Chicken Piccata with Pasta & Mushrooms

Chicken Piccata is a simple more than chicken breast cutlets, dredged in flour, browned, and traditionally served with a sauce of butter, lemon juice, capers, and either stock or white wine. It can be prepared in 20 minutes or less and is so easy and delicious it should be part of every home cook's repertoire. Enjoy!

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients (4 Servings)

• 12 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour, divided
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 chicken cutlets, trimmed of all fat
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 8 oz package of fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup of good quality, dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons olive oil margarine (Promise Activ or Smart Balance)

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes or according to package directions. Drain but do not rinse.
2. Meanwhile, whisk 5 teaspoons flour and broth in a small bowl until smooth. Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish and season with pepper. Dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their juices and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add garlic and wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth-flour mixture, lemon juice and the 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in parsley, capers, margarine and the mushrooms. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mushroom sauce. Toss the pasta in the pan with the remaining sauce. Serve the pasta topped with the chicken and the reserved sauce.

Nutrition

Per serving: 397 calories; 9 g fat ( 3 g sat , 3 g mono ); 54 mg cholesterol; 45 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 28 g protein; 5 g fiber; 400 mg sodium; 609 mg potassium.

Chicken Orzo with Tomato and Artichoke Hearts

4 servings
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces orzo, preferably whole-wheat
• 1 cup water
• 4 plum tomatoes, rough dice and divided into 2 equal quantities
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 8-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Romano cheese

Preparation

1. Cook orzo in a large saucepan of boiling water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
2. Meanwhile, place 1 cup water, ½ of the plum tomatoes, garlic, 2 teaspoons marjoram, vinegar and 2 teaspoons oil in a blender. Blend until just chunky.
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden outside and no longer pink in the middle, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
4. Pour the tomato sauce into a pan and bring to a boil. Measure out 1/2 cup tomato sauce to a small bowl. Add the remaining tomatoes to the pan along with the orzo, artichoke hearts and 1/2 of the cheese. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide among 4 plates.
5. Slice the chicken. Top each portion of pasta with sliced chicken, 2 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce and a sprinkling of the remaining cheese and marjoram.

Nutrition

Per serving: 457 calories; 12 g fat ( 3 g sat , 6 g mono ); 68 mg cholesterol; 54 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 36 g protein; 10 g fiber; 372 mg sodium; 546 mg potassium.

Penne with Fresh Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

For this quick summer pasta salad, fresh, uncooked tomato and goat cheese is combined with hot whole wheat pasta and served at once. Be sure to use the ripest, juiciest tomatoes you can find, preferably from a farmers' market.

Ingredients (4 servings)

2 pounds tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup red onion, sliced very thin
8 ounces crumbled goat cheese                                                                                            
¼  cup grated low-fat, low-salt parmesan cheese                                                                              
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano and basil
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1-1lb box, whole wheat penne pasta    
                                                                                  
Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Set tomato mixture aside.

In large pot of boiling unsalted water, stir in a splash of extra-virgin olive oil. Cook pasta al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and add to the sauce immediately, toss to coat. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.