Quick & Easy - Island BBQ Macaroni Salad

I recently discovered Hawaiian BBQ.  Well, I have known of it for a long time but I hadn't had the chance to try it until late last year.  Once I had my first Loco Moco, I was hooked...on the macaroni salad.  This dish is possibly one of the simplest things ever - it's pasta mixed with mayo; maybe with a little bit of shredded vegetables.  I know it is nothing special but for some reason I really like eating it, especially when I mix it together with the rice.

As much as I like Hawaiian BBQ, I don't like to get it very often because (1) there isn't a L&L or Ohno close by & (2) it's kind of overpriced for what it really is.  So to satisfy my craving, I have been attempting to do "Island BBQ" nights @ home.  It took a long time but I finally found a recipe on how to make the macaroni salad.  I probably could have done it by instinct but I can't risk messing up my favorite thing about the whole dinner plate.

It is really quite simple...
     2 cups of macaroni (aka elbow pasta)
     0.5 cups shredded carrots
     0.75 cup of mayonnaise
     Salt & pepper to taste

Really...
     Cook macaroni for 1 minute longer than package instructions
     Drain the macaroni and let it sit in the colander for 10 minutes to drain & cool
     Stir in the shredded carrots
     Add in the mayonnaise & mix until well coated
     Season with salt & pepper
     Eat warm or refrigerate until cold

Makes 3 cups

It turned out pretty well.  By cooking the macaroni for a little bit longer, the pasta was a little bit fluffier & starchier which made the salad bind together a bit more.  The original recipe that I got said to add some really finely grated onion into the mix but I found that too overpowering and bitter so I left it out.  Instead of using store bought mayo, I made one by hand so it was a little bit healthier, it didn't have all the preservatives, & the thinner consistency meant I got to use less dressing to coat the whole salad.  The overall effect was different from what I'd get @ a Hawaiian BBQ restaurant but it hit the spot.  I served it with a bit of white rice & teriyaki marinated chicken breast to complete the meal.

To make 1 cup of mayonnaise, combine 1 egg yolk, a pinch of sugar, 0.5 teaspoon salt, 0.5 tablespoon vinegar, 0.5 tablespoon lemon juice, & 0.5 teaspoon mustard in a bowl.  Slowly whip in 0.75 cup of neutral oil (i.e. canola) beginning with drops & then in a slow stream.  Keep in mind, when whipped by hand, the mayo won't come out as stiff as jarred mayonnaise.  You could also pour in the oil with the rest of the ingredients & whip using an immersion (stick) blender, that will give a final product that had much more body & more resembles store bought mayo.

Weekend Dinner - Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna Roll-ups

A few months ago, I made lasagna with a homemade turkey meat sauce.  As a result of that recipe, I have had a box of semi-used lasagna noodles in my cupboard ever since.  To use up this box of noodles somehow, I started browsing the internet for recipes.  Turns out, there is this thing out there called lasagna roll-up which is like a regular lasagna but comes in self-contain packages.  Great, that's a good idea; but what fillings am I going to use?  The meat sauce last time was good but I do not want to make it again; I just scrubbed down my stove to return it to its original glory!  Besides, we've had so much meat this past week with Christmas.  So after some more browsing, I found a recipe that seems both tasty & easy to do.

To make 8 lasagna roll ups...
     2.5 cups mushrooms, diced small
     4 cloves garlic, minced
     6 ounces baby spinach, chopped
     8 lasagna noodles
     10 ounces whole milk ricotta
     1 egg
     0.2 cups grated Parmesan
     2 cups pre-made tomato pasta sauce
     1.5 cups low-moisture mozzarella cheese, grated
     Salt & pepper to taste

This shouldn't take too long...
     Cook the lasagna noodles 1 minute less than the package instructions
     While the noodles are cooking, sauté vegetables until the water is released; season with salt/pepper
     In a bowl, combine together egg, ricotta, & parmesan cheese
     Lay cooked noodles on a flat surface & spread on a thin coat of the cheese mixture
     Top off each noodle with a layer of the vegetables & roll them up carefully
     Arrange the lasagna rolls in a single layer in a shallow baking dish
     Cover the lasagna rolls with a coating of tomato sauce & sprinkle with mozzarella cheese
     Bake at 350F for 25 minutes

