Italian Chicken Pasta Toss

I am always open to new recipes. If I think something looks good, I'll want to try it out on my family. My family...well, they are not always as open to new things. So when I told my husband about the new recipe I was trying tonight, he said "I'll try it...I'm not too optimistic, but I'll try it." My 8 year old son was about the same..."What does it have that I don't like raw?" Raw? It's not raw, it's cooked, and I told him that. "I know, but what does it have that I don't like raw?" Okay, whatever, I told him a few things and he rolled his eyes. Sigh...oh, why didn't I just fix roast and potatoes and forget this "Let's eat healthier!" thing? Oh, well.

So anyway, I chopped and sliced and diced and stirred and cooked and shredded my little heart out. And let me say, it was a hit. My sweet, new-recipe-wary husband loved it. I believe his exact words were "This one's a keeper." Okay, my 8-year old didn't quite love it that much because all of the vegetables in it he absolutely detests except one. He did like it, though, and I'm confident he won't complain the next time I make it. As long as I go easy on the zucchini and bell pepper on his plate.

Now, to the nutritional value...I looked (after the fact) at the calorie content, and it's only 190 calories per serving, and it makes 6 servings. We ate plenty and had enough for leftovers (I can't WAIT for lunch tomorrow!) and sweet husband and I were completely satisfied. Kiddo, of course, would love to chow down into a Sonic milkshake right about now, but the two grown-ups are good.

Okay, on to the recipe (and I'm sorry I don't have a picture. I wasn't sure we'd like it and I was so busy cutting and all that jazz if I'd tried to take pictures I am absolutely sure I would have cut a finger off. Buy the cookbook listed at the end and you'll see it in all it's colorfulness. Is that even a word?):

Italian Chicken Pasta Toss

6 oz uncooked bow tie pasta (about 3 cups)
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
2 tsp. olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, pressed (minced)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
grated Parmesan cheese (optional) (not really)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm. Dice tomatoes, slice zucchini, chop onion, cut bell pepper, and cut chicken into 1-inch strips. (I made it more interesting looking by cutting my zucchini with my Pampered Chef Crinkle Cutter.)

Heat oil in stir fry pan (or nonstick skillet) over medium high heat until hot. Press garlic into skillet. Add chicken and stir fry 5 min. or until chicken is no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, zucchini, bell pepper, peas, seasonings and salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, and stir-fry for another 2 minutes or until heated through, stirring gently.

Remove from heat. Stir in warm pasta. Grate Parmesan cheese over pasta mix. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings
Nutrients per serving: Calories 190; Total fat 3 g; Saturated fat 0 g; Cholesterol 20 mg; Carbohydrates 27 g; Protein 14 g; Sodium 430 mg; Fiber 3 g.

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 1/2 starch, 1 meat (1 1/2 carb)

And, let me just say, when that garlic hit that hot olive oil, mmmmm-MMMM! Man, it was smellin' good. It was very pretty and like I said before, very satisfying.

This recipe is from The Pampered Chef(r) Casual Cooking: Easy Recipes for Indoors and Out. You know how I lurve Pampered Chef. This is a great cookbook. It also has one of our favorite salads in it: Strawberry Spinach Salad. And as low calorie as this recipe is, the page before it is Monte Cristo Sandwiches, which have 430 calories and 17 grams of fat per serving. Yeah. We love that one, too. What can I say?