Recipe: Spinach Pesto with Chicken and Pasta (Article: Enlightened Pesto)

ENLIGHTENED PESTO
Source: the American Institute for Cancer Research

Classic Italian pesto is an aromatic blend of basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. A deep green sauce, it requires no cooking and is one of the most versatile sauces in the kitchen. With a bit of creativity, you can take pesto beyond its basic ingredients to develop a lighter sauce that can be paired with a wide array of foods, including breads, vegetables, pizzas, meats, fish and, of course, pasta.

Pesto was invented in Genoa in the Liguria region along the Italian Riviera. It's believed to derive from pounded walnut sauces of the lands around the Black Sea where Genoa maintained trading outposts. Since pine nuts were more common than walnuts along the Mediterranean, the Ligurians used them, along with basil that grew on the hillsides and garlic that has always been prominent in the region's cooking.

Traditional pesto is made by hand with a mortar and pestle. In fact, the name of the sauce comes from the word for "pestle." In today's modern kitchens, however, use of a food processor can significantly streamline the process.

The simplicity of the basic pesto recipe allows us to experiment with various ingredient substitutions that can achieve terrific flavor without a lot of fat. Start with the olive oil, which can be replaced with pureed vegetables, such as roasted red peppers. Puree the peppers with basil, garlic and about one-third the amount of Parmesan cheese found in a traditional recipe. You'll have a thick, intensely flavored pesto sauce that can be served on penne pasta mixed with diced, cooked eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes. Aside from being easy and delicious, this is an easy way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet, as recommended by the American Institute for Cancer Research for lower cancer risk and better overall health.

Another oil-free pesto recipe substitutes chicken broth for the olive oil. Puree garlic, walnuts and Parmesan cheese in a food processor. Add basil, salt, black pepper, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Puree again and, with the machine running, add chicken broth and puree to make a thick, smooth paste. Use as a topping for grilled chicken breasts or fish, or spread it on bread in place of butter.

Other uses for pesto include grilled tomato halves, spread with pesto, dotted with goat cheese and broiled until hot. Top a bake potato with pesto, add it to hot cooked rice, or use it to sauce a sun-dried tomato pizza. Stir pesto into plain nonfat yogurt or blenderized cottage cheese for a creamy vegetable dip, or swirl some into your vegetable soup.

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SPINACH PESTO WITH CHICKEN AND PASTA

2 cups packed fresh spinach, torn
1/2 cup packed fresh basil, torn
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves
8 ounces uncooked fettucine or linguini
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Vegetable cooking spray

Combine spinach, basil, broth, cheese, oil and garlic in food processor or blender container. Process until mixture is finely chopped. Divide spinach pesto in half; set aside.

Cook fettucine or linguini as package directs; drain.

Arrange chicken on broiler pan sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Broil 10 minutes; turn chicken over.

Spread chicken with half of pesto. Broil 10 to 15 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Toss pasta with remaining pesto in large bowl. Serve with chicken.

Each of the four servings contains 402 calories and 11 grams of fat.