The end product was pretty good & it took a lot less time in the oven than a traditional lasagna.  It was was also definitely much easier serving out the individual roll-ups than trying to cut out rectangular pieces.  I used the Trader Joe's tomato basil marinara sauce & it was too sweet for my liking.  Are all pre-made tomato sauces so sweet?  I bought a block of mozzarella & tried to grate it with my Microplane but I guess it was too soft a cheese to grate.  It worked, but it took a lot longer & a lot more work to get just enough cheese to cover the top.  From now on, I am either going to use a box grater or buy shredded mozzarella & call it a day.

Weekend Dinner - Shrimp & Asparagus Capellini with Garlic Olive Oil Butter Dressing

Per usual, the Boyfriend & I had no plans for dinner & had nothing ready to cook in the house.  Being the creative one, he blurts out: "how about capellini in a garlic butter sauce with shrimp & asparagus?"  I was totally surprised this came out of his mouth because he hates shrimp!  But hey, who am I do deny him of shrimp?  So we went out, got the ingredients, came home, & I got right to work executing his vision.

In the reusable grocery bag...
     6 ounces of capellini or angel hair pasta
     1 pound of shrimp (~24) , shelled & deveined
     1 bunch of asparagus, sliced on the diagonal
     4 cloves garlic, finely minced
     2 tablespoons butter
     0.25 cup olive oil
     Red pepper flakes, salt, & black pepper to taste

Ready.  Get set.  Go...
     Keep the shrimp in a bowl of salted iced water in the fridge for a few hours
     In a small sauce pan & blanche the asparagus for 3 minutes, set aside
     Cook the pasta to 1 minute less than the package instructions, drain well
     In a pan, melt butter with half the olive oil over low heat
     Sauté the red pepper flakes & the garlic until they are lightly browned
     Over medium-high heat, cook the shrimp until they are just turning pink
     Add in the asparagus & stir everything together
     Add in the cooked pasta & toss until all the ingredients are well incorporated

   






















I don't buy shrimps often because, like I keep saying, the Boyfriend doesn't eat it; so I have no clue what I should look for or where I should go.  The ones I used I got from the Chinese supermarket & they were a little bit mushy & more shrimpy than the ones Mom gets from the regular supermarket or Costco.  These shrimps came with shells & veins which was a giant pain to take care of.  One really good & quick way to devein shrimps is to stick a toothpick under the flesh/vein & gently wiggle the whole GI tract out.  Because it is so easy to overcook shrimp, I recommend cooking the pasta ahead so it is ready to go when the sauce is ready.  I didn't really like butter because it added a funny taste to the sauce; I think it would be OK to replace that with more olive oil.  I know asparagus is not exactly a winter vegetable, but what would be a good substitute?

Weekend Dinner - Turkey Lasagna

I don't go out much on weekends anymore...actually I never did go out a lot on weekends, but I digress.  So instead, I cook dishes that are more complicated & too time consuming for a week night after coming home from work.  I don't know what made me want to make a lasagna since I haven't made one since sophomore year in college & it sucked.  Maybe it was the 2 for 1 lasagna noodle sale @ Safeway.  Maybe it was the random pack of ground turkey I found in the back of my freezer.

The ingredients list is long but it's easy to find in just a few section of the store...
    11/2 pounds ground turkey
     1/2 onion, minced
     2 cloves garlic, crushed
     28oz (1 can) crushed tomatoes
     12oz (2 cans) tomato paste
     13oz (2 cans) tomato sauce
     1/2 cup water
     12 lasagna noodles
     16oz (1 tub) ricotta cheese
     1 egg
     3/4 pound mozzarella, sliced
     3/4 cup grated parmesan
     11/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
     1/2 teaspoon oregano
     Salt & black pepper to taste

