Don't Eat Crap

Creative title, eh?

On Monday night I was feeling like deviating from the meal plan and throwing random things from the kitchen together. I grabbed my homemade pesto (see recipe below), two frozen chicken breasts and threw them on the NuWave for 25 minutes, whole wheat and Barilla Plus, penne, onions, Swiss chard and cherry tomatoes from the CSA, and a can of pinto beans. Why not?

Pesto Penne with Chicken and A Bunch of Other Stuff

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• Two cooked chicken breasts, diced
• 1/4 c. red onion, diced
• 1/4 c. homemade pesto (see recipe below)
• 2 c. Barilla Plus or Whole Wheat penne (uncooked)
• 1 bunch of Swiss Chard, stems removed, chopped
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• handful of cherry tomatoes, rinsed and diced
• Fresh Parmesan (to top dish)

Boil pasta according to package.

Heat pesto up and add in onions until soft. Add in chicken, Swiss chard, beans and tomatoes until warmed through and Swiss Chard is wilted. Add in Pasta and toss well.

I scooped myself up a bowl and grated some fresh Parmesan on top. I found myself going back for another bowl. I really liked the different colors, textures, and flavors this dish had. It wasn’t super flavorful – but it was about the natural flavors that made the dish and the pesto bringing out them. If you like a creamy sauce or a LOT of sauce, this isn’t your dish.  Or at least that’s what I think. It could have been that I made that homemade pesto last Thursday and it was losing its flavor.

Homemade Pesto

Ingredients:

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

I got some fresh basil from a coworker and I love homemade pesto. So last week when the girls came over I made my eggplant and tomato appetizer with this pesto.

Toast walnuts in a pan with no oil just until you start smelling them. Remove from heat.

Combine the basil, garlic, and nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Add in cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

If you are going to use it immediately – GOOD FOR YOU! If you want to save some, pour it into an ice cube tray filling each cube 3/4 full and top with a drop of olive oil in each one to hold in the green. Once frozen pop out and store in baggie.

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