:: NikG* Life + Style ::

Monday, December 12, 2011

In the Kitch: Skinny Chicken & Tomato Pasta

Today's recipe I'm sharing with you lovely readers is a pasta dish I made last week. I found this recipe on Pinterest because I fell in love with the photo. It looked so delicious and SIMPLE. Let me tell you, it was all that I'd hoped it would be. My husband and I, in a word....SMASHED it. I'd made enough to have leftovers for dinner the next day, and I think we may have scraped some non-stick coating off of the pan that next day even. lol Anyway, I watch a lot of cooking shows and travel/food shows, and one thing I've learned when watching them make Italian dishes or at Italian restaurants IN Italy, is that some of the pasta dishes that are popular don't involve any "sauce". I think we Americans automatically assume that all pasta dishes require a sauce. Not so! In Italy, they make yummy pasta dishes with just pasta, fresh ingredients and just a really good extra-virgin olive oil. You'll be surprised at how something so simple can be so flavorful. So here you go for this newfound staple in my dinner line- up. Oh, it's pretty healthy too. Thanks Skinny Taste for the great recipe!

Ingredients:

* 2 skinless chicken breast halves, diced in 1 inch cubes

* cooking spray

* 1/2 tsp each of dried oregano and dries basil

* kosher salt and fresh pepper

* 8 oz spaghetti (high fiber or low carb) I used Ronzoni Smart Taste

* 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

* 6 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped

* 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

* 4 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Season chicken generously with salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, spray with oil and add chicken. Cook about 3-4 minutes, until no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.

While pasta cooks, add olive oil to skillet on high heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden brown (do not burn). Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low. Sauté about 4-5 minutes. When pasta is drained, add pasta to tomatoes and toss well. If pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water. Add fresh basil and chicken and toss well. Serve and top with good grated cheese.

Tips & Mods

- I was out of dried oregano, and basil for that matter, but I DID have Italian seasoning (which has both of those as ingredients, along with some other herbs). So, I just seasoned the chicken with the Italian seasoning and salt.

- As you can see from the pics, I also added one chopped zucchini to the dish. I just thought it would add some color and another healthy veg couldn't hurt.

-I again used whole grain pasta

- Make sure to use a GOOD grated parmesian or romano cheese. NOT the powder kind ppl put on pizza, etc. haha

Enjoy!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Because I have nothing else to post...

...just thought I'd share a couple snaps of me out with my friends this past Saturday. We were celebrating a birthday at this "international party" (lots of reggae, Haitian and African music), and boy was it fun. And yea, I'm like the only American-born person out of all my girls here in Atlanta. haha This was my first time wearing my hair curly (twistout done with 6 large twists) since my cut. All I can say is---I'm never letting it get any longer than this ever again!!! Okay, never is a strong word, but you know what I mean. Anyway, if you're ever in Atlanta on a Saturday night and are in an "international" mood, check out Cream Ultra Lounge. The music was awesome.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Cyber Friday!!

So I decided to have a Cyber Friday sale. Once again, I'm cleaning out the closet. I have a few things listed on eBay, and I plan to put more stuff up over the weekend. I have some clothing to unload, as well as baby stuff! Here's what's listed now...