Chicken with Lemon Pepper Pasta

Here’s another quick and easy recipe for those evenings you’re just too tired to “really” cook or need to get a hot and nutritious meal on the table quickly! Serve with a tossed salad and some crusty bread and you will be swooning! Feel free to substitute shrimp for the chicken – it’s delicious as well.

Chicken with Lemon Pepper Pasta

Ingredients:

• Pasta of your choice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white wine
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in large skillet until very hot. Add chicken and sauté until cooked through. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

Add green pepper and onion to skillet and sauté until crisp tender, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté until fragrant, approximately 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium low and melt butter in skillet. Stir in flour to make a roux. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in the white wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of pan. Reduce wine by half.

Stir in cream and lemon pepper seasoning. Return chicken and vegetable to skillet and stir to completely coat. Taste and add more lemon pepper seasoning, if desired. Serve over pasta.

Penne with Arugula, Mushrooms and Herbs

Penne is a type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces. Penne is the plural form of the Italian penna, deriving from Latin penna (meaning “feather” or “quill”). In Italy, penne are produced in two main variants: “penne lisce” (smooth) and “penne rigate” (furrowed), the latter having ridges on each penna. There is also pennoni (“big quills”), which is a wider version of penne.  The same or similar shape, usually slightly larger, is called mostaccioli (meaning “little mustache” in Italian; it can also be either smooth or ridged in texture). Additionally, ziti are long hollow rods which are also smooth in texture and have square-cut edges; “cut ziti” are ziti cut into shorter tubes. There is also zitoni, which is a wider version of ziti.

Penne is traditionally cooked al dente and served with pasta sauces, such as pesto. Penne is a popular ingredient in pasta salads. Penne is a versatile pasta for many applications because of its practical design; the hollow center and ridges allow it to hold sauce, while the angular ends act as scoops.

Penne with Arugula, Mushrooms and Herbs

Ingredients:

• ¾ pound Penne pasta
• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• ½ pound Arugula
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• ½ pound Oyster mushrooms, sliced
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons minced Italian Parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced Chives
• 2 teaspoons minced Thyme
• 2 teaspoons minced Marjoram
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente or to desired doneness.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender, approximately 5 minutes. Ad arugula to the skillet and stir until slightly wilted. Remove pan from heat.

Drain the pasta and place in a serving bowl. Add the mushroom mixture, herbs and cheese and toss to thoroughly combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.