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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Penne with Broccoli, Tomato and Chicken

For a few months now I have been trying to jump on the green bandwagon.  Sometimes I make it on the wagon, sometimes I fall a few feet short and land in the dust.  But I figure sometimes is better than never...right? I've started to try to buy organic when I can/remember, purposefully separate my recycling and use our compost bin as much as possible. 

I started ordering from Abel and Cole back in the winter, when only root vegetables and apples seemed to make it in to my biweekly box of produce.  Try as I might, I could never use everything in that weeks delivery before it went rotten. Now that summer is upon us and the contents of the box is getting more exciting and varied, I am making an effort to really use everything in the box before it goes bad. After all, its not very green to let this special-ordered-local-food go to waste.

Huh?

One meal from this weeks fruit and veg box? Penne with Broccoli, Tomato and Chicken.

Fresh tomatoes + crisp broccoli + chicken + (basil + lemon + parmesan cheese) + bowtie pasta = a yummy summer dish that you can feel good about eating!


I used a very little amount of pasta and really upped the protein and veggie content of this dish. Its filling, fresh and comes together in a snap! The lemon and the basil really make this dish, they brighten up the whole thing - like sunshine on a plate. And who doesn't like sunshine? Seriously...is there anyone who doesn't like sunshine? That would be weird.



Penne with Broccoli, Tomato and Chicken
adapted from Epicurious.com

4 oz bowtie pasta (about 1.5 cups uncooked)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets of equal size
3/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1 lb cherry tomatos, quartered
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
Handfull of basil, chopped
Juice of one lemon
Parmesan cheese, to taste

- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. 

- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until just cooked on all sides. Add broccoli florets and crushed red pepper, cook until broccoli is crisp-tender (about 5 minutes).  Add the tomatoes, lemon juice and half of the chopped basil.

- Drain the pasta and add to the vegetable and chicken mixture. Stir well to incorporate and heat through. Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Freshly grate parmesan cheese over the whole dish, and once again on individual servings.

Mangia!

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