Rotini with Chicken, Broccoli and Tomatoes

I just recently subscribed to Cooking Light... what a treat! So many tasty dishes and beautiful food photos. This is from their November issue. I really hope to make the delicious looking pecan pie that is proudly displayed on it's cover for Thanksgiving dessert. We'll see if there's time!

This recipe originally called for asparagus (which I love) but we had broccoli that needed using and we used whole-wheat pasta. Other than that, I was pretty faithful to the original (though I halved it for two). Light, tangy, and tasty (the feta adds that extra punch). Pretty quick and easy too!

I also find it easy to blanch the broccoli in the pasta cooking water before sautéing, to speed up the cooking process. If you're concerned about mixing the flavors, steam the broccoli briefly in the microwave before adding to the pan.


Rotini with Chicken, Broccoli, and Tomatoes
from Cooking Light (with mods.) Serves 2 8/10

6 oz. uncooked (whole-wheat) rotini
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (or diced fresh tomato)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TBS fresh basil, chopped
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1/2 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup feta or other tangy goat cheese

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. (Blanch broccoli florets in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then remove and drain, before adding pasta).
2) Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and broccoli to pan. Sauté about 5 minutes.
3) Add tomatoes and garlic. Sauté 1 minutes.
4) Stir in pasta, basil, vinegar, and oil. Remove from heat. Serve with feta (and a nice crusty bread).

Artichoke & Feta Wontons and Salad with Soy Sauce Dressing

For my birthday, the boy got me two Alton Brown cookbooks! They are absolutely wonderful. Tonight I tried his "Artichoke and Feta Wontons" from the sauté section of the book. Though they take a little while to assemble, they are utterly delish. The feta and artichokes give it a certain bite, a sort of sour, creamy taste, while the bacon adds salt and the scallions add zing. They came out a little bit oily, but otherwise they were very good. We also had some leftover salad fixings (and half of a raw egg leftover from the wontons) so I made a salad with a soy sauce dressing. They could be a great party starter.

Artichoke and Feta Wontons
from Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food with mods.
Serves 2
9/10

olive oil
12 - 14 wonton wrappers
1/3 of a can of artichoke hearts (about two hearts), drained and chopped (I used my mini-food processor which worked great)
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 slices of bacon, cooked til crisp and chopped
1 TBS scallions, finely chopped
1/2 an egg (save the other half for the salad!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup of water or chicken broth
water

1) Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Heat broth in a small sauce pan.
2) Combine artichokes, feta, bacon, scallions, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
3) Lay out a wonton wrapper on a dry surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper with a little bit of water (I just use my finger). Place a heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of the wonton and fold up, pinching the edges together to seal. Place on a half baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth. Continue until filling is used up.
4) Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, brush about a tablespoon (maybe a little less) of olive oil on the pan until the oil begins to smoke. Add wontons, about 8 - 10 in the pan. Sauté 2 minutes per side. Gently add 1/4 cup broth to the pan and cover, cooking an additional 2 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Move wontons to an oven-proof dish and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining wontons.


Salad with Soy Sauce Dressing
Serves 2

spinach or whatever lettuce you so desire
8 - 10 grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup carrots cut into matchsticks
1 large scallion, chopped
1/2 an egg, fried and sliced thin (fry up the rest of the one from the wontons)

1 TBS soy sauce
1/2 TBS dry sherry
2 TBS light olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp garlic
pinch of black pepper

1) Toss together vegetables. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Top with egg.
*This would also be tasty with sesame seeds, orange slices, fried wontons, snow peas, red pepper, etc.