Ingredients
1/2 lb chicken breast meat - (boneless, sk, inless)
6 oz penne pasta (short tubes) - uncooke, d
2 cup fresh spinach leaves - (firmly pack, ed)
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp pine nuts
3 garlic cloves - peeled and minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1 vegetable cooking spray
Directions
Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Cook the pasta
according to the package directions, omitting any salt or fat. Drain
well, set aside and keep warm.
Combine the spinach and the next seven ingredients in the container
of an electric blender or food processor. Cover and process until
smooth. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat
until hot. Add the chicken and saute until browned; stir in the
reserved spinach mixture. Cover and simmer 5 minutes or until it is
thoroughly heated and the chicken is tender (do not boil).
Add the reserved past to the skillet. Toss gently. Serve immediately.
Per Serving: Calories: 385 Protein: 29 grams
: Carb: 52 grams Sodium: 600 mg
: Fat: 6 grams (14% of calories)
* Adapted from "Cooking Light Cookbook" 1990 (Oxmoor House, 1989) *
Published in: Nutrition Action Healthletter (CSPI) * Typed for you by
Karen Mintzias
Servings: 3 servings
Pesto 'n' Pasta Chicken Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chicken; Italian; Pasta; Poultry; Sauce
The History of Recipes
Written recipes as an idea can be traced far back into the distant past, certainly as far back into recorded history as pharonic Egypt, and possibly even further. In practice though, generally, these early cookbooks were just basic hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for food preparation.
In an interesting twist, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to experts are a few clay tablets in the Sumerian language which recount the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel wonderful. Later on, in The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius created a few documents detailing recipes prepared by his fellow Romans. In his publication, Apicius recounts how the meals were separated into hors d`oeuvres, main meal and afters, a style of dining still practiced today. This early Roman chef tells us how the cooks of Roman times were skilled in the use of a wide range of herbs and spices, including some that we all recognise such as bay, fennel and parsley. Later on, there were two interesting recipe books which date from the 1300s - one book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another called `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, these two books are unconnected to the indian food that appears on menues today, but instead descriptions of the types of food prepared by the cooks of the rich people of the period. Later on in the 1400s, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new spices and herbs from the Middle-East, such as coriander, parsley, and basil. These new foods and tastes created an eruption in recipe publications, some of which are now in academic collections. The introduction of the TV brings us celebrity chefs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing everybody to access thousands of recipes just like those on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Pesto 'n' Pasta Chicken recipe.
