Using that basil: Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad and Bruschetta

When I moved to San Diego I started my "garden" and planted a few different herbs in pots on my balcony. One of them is a basil plant that just kept getting bigger and bigger! I had no idea that basil plants get this big (I don't have much experience with gardens, let alone herb gardens, but love plants and want to someday have my own real garden, y'know, in the ground). Anyway, so to prune my basil bush a bit I made a couple dishes for tonight that involve lots of basil.

Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad

The pesto was actually made by a friend, and pesto is very much a personal taste thing but I guesstimated the amounts he used, make your own tweaks as appropriate.

Pesto: Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 medium sized garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pop the ingredients in a food processor and presto! you have... pesto.

Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad: Ingredients
1 cup pesto
1 lb elbow macaroni
1 lb chicken breast
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook the macaroni. Set aside and let cool.
2. Marinate the chicken breast with the pesto in a plastic zip top bag so you can really smear the pesto around all over the chicken breasts.
3. Heat a pan with olive oil. Sear the chicken breast on each side for about a minute or two. Then cover with a lid until cooked through, being careful not to burn the pesto covered chicken.
4. Cut up the cooked chicken in 1/2 inch pieces, mix into pasta. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper.
5. Feel free to add more pesto, olive oil, salt and pepper, again personal preference.

Bruschetta

2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup basil, packed and chopped
2 Tbsp walnut, chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
Baguette

1. Mix tomatoes, onion, basil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
2. Preheat the broiler.
3. Cut Baguette in diagonal slices about 3/4 inch thick.
4. Place one layer of bread on a pan, drizzle with olive oil, and toast until lightly brown.
5. Spoon tomato mixture onto each slice of bread and serve.