There are a lot of steps, but it's worth it in the end...
     In a large pot, cook the ground turkey, onion, & garlic until the meat is browned
     Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, & water
     Season the sauce with Italian seasoning, oregano, & salt/pepper
     Cover the pot & let the sauce simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally
     Cook the lasagna noodles for 2 minutes less than the instructed time
     In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with the egg
     Assemble the lasagna in a 9x13 baking dish in the following layers:
          11/2 cups meat sauce
          6 lasagna noodles, overlapping lengthwise
          1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture
          1/2 of the mozzarella slices
          11/2 cups meat sauce
          1/4 cup parmesan cheese
          6 lasagna noodles, overlapping lengthwise
          The rest of the ricotta cheese mixture
          The rest of the mozzarella slices
          The rest of the meat sauce
          The rest of the parmesan cheese
     Spray a piece of foil with non-stick spray & cover the baking dish
     Bake the lasagna at 375F for 25 minutes covered & 25 minutes uncovered
     Let cool for 15 minutes before serving

I used crushed tomatoes & tomato sauce that already had some seasoning in it to help boost the flavor since I didn't get the dried basil or the fennel seeds.  But for some reason, the dish was still too sweet for our liking.  Be prepared for some serious stove cleaning after making this recipe because no matter how low you turn down the heat, the tomato sauce will splatter everywhere when you try to stir it every-so-often.  Oh and watch your fingers too because the sauce will get you & that does not feel good.

Weekend Dinner - Tuna Casserole

I wasn't exposed to my first casserole dish until I moved to the United States @ age 12; I think it was a green bean casserole that time.  I didn't understand why people would want to throw a bunch of stuff into a glass plate & then stick it into the oven for an hour.  Dude, it's beans!  They cook in like 10 minutes!  And why the heck would you cook beans with cream soup?!?  The concept of a casserole befuddled me & I wasn't exposed to it again until a couple of years ago the Boyfriend made me tuna casserole.  While still confused about the whole deal, I was hooked.

We don't make this dish very often since he doesn't really like canned tuna, but we do it sometimes when we want something that we can make a big batch of in very little time & not have to stand over it as it is cooking (maybe that's the motivation behind a casserole?).

The ingredients are simple...

     3 cups medium shell pasta

     10 ounces canned tuna in water, drain & flake

     1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

     3/4 cup water

     11/2 cup frozen vegetables

     Salt & pepper to taste

The steps are even simpler...

     Cook the shell pasta according to the instructions on the package

     In a baking dish, combine tuna, Cream of Mushroom soup, water, salt & pepper

     Once the pasta is cooked, drain it & add it to the baking dish

     Add in the frozen vegetables & mix everything together

     Bake at 350F for 1 hour, uncovered

And there it is.  A great way to add some texture to this otherwise soft dish is to crunch up some potato chips & add it on top; I particularly like using barbecue flavored chips. The top of the pasta gets a little dry from the oven which makes me think I should cover the dish for most of the hour.  But would that make the dish more soupy?  Or maybe I should use more water? 

Nothing Homemade - Tortellini with Spinach & Mushroom

I found yet another pasta recipe on Pinterest.  The recipe uses bow tie pasta but the Boyfriend & I both thought that it was kind of plain & boring.  So to dress it up, I got a couple packages of ready to heat tortellini from Trader Joe's as a substitute.

So here is what I needed...

     1 package of Trader Giotto's Spinach Tortellini

     1 package of Trader Giotto's Cheese Tortellini

     4 gloves garlic, minced

     1 large shallot, medium diced

     1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

     1 package baby portobello, sliced

     1 big bunch spinach, stemmed & halved

     Salt & black pepper to taste

     1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

This was really quick...

     Boil a big pot of water & cook the tortellini according to the packages

     Over low heat, sauté the garlic, shallot, & red pepper flakes in oil until fragrant

     Increase to medium heat, add in mushroom slices & cook until they start to get tender

     Add in spinach leaves & just wilt them; season with salt & black pepper

     Drain the pasta & toss everything together

The whole dish was super simple and we liked using the tortellini because it added some more substance & made it more filling.

Quick & Easy - Linguine with Tomato, Spinach, & Lobster Tail

We have pasta about once a week nowadays and so I've been browsing for inspiration all over the place.  I found this recipe on Pinterest but