What initially drew my attention to this dish was that the sauce was not a typical red sauce, and also that with my recent withdrawal from most dishes with chicken, I am forced to start looking for new ways to prepare this protein. As with most people who eat clean, when you're limited to certain lean proteins, at some point you start to get bored with the way you habitually cook a particular protein. I was reaching the point that I had about as much desire to eat chicken, as I did to lick a cardboard box. Sooooo...time to switch it up.
This recipe started as a by-the-book dish, meaning I was't planning on altering it at all. But, as I started to really prepare the dish, I realized that it was supposed to be served room temperature, the sauce wasn't hot, and the yellow pepper was tossed raw. Ummm...NOPE! I'm like a 90 year old woman. I need my food so hot that I can barely stand to eat it, and so I took this recipe from The Best of Clean Eating 3, and modified it to how I wanted it to be built. AND...IT WAS AMAZING!!!
Ingredients:
- 2 5 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp low-sodium dry rub
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked whole-wheat penne
(or other small whole-wheat pasta)
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 garlic clove finely diced
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
Red Pepper Sauce:
- 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup unsalted raw cashews
- 1/4 cup whole fresh basil leaves
- 1 garlic clove
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- 3 oz. shredded Romano cheese, divided evenly
Instructions:
1. Preheat saute pan with chicken stock to medium-high.
2. Prep chicken breast with a thin coating of olive oil (1 tsp.), black pepper, and seasoning of choice. Cook chicken in preheated pan for about 7 minutes per side, until juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Set aside to cook for about 10 minutes, and then slice chicken.
3. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Rinse in cold water to remove sticky starches; drain well and set aside.
4. Prepare Red Pepper Sauce: In a blender or food processor, add all sauce ingredients; blend until very smooth.
5. Dice yellow bell pepper, yellow onion, and garlic, and saute in a pan heated to medium-high with 1 tsp. of olive oil. Saute vegetables for about 5 minutes.
6. Add chicken, pasta, and Red Pepper Sauce to the pan with vegetables, and toss until everything is heated through.
7. Divide evenly, and top with 1.5 oz. of shredded Romano cheese, and garnish with freshly sliced basil.
The recipe directions claim that this serves 2, and that a 2-cup serving is 648 calories. I'll be honest when I say that I actually split this into three servings because it was a little too high, calorie and carb wise, so it will largely depend on how big of a portion you want for your lunch or dinner. Where some people really try to avoid pasta, I recommend this: always make sure you know what one portion looks like, and try to eat your carb-heavy meals early in your day so that you have hours to burn those carbs off.
I also want to point out the importance of recognizing what your food preferences are when you're trying a new recipe, and learning how to modify the recipe so you can fully enjoy it when all of your hard work is done. I know I don't like luke warm food. I also know that I don't like raw vegetables in my hot pasta. So, I changed the recipe. Get creative, step outside of your comfort zone, know what you like and don't like, and learn to modify your recipes according to your nutritional desires. If you're going to try something new, wouldn't you rather fully enjoy it, rather than go in knowing there are certain things you're not going to like right off the bat? So, if you're reading through this recipe, and you decide there's something you want to change, go ahead a mix it up to suit your needs! ENJOY!!!
<3 MARIA
