just call me rachael ray...

...or let's just stick to Sarah because what I just made for dinner was DIVINE, and it was not RayRay's recipe. It was mine...kind of. Ok, I'll give credit where credit is due. (Oh how Girl Scout of me!)

Last week, the hubs was FINALLY wrapping up his week and a half long illness. As we all know, a severe viral infection with nasty-ass scabs in the back of your throat will do wonders for your waistline. If you can't make it to the gym and need to drop a few lbs., come on over and let hubs breathe on you. Great kick-start to Spring Break. So, Hubs dropped 12 lbs. because he couldn't eat any solid foods. It was actually pretty pitiful and sad to witness.

When he was ready to eat some solid foods, I wanted to cook up something delicious and hearty and as healthy as possible. What does any female do now to find some good recipes? DUH! Pinterest! And if you haven't heard of this amazingly addictive, entertaining, creative, motivational yet utterly overwhelming website, well, I'll just save it for another post. Or better yet, please just click on the link so I don't have to waste my your time. ;)

Found this recipe from 101cookbooks!

extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound whole wheat pasta shells 
sea salt
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups well-chopped fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, lightly toasted
zest of 2 lemons
8 ounces mozzerella, shredded or torn into small pieces


So, here's what I tweaked:
No spinach, but added about 4 twigs of fresh rosemary
No zest from lemons, but simply a couple quirts of lemon juice
Added a small container of goat cheese
Added blackened/seasoned George Foreman grilled chicken
Added a balsamic glaze to top while baking


AND VOILA! Something AMAZING! 

I don't even have a name for it. But here's how it's done:


1.) Boil some H2O, throw in some salt, and add some whole wheat shells. Drain. Put in 9x13" baking dish and toss some EVOO. (extra virgin olive oil)
2.) Chop up one whole onion. I like mine diced.
3.) Grab a skillet, toss some EVOO, crank to medium heat and throw in the onions.
4.) While those are cooking, season the chicken. I used Old Bay's Blackened seasoning and Emeril's Essence seasoning. Cook chicken tenderloins on the stove if you don't have a George Foreman.
5.) When onions have caramelized, remove from heat and throw in tablespoon of minced garlic, lemon juice, about a cup of sliced almonds, and chopped rosemary. Stir that good shiz up!
6.) Add goat cheese to pasta in pan and stir.
7.) Cut up the cooked chicken and put it in pasta.
8.) Add onion, garlic, almond, lemon, rosemary mix to pasta and stir like a motha.
9.) Cover with 8 oz. of mozzarella cheese. 
10.) Sprinkle with almonds and drizzle balsamic glaze on top (pretty and tasty!)
11.) Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes!


Hubs and I LOVED it! I know that it's cheesy, but one thing I loved was that it contained NO heavy cream or butter. I made it again for my mom tonight, and she raved, too. Let me know if you have questions, try it out and let me know what you think! It was SUPER easy to make! Enjoy!


xo
Sarah