Bow Ties with Pesto, Feta and Cherry Tomatoes

Summer is definitely a time for salads. I love tomatoes, pesto and feta so this sounded yummy. I didn't make the pesto from scratch this time, just bought some as a grocery store to save time.
Bow Ties with Pesto, Feta and Cherry Tomatoes
courtesy Dave Lieberman, The Food Network
Show: Good Deal with Dave LiebermanEpisode: Salad Bar
Ingredients
1 pound bow tie pasta (farfalle)
3/4 cup Pesto, recipe follows
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, as needed
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Stir in the bow ties and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and run it under cold water just until it stops steaming. Bounce the pasta around to get rid of as much water as you can.
Dump the pasta into a large serving bowl. Stir in the pesto until the pasta is coated. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and the crumbled feta. Taste the salad and season it as you like with salt and pepper. You can make the salad up to about 1 hour before you serve it. Check out the salt and pepper just before you serve the salad. If it's looking a little dry, add some olive oil and stir it around.
Pesto:
5 big handfuls basil leaves (about 2 hefty bunches)
1/2 cup pine nuts or 3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Kosher salt
About 20 grinds freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Place all ingredients with 1/2 cup of the oil in a blender and blend. Gradually drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup of oil until pesto is thick and smooth.
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Greek Chicken

I always love Mediterranean style food and this recipe is no exception. It's easy and full of flavor.

Greek Chicken from For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil, divided
1-2 shallots, sliced into thin rings (I used yellow onion.)
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, fat removed
Garlic powder, to taste (I used garlic salt)
Dried oregano, to taste
Handful of grape tomatoes (I sliced in half)
Small handful of kalmata olives, sliced in half
1/2-1 lemon juiced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (divided)
2 tbsp low fat feta cheese
fresh Parmesan cheese (I added this)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a an oven-safe skillet on medium heat.
3. Add the shallots and garlic and heat for about 2 minutes.
4. Remove from pan and set aside.
5. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano.
6. Place the chicken into the skillet, seasoned side down, and cook over med-high heat until brown. (3-4 minutes).
7. Flip the chicken over and add the olives, tomatoes, lemon juice, half of the parsley, and the shallots with garlic.
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until done.
9. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the remaining parsley on top with the feta cheese and parmesean cheese.