Friday, February 27, 2015

Recipe: Chicken Pasta Caprese

Chicken Pasta Caprese - A Skinny Taste Cookbook Recipe
402 Calories || Serves 5

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I must be around that time of the month because ALL I want is carbs this week! Carbs, carbs, carbs, carbs, carbs............


Ingredients:

1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1/2tsp dried basil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
9oz whole wheat pasta
4tsp EVOO
6 garlic cloves, chopped (or a generous tbs of jarred garlic)
2 1/2 cups halved graped tomatoes (I used less, I thought it seemed like quite a bit of tomatoes)
1/4c thinly sliced fresh basil
4oz mozzarella cheese, cubed


Instructions: 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Season the chicken with the dried basil, a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Spray the skillet with EVOO and add chicken, cooked through. 


Cook the pasta to al dente and drain, reserving about 1/2c of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, icnreaste the heath under the skillet to high, add the EVOO and garlic, and cook, stirring until golden brown. Add the tomatoes, 1/8tsp salt, and black pepper to taste, and reduce heaet and cook, stirring, until tomatoes are tender. 

Add the pasta to the tomatoes. If pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta water. Add the chicken and toss well. Remove the pan from heath, stir in the fresh basil and cheese and serve hot. 



I also added a small serving of bread, since I had a left over carb serving for the day, and, well, given my biological and phisologic need for carbs at the moment, I was happy to eat it all! 







Recipe: Pasta with Sausage, Kale, and Bell Pepper

Orecchiette with Sausage, Baby Kale, and Bell Pepper - A Skinny Taste Cookbook Recipe
412 Calories* || Serves 5

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This was a fun dish because I love carbs and sausage, so finding a relatively clean recipe that included both is always a win in my book! Also toddler-approved. HUGE hit. 

I especially loved this meal because it was under 30 minutes from start to finish and I had minimal dishes to clean after, giving this recipe an A+ in my book!


Ingredients:

2 1/2 tsp kosher sale1 tsp EVOO
1c chopped onion
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped (I use jarred garlic as I hate chopping/mincing garlic cloves!)
A dash of black pepper
14oz sweet or hot Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
6c baby kale
10oz whole wheat pasta (use brown rice pasta for GF)
1/4c grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4tsp crushed red pepper flakes


Instructions: 

Bring a large pot of water and 2tsp of the salt to a boil. 

Meanwhile, heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add EVOO, onion, bell pepper, garlic, the remaining 3/4tsp salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft. 



Add sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break the meat into small pieces as it browns. Add the kale and cover until it wilts. 


Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as package instructs. Drain, and add the cooked pasta to the salad. Increase the heat and add 1/4c Romano and pepper flakes and toss well. Transfer and serve immediately! 


And there you have it! A guilt-free carb, filling meal!