all up with some lovely trumpet pasta, blanched sweet-and-crispy green beans, and a luscious cheesy cream sauce—and you’ve got yourself one heck of a meal.

I’ll be grilling up some jumbo gulf shrimp I got in Louisiana this weekend, too, so stay tuned for that!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat a grill pan over medium high heat. In a large bowl, mix together curry powder, allspice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add chicken and toss until well coated. Hey look! It’s one of my other favorite wedding gifts: a new cutting board.

Cut up those gorgeous veggies. Strips, wedges, and halves work best here!

Place chicken on grill pan and grill for about 4 minutes per side, until chicken is no longer pink and has nice grill marks. Remove from pan to a plate and let cool.

Add onion wedges, red pepper strips and jalapeno to the grill pan. Grill veggies until skins blister/grill marks are on the onion and it is slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl. Cut jalapeno into strips. Let cool. Cut cooked chicken into bite-size pieces. Toss in with grilled veggies in bowl.

Now, work on the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook to al dente, according to package instructions. Add green beans during the last minute of cooking to blanch.

Drain pasta and green beans and rinse under cool water.

Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add cream & chicken bouillon. Stir until warmed. If not enough sauce, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken stock. Pour in pasta & green beans, cheese, grilled chicken and veggies. Toss until everything is well coated.