Chicken Pasta Primavera

The other day I was reading an older post by Kristin at Iowa Girl Eats.  I was so amazed that she could run around all day long, pregnant no less, and come home and whip together a wonderful dish such as this Pasta Primavera.  

I said to myself I could do that can't I?  Hmmm, well after running around all day long I just might be a bit tired...and not want to cook this delicious meal.  Wow then it hit me...duh...you are not 20 something anymore!

Feeling better about being tired after running around all day I was still inspired to stop by Sprouts to pick up a few odds and ends to make a rendition of her Pasta Primavera.

 So glad I did!  This dish is a little indulgent, but I think all the veggies cancel that out.  Don't you think?  Well anyway I did lessen the carb count by using my favorite pasta, Dreamfields.  Have you heard of it?  It's a durum wheat semolina pasta that is low in digestible carbs and high in fiber.  You CAN NOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE....swear!  No one can!

The dish is easy to put together and tastes so fresh with all the farm seasonal veggies.  I added some chicken cause I'm a protein junkie and it gave it a wonderful heartiness, yet the dish is still light and tasty.  I used some leftover roasted chicken that I had made the day before.  I just love making extra chicken for dishes such as this.

This was such a wonderful dish.  I hope you try it soon.  If you get a chance go say "Hi!" to Kristen and take a look at all the wonderful food she makes.  

Enjoy!

Chicken Pasta Primavera

adapted from IowaGirlEats.com

 

Serves 4

½  lb rotini (or other short-cut pasta)
1 1/2 c broccoli florets
1 c trimmed and chopped asparagus, about 10 thin spears
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 yellow summer squash, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c cherry tomatoes, red and yellow

1 1/2 c of cooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces

salt and pepper

1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 half & half
1/4 Parmesan cheese

Add pasta to a large pot of salted, boiling water. When pasta has 2 minutes left, add broccoli florets and chopped asparagus. Cook for 2 additional minutes then drain and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat then add onion, season and then saute until translucent, 5 minutes. Add squash, and saute until slightly softened, 4 minutes. Add garlic and tomatoes then saute until tomatoes are warm and slightly bursting, 5 minutes.  Add chicken to heat through, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add chicken broth to the skillet, let reduce for 1 minute, then add pasta, broccoli, and asparagus to the skillet. Add half & half, and Parmesan cheese stirring to combine. Turn off heat and let sauce thicken for 1 minute.

Easy Blueberry Skillet Cake

My love of breakfast goodies also runs over into brunch items too.

Having brunch with close friends is always fun.  Taking the time to eat outdoors is always a treat during the summer in Los Angeles.  The weather is generally cooler in the morning and it's a great time to sit and relax, laugh with friends and enjoy the day before the heat blasts us back inside for cover and cool air-conditioning.  

I came across a wonderful dish from Paula Deen that is perfect for a summer brunch. It's semi-homemade using canned biscuits as the base for the cake.  Add some fresh berries and some flavor powerhouses like brown sugar and cinnamon, and you have a winning combination!

Not only was this easy to put together, it feeds a crowd, and you serve it in the dish you cook it in!  How easy is that?  I love using my cast iron skillets to bake in and serve with.  Double duty all the way!  So off to the brunch this went and the most important part?  The taste!  I love anything with cinnamon and brown sugar.  So this was an instant winner for me.  However, the addition of the blueberries put this over the top.  

Let's just say there won't be any leftovers!

Easy Blueberry Skillet Cake

Adapted From Paula's Best Dishes Episode: Breakin' For Breakfast

Servings: 4 to 6

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Coffee Cake:
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 (12-ounce) tube buttermilk biscuits
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed

Directions

For the streusel topping: Combine the almonds, sugar, butter, flour, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until large crumbs form.

For the coffee cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a 9-inch cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, cook the butter and brown sugar over medium heat until melted. Arrange the biscuits in a single layer in the skillet. Scatter the blueberries over the biscuits, and then distribute the streusel topping over the berries. Bake until the biscuits are golden and a tester inserted in the center of a biscuit comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and serve from the skillet. 

Worth a Second Look: Taco Salad

Do you have any potlucks or parties that you need a dish for?

About a 1 1/2 years ago I posted my favorite Potluck dish...Taco Salad.  I think that this dish is worth a second look.  Last week my co-workers and I had a big potluck.  The theme was salads.  Each of us was to bring one of our favorite salads.  Hands down, I knew I would make this Taco Salad.

I actually got this recipe from a friend of my, way back when, who brought it to another potluck!  This is the perfect traveling salad.  Let me tell you, we had rice salads, green salads, chicken salads, bean salads, and my taco salad.  I do say that my travelled the best because of the use of cabbage instead of lettuce.  Lettuce tends to wilt and get soggy from the other ingredients and the dressing.  If you use cabbage, as in my salad, (and leave the dressing off) you can keep this salad all put together in the frig for several days without any problems!

This is a salad that you can alter on a whim.  By keeping the basis of the salad the same (cabbage, taco meat, tomatoes) you can vary the rest of the ingredients to suit your taste buds.  It is easy to make this salad for a crowd.  Use a whole head of cabbage and a 1lb of ground beef.  The rest of the ingredient and amounts are up to you!

Not only does this travel well and is the perfect potluck or party dish....but it tastes great too!

Hope you try this...it's worth it!
Enjoy!


With this particular salad I used:
cabbage
taco meat
chopped tomatoes
sliced jicama
cheddar cheese
cucumbers
pinto beans
crushed tortilla chips
Catalina dressing


To check out the recipe and original post click here.