Paula Deen's Lean: Garlic Chicken with Creamy Tomato Pasta

PASTA, PASTA, PASTA! I love pasta! If only I could escape to a vacation in Italy. The pasta...the wine...oh my! I would be like a kid in a candy store. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon, so let's just bring Italy home to me.
I love this pasta dish because it includes fresh ingredients and takes little time to prepare. Let's face it, it's a bit challenging to cook up labor-intensive, gourmet dinner when there is a 2-year-old attached to your leg. The less time spent cookin', the more time I can spend playing with the little one. Instead of surrendering to the "just order in" voices in your head, check out this option.
This recipe comes from the "Stove-Top Success" section in Paula Deen's March/April 2010 issue of Cooking with Paula Deen Magazine (page 37). It is simple, fresh and delicious. In less than 30 minutes, you can have a healthy, well-balanced dinner the whole family will enjoy. Here's all it takes...

GARLIC CHICKEN WITH CREAMY TOMATO PASTA
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups uncooked WHOLE WHEAT rotini pasta

FAT FREE Olive Oil spray
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts; cut into bite-size pieces

1 shallot, sliced

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup light cream

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 cups packed fresh baby spinach

Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well, set aside and keep warm.

Spray a large Dutch oven or large stovetop pan with Olive Oil spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken, shallot, bell pepper and garlic; saute for 7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked completely. Add the crushed tomatoes, cream and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and slowly stir in the pasta and spinach. Serve right away. If you want, add some shredded Parmesan cheese on top!

RESULTS:

It was a hit! If you and your family like pasta with tomato sauce, then this is a dish to try. This pasta dish has the familiar taste that we love, but it is full of vitamin rich spinach and protein packed chicken. Usually we have left overs, but with my "little" brother joining us for dinner (who may be younger but is a good six inches taller than me), there was nothin' left to pack away. I need to have him over for dinner more often!

I hope you decide to give this recipe a try. If you are a busy person, this is definitely a recipe to bookmark.

Paula Deen's Lean: Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

After being blessed with such beautiful spring weather this past week, I knew it was time to start firing up the grill. There is nothing better than fresh vegetables on the grill. Normally we chop up some peppers, onions and zucchini, toss them in a little EVOO, salt and pepper, wrap them in foil and throw them on. They make a great side to a delicious steak or BBQ chicken. But for this dish, the veggies are taking center stage. Tossed with whole wheat pasta and some light dressing, this dish makes a perfect meal for those perfect summer nights.

GRILLED VEGETABLE PASTA SALAD

Makes 4-6 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. WHOLE WHEAT penne pasta

2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 thick wedges

1 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed

1 sweet green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut in half

2 sweet red peppers, cored, seeded and cut in half

1-1/4 cup FAT FREE Vidalia salad dressing

10 fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and cut into thin strips

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a baking dish, toss the vegetables with 1 cup of dressing. Place in the refrigerator for one hour.

While veggies are marinating, cook pasta and heat up the grill.

Working in batches, grill the peppers, asparagus and onion (3 minutes on each side). Veggies should still be firm.

Remove the vegetables from the grill and cut into large pieces.

In a large bowl or serving platter, toss the veggies and pasta together. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of dressing. Toss in the basil leaves. Serve at room temperature.

RESULTS:

It was just as delicious and refreshing as I had hoped. Sometimes my body just craves fresh veggies. When the weather turns warmer, I tend to favor lighter dishes such as this. Well, this one hit the spot! Now, if you read my comments on the veggie quesadillas from a couple months ago, then you know that hubby doesn't take kindly to meals lacking in the meat department. So, to satisfy my caveman's husband's appetite, I added some grilled chicken.

For the chicken, I pounded it thin and seasoned it with a little of Paula's House Seasoning. I sliced the chicken into strips, then tossed the strips in with the pasta and veggies. Simple and delish!

If you are not a fan of Vidalia dressing, another suggestion would be a fat free Italian. The next time I make this dish, I am going to give the Italian a try.

Overall, this recipe is easy, fresh, light and delicious. It doesn't get much better than that!

Check out Paula's original recipe here.

Paula Deen's Lean: Bacon Wrapped Breadsticks (Asparagus Spears)

Recently, Paula's website was all about bacon. Shocking, I know. She featured tons of recipes, all including this wonderful southern meat. The one that looked really easy and delicious to me was her Bacon Wrapped Breadsticks. Being that there are very few ingredients in this appetizer, I was left with little room to make healthy adjustments. To make the biggest nutritional impact, the foundation of this recipe, the breadstick, has been swapped for asparagus. This not only saves calories and carbohydrates, but it opens up the possibility for this recipe to be served as a side and not just an appetizer.

BACON WRAPPED BREADSTICKS ASPARAGUS SPEARS

Makes 24 Spears (about 8 servings)

INGREDIENTS:

24 asparagus spears
12 slices Reduced-Fat bacon (center cut)
1 teaspoon garlic salt or powder
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut bacon slices in half. Wrap one bacon half around each asparagus spear. Line the wrapped spears on a lined baking sheet, sprayed with Fat Free olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle garlic salt over the spears. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the spears and bake an additional 3-5 minutes, or until cheese melts. Let cool slightly and serve.

If serving as an appetizer, use honey mustard dipping sauce.

RESULTS:

I was really happy with the way these turned out. We do baked asparagus at least once a week in our house, so this was a nice change. Even though the breadsticks were replaced with a veggie, they are still satisfying and filling. It doesn't take much to get your fill. We had ours with dinner as a side dish (and you only need 3 or 4).

I would definitely make these again as a party appetizer. They are just enough to get the appetite going without filling you up too much. ENJOY!