Overview:
As I mentioned in my last post - I love garlic. I love it so much I could basically put it in everything. Unfortunately, my mom doesn't have this same love. Even though I couldn't go crazy, I was still able to put in enough so that it had a punch. I also browned some chicken for myself, and baked some "chicken" for my mom (remember, she's a vegetarian) to add later.
Recipe:
2 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves (it's important to use fresh and not seasoning)
3 tablespoons of almonds
1 dash of salt and pepper
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese (grated)
1 box bow tie noodles
2 medium sized skinless and boneless chicken breast (or "chicken" for you veggies)
**Optional** Cherries tomatoes, red/green peppers for coloring on top
Directions:
Since I was baking the "chicken" for my mom and it took about 20 minutes, I started with that. I diced a little bit of the cherrie tomatoes and peppers so that they would roast. This lets the juice and aroma get absorbed into what you're baking.
For the sauce I took all of the ingredients (all fresh) and threw them into my blender. Normally you'd use a food processor, but I can't really justify buying something that's $50 when my blender does the trick. After blending for about 30 seconds the sauce was ready. This was super quick and super easy. If you taste the sauce while it's still in the blender don't be alarmed if it seems really pungent. Once you add the noodles the taste will tapper off.
Once my sauce was ready I poured the noodles into boiling salt water and began to simmer the diced chicken breasts on a skillet in some of the olive oil. Make sure if you're cooking the chicken to have the heat on medium, low, and pay close attention. You don't want the meat to stick to the pan.
Before you know it the 20 minutes is up and everything finishes nicely at about the same time! This dish is so easy and quick I really recommend it when you don't have much time or are feeling lazy.
