Recipe Review: Tropical Chicken and Rice/Men Cooking Their Own Way Pasta Salad

I’m reviewing two recipes today. First up is Tropical Chicken with Rice from Rachael Ray.

I give this dish high marks because the ingredient list is so short, it’s incredibly easy to make, it’s reasonably healthy, and it packs a big flavor punch. There’s considerable pay off for very little effort and expense. I think this would be a great go-to meal for busy folks who work outside the home.

A couple of notes:

1. I would double the amount of the pineapple and chili-garlic sauce; it’s a wonderful flavor combination–why skimp on it?
2. I did not have fresh pineapple on hand so I used canned (packed with natural juices, not syrup) and it worked just fine. In fact, I think the sweeter, softer pineapple could potentially be preferable in this since it’s essentially serving as a sauce.
3. You cannot leave out the mint; it adds a crucial fresh zing to the dish.

I am less enthusiastic about the recipe I found at We Hunted the Mammoth. Let me begin by saying that by that dish  would probably be considerably better if it were actually instructions on how to cook and serve mammoth. Alas, it is not. It’s a “pasta salad” recipe written by a Flesh Light enthusiast and garbage palate-haver.

I’ll let Dave Futrelle explain:

Here’s the list of ingredients provided by Master Chef MGTOWFOREVER, a “senior member” of the forum:

1 or 2 containers grape tomatos
Half a jar of Spanish Olives
1 or 2 bottles Italian dressing(I recommend Robust or House but it can be any kind)
1lb Honey Ham
1lb Pepperoni
1lb cooked salami
1lb Turkey breast
1lb provolone cheese
1lb Pepperjack cheese
1lb Cooper Cheese
Half a jar of parmasian powder cheese.

Huh. Something seems to be missing from this pasta salad recipe. I wonder what it … oh, wait, there’s one more ingredient:

A Box of Tri-color/Rainbow noodles

This salad seemed daunting to me, so I tweaked it a little. I broke into my nearest deli, loaded my pressure washer with Kraft Italian dressing and hosed down the entire meat and cheese section. Then I just dove into as if it were a vinegary ball pit.

Not bad. But I’m not a fan of “powdered Parmesan.”