Tag Archives: pasta

Angel Hair with Shrimp and Asparagus

A simple pasta dish made with fresh garden tomatoes, asparagus in a light tomato broth.

I love pasta and crave it often. To keep it light, I loaded it up with vegetables used a high fiber pasta like Ronzoni Smart Taste which has the same great taste as regular pasta and my family doesn’t notice the difference. The portions are very generous!

Angel Hair with Shrimp and Asparagus
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 9 pts
Calories: 378.4 • Fat: 6.8 g • Carbs: 52.1 g • Fiber: 8.5 g • Protein: 31.6 g

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends removed, quartered
1 tbsp olive oil
6-8 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
12 oz large shrimp, peeled and deviened
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
2 oz white wine
salt and fresh pepper
1/2 tsp herbs de Provence (or you can use your favorite herbs)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (gives it a little kick)
8 oz angel hair pasta, high fiber or low carb

Directions:

Heat a large skillet on high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. When skillet is hot, spray with oil and add shrimp. Cook shrimp about 2 minutes in each side until almost cooked through and remove from the pan. Set aside.

Reduce skillet heat to medium, add olive oil and garlic and sauté until golden, careful not to burn. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer about 4 minutes. Add white wine and broth and stir. Add asparagus, salt, pepper and herbs. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes on medium low heat.

While sauce is simmering, boil salted water and cook pasta until desired tenderness. Drain when done.

After sauce simmers 10 minutes, add shrimp to sauce to finish cooking, about 1 minutes (Do not overcook or shrimp will get tough). Add pasta to the sauce and toss well. Divide equally in 4 bowls and top with a good grated cheese.

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side

Celebrate Mardi Gras with this colorful Cajun spiced pasta tossed with chicken strips, bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms and scallions in a creamy light sauce.

One of the easiest ways to lighten up a pasta dish is to add tons of protein and vegetables to your dish which keeps the portions large and the carbs low and this dish is a perfect example. Be sure to be generous with your Cajun spices, it should have plenty of kick so don’t be shy!
I took a knife skills class at Sur La Table this week with my girlfriend and of course I HAD to buy a new knife and cutting board there. I was so excited to put my new skills to work and cut my veggies like a pro with my new knife, a task I would normally dread.

This dish comes together rather quickly once all your vegetables are chopped.

You can make this with shrimp instead of chicken, or use a combination of both. Make this vegetarian by leaving the chicken out or replacing it with tofu and the chicken broth with vegetable broth. You can also make this gluten-free by using brown rice pasta and replacing the flour with 1 teaspoon of corn starch. Hope you enjoy!!

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 323.8 • Fat: 6.2 g • Protein: 25.9 g • Carb: 44.1 g • Fiber: 6.3 g • Sugar: 3.2 g
Sodium: 126.5 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked linguine (I used Dreamfields)
1 pound chicken breast strips
1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tbsp flour
3 tbsp light cream cheese
fresh cracked pepper
2 scallions, chopped
salt to taste
Smart Balance cooking spray

Directions:

Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.
Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.

Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes.

Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

Makes 7 1/2 cups.