Vegetables

No Pasta, Pasta!

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jul 31, 2012 in Fashionably Organic, Italian, Meat, Pasta, Vegetables | 2 comments

No Pasta, Pasta! What’s that you may ask?!? There are very few people in this world that don’t like pasta, unfortunately, I am not one of them, ha ha, but I felt like creating a no pasta, pasta type dish. Something healthy and not too heavy, but full of traditional Italian flavors! This recipe turned out great and you can experiment with flavors by adding fresh basil, rosemary and garlic too! This feeds a crowd, so be sure to invite some friends over and pop a bottle of bubbly!

Enjoy!
XO,
Rachel Ashley

Ingredients :
4 Chicken Breast
2 cups Parmesan Reggiano
2 jars of Marinara Sauce
4 Zucchini
4 Yellow Squash
Handful of Basil Leaves
Salt and Pepper to Taste
EVOO

Recipe:
Begin by placing four chicken breast on a platter. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of EVOO and add salt and pepper to taste. Place your pan on the stove with enough cooking oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Set the temperature to medium-high. Let the oil heat up. For healthy cooking, I like to use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). It tastes better as well! Once the oil is hot after a minute or two, place the chicken in the pan, using tongs. The oil may splatter a bit, but no worries. You will want to flip the breasts when the side being cooked turns golden brown; generally this will take four to six minutes, depending on what type of stove you are using. Using tongs flip the chicken breast over and cook on the other side for four to six minutes.

On a chopping block, cut the squash length wise and then horizontally, creating cubes. In a large sauce pan drizzle a couple tablespoons of EVOO and add the squash and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, until tender. Once the squash is al dente, turn the stove to low heat. When the chicken breast have finished cooking, remove and cut breast into bite size pieces. Add the chicken to the sauce pan of squash. Grab two jars of your favorite marinara sauce and two cups of Parmesan Reggiano and add to the squash and chicken. Stir in the Parmesan Reggiano and marinara sauce making sure the squash and chicken is coated. Cook on medium heat until the cheese melts and the sauce is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chop fresh basil and sprinkle on top and serve. Bon Appetit!

Whole Wheat Linguine with Asparagus, Ricotta, and Lemon

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jun 15, 2010 in Fashionably Organic, Italian, Lasagna, Pasta, Vegetables | 0 comments

This pasta is awesome! It is light, tasty, and makes for a perfect meal or side dish! The pasta does not have a super-rich cream sauce, instead this pasta gets its creamy sauce from a combination of part-skim ricotta and pasta water. Remember not to skip the lemon zest; it brightens the flavor and adds a wonderful lemony aroma as well.

On high heat, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the whole wheat pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until al dente (tender but still firm to the bite), stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta water, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Transfer the hot al dente pasta to a large heat-proof bowl and add the part-skim ricotta cheese. Toss to Combine.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, over medium-high heat warm the olive oil. Add the asparagus, chopped garlic, salt, and freshly grated black pepper and suate for 4 minutes. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid and continue cooking until the asparagus are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the ricotta-coated pasta to the pan with the asparagus and toss to combine. Lastly, add the halved cherry tomatoes and toss gently. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the lemon zest. Ready to serve!

Recipe:
4 to 6 Servings

1 pound whole-wheat linguine
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3 T olive oil
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite sizes
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp slat
1/2 tsp of freshly grated black pepper
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
Zest of 1 lemon