I remember when I first started cooking I was sooo particular about following the directions to a "T". However, after experimenting and discovering some great and exciting combinations of food, it's fun to open my pantry and refrigerator and dream up a new concoction. Especially when it actually tastes GOOD!
Tonight I had a hankerin' for pesto chicken, but didn't want to go too crazy on the calories and fat intake. I used yoghurt to give it a cre
amy texture and used minimal amounts of oil without sacrificing taste at all.
Healthy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Serves: 2 (can be easily doubled)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8 oz chicken breast - cut into strips or chunks, seasoned with salt, pepper, and Adobe seasoning (if available)
- 1/2 serving of whole wheat pasta (penne or linguine works well, I used egg noodles that I had handy)
- 2-3 tablespoons pesto (jar is fine)
- half an onion
- 1 cup mushrooms
- 1 cup yoghurt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- red pepper flakes
- grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Cook pasta as directed. Be sure to check the pasta before draining - whole wheat tends to take an extra minute to fully cook.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pesto and lemon juice with yoghurt and mix well. Set aside.
3. In a nonstick pan set to medium high, add 1 tsp. of olive oil, the mushrooms and onions. Saute until onions are caramelized and mushrooms soften - about 5 minutes. When this is close to being cooked, add the garlic and allow to simmer for 1 minute. Remove from pan and combine with the bowl of pesto.
4. Using the same pan, add in chicken to cook until no longer pink. More olive oil can also be added if needed.
5. Once cooked, take chicken off heat and add pasta and pesto mix. Combine well, top with salt & pepper to taste. Top with red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese and voila! Dinner is served :)
No comments:
Post a Comment