Whole wheat penne pasta with salmon, tomatoes and herb dressing

I haven't had salmon in a while and tonight's meal was a good way to have it. It was filling because of the pasta but also healthy. Mom and I started a new diet a couple months ago so I've been trying to find recipes (or come up with my own) that follow our diet plan. There's not as much out there so it's been a little difficult to find stuff but when I saw this one I knew I had to try it. The original recipe can be found at the Cookin' Canuck website here.

Review: This recipe was quick and simple to make. The longest part of it was waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook. I will start out with saying the recipe called for cheese but cheese is not on our diet so I did not include that ingredient. I personally also did not eat the tomatoes but mom likes them so I put tomatoes in her bowl. For this meal the salmon was not that prevalent tasting compared to the pasta. The pasta and the herb dressing kind of overwhelmed the salmon. I added a little more olive oil than it called for because I didn't think it was smooth enough. I thought it was a thick dressing and I wanted it to be a little more runny. Next time I make it I also will use about half as much herbs (especially with the parsley). The amount of herbs I used also probably was why it was a thicker dressing. It was partly my bad because I used dried flakes instead of fresh herbs and you are supposed to use less dried flakes than fresh herbs but I didn't, I used equal amounts. I also would recommend drizzling a bit of olive oil on the top of your bowl or plate once it's all mixed together to give it a little more moisture. As it was, the pasta was a little dry and the olive oil on the top would give it a touch more flavor. Still, the meal was quite good and another keeper.

Recipe:

The Dressing:

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil

The Rest:

• 13 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
• 12 oz. skinless salmon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• 8 oz. grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half (optional)
• 3 oz. myzithra (or feta) cheese (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

The Dressing:
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine garlic, lemon juice, parsley, oregano, dried chili flakes, salt and pepper. Pulse until parsley is finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour in olive oil and blend until the dressing is mostly smooth (I poured some in then blended, poured some in then blended and added a little more olive oil to make it smoother and be more runny).

The Rest:
Cook penne according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Immediately toss with 3/4 of the dressing. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the salmon to the skillet and saute until the salmon is just cooked through, roughly 3-5 minutes. To the pasta, add the salmon, tomatoes, myzithra (or feta) cheese and the rest of the dressing. Stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.