Cajun Chicken Pasta

This was a really really good recipe but then again I say that all the time and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t post a recipe that didn’t turn out well.. haha..  =/

Anyways, I got this recipe on Skinny Taste.  Her food ROCKS.  You need to add her blog to your daily blog list.  I’ve made two things from her and both received raving reviews and resulted in second helpings. The sauce for this pasta ends up being really creamy and flavorful.  It kind of tricks you into thinking you’re eating something unhealthy and just feels really rich.  But I know better and I know it’s pretty healthy because obviously I got to see first hand what went into the sauce.  I haven’t put this recipe into my Weight Watchers calculator yet, but I will update the post to show the point value when I do.  I also really like this recipe because I got another chance to use my Ninja Master Prep (blender/food processor)!  Haha. 

The recipe is from Skinny Taste’s page and the only thing I changed is that I used like a ton of cayenne pepper and added red chili flakes (you know I love my food spicy).  I didn’t have a pre-made “Cajun spice blend” on hand so I just used what I had in my cupboard based on the recipe I found on the Allrecipes site.  My ratios were pretty much the same as what’s stated in that spice blend recipe except I upped the cayenne and added red chili flakes. 

So good and so worth it!  Give it a try and let me know how much you like it!

P.S. Don’t compare our pictures because Skinny Taste’s pics totally blow mine out of the water! >.<

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked linguine (I used Barilla’s Whole Grain Linguine)
• 1 pound chicken breast strips
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste) my cajun spice blend came from here.
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt to taste
• Smart Balance cooking spray

Instructions

1.  Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.

2.  Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.

3.  Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.

4.  Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes.

5.  Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

6.  Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.

7.  Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

Creamy Avocado Pasta

So I have been a little M.I.A. lately.  I feel like I haven’t updated in FOREVER!  I haven’t been cooking much since my birthday, there always seemed to be a reason that I went out to eat (wait, do I ever need reasons to go out to eat?), so I have been pretty slack when it came to cooking at night.  I am loving Daylight Saving Time right now too!  It’s still light out when I come home from work and it doesn’t feel like such a drag!  I honestly don’t know why we don’t just keep DST all year long!  Who likes the “normal” time anyways?  Plus, we are on DST for about 9 months out of the year anyways, so what’s the point of this switching business? 

Oh.. another perk of DST.. when I’m cooking dinner and taking pictures.. I actually have SUNLIGHT!  My pictures come out so much nicer this way (as any picture would really).  I feel like the sunlight makes my food actually look yummy.  ;)

Okay, I got a little off track ..but I made a quick and simple dinner tonight.  Creamy avocado pasta.  Yes, this is pretty freaking amazing.  This is my second attempt at this dish and gosh it’s seriously the best!  The first time I made it, I only had whole grain egg noodles on hand but this time I made it with whole grain spaghetti.  It is delicious either way! 

This dish literally takes no more than 10 minutes to cook/put together..that is if you’re smooth in the kitchen….which I’m not really so I don’t know how I manage to keep it down to roughly 10ish minutes…maybe my clock is broken?  The great thing about this dish is, it is healthy, it’s yummy, and by the time the pasta is done cooking, your “sauce” which is made from scratch is ready to go! 

I used this recipe.. creamy avocado pasta from Bliss blog.  I googled an avocado recipe and I found that this one seemed to be more than one note since she had an addition of spinach!  She also included basil, but I didn’t have any on hand, and I always say… cook with what you have.  :)

Recipe is below and my edits are italicized.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium ripe avocado, pitted
• ½ lime (I used a whole lime but I like mine a bit tangy)
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ jalapeno (I used a whole jalapeno because I love it spicy)
• ¼ cup packed basil (I didn’t have this on hand so I didn’t include this)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 cup spinach
• basil leaves to garnish (again, I didn’t have this)
• shredded chicken, I had this on hand from a rotisserie chicken earlier in the week and I added some of this chicken to my pasta

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still al dente 9 -11 minutes.  I cooked mine for 7 minutes as instructed by my Barilla box. 

2.  Drain and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. 
Put the cup of spinach and the shredded chicken in the bottom of a serving bowl (I left my pasta/spinach/chicken in the pot that I drained my pasta from so that it could stay a bit more warm) and place the spaghetti on top and toss for a few minutes to wilt the spinach.

3.  While the pasta is cooking make the avocado sauce.  Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the avocado and place in a food processor.  Zest the lime and add along with the basil, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, basil, spinach, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth. 

4.  Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss everything together adding a little cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed.  I did not need to add any of the pasta water as I like my sauce a little thick and it sticks onto the pasta really well this way too.  I also find that the heat from the pasta helps to really coat the spaghetti well so I didn’t feel like I needed any extra water. 

5.  Top with the grated parmesan and basil and another squeeze of the lime and serve.