The Trimmier Life

This recipe came out of the San Antonio Express News Taste section in a segment they call “Cook it Light”.  Basically they take a recipe and substitute ingredients to lower the fat and calorie content.  It looked easy enough and turned out to be very tasty.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta (I used a gluten-free version)
• 4 to 6 cups bite-size fresh or frozen vegetables (I used diced eggplant & peas)
• 1 C fresh basil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 to 3 T fat-free chicken broth
• ¼ C shelled pistachio nuts, toasted
• 1 T cornstarch
• 2 C fat-free half-and-half
• ¾ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Boil the pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Drain and set aside.
• Steam the bite-sized veggies of choice till crisp-tender. Set aside.
• For the pesto, put the basil, garlic, chicken broth and pistachio nuts into food processor and pulse until finely chopped, scraping the sides as needed and adding more broth if necessary.
• Dissolve the cornstarch in the fat-free half-and-half in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly until thickened and boiling. Add the pesto and cheese and mix well.
• Cover the pasta and veggies with the sauce.

Served with warm bread

*I pan-seared a filet of salmon and flaked it into the finished pasta – it was delicious. You could add chicken as well.

Per Serving without salmon (makes 6 servings): — Calories: 338, Total Fat: 7g, Carbs: 57g, Fiber: 9g, Protein 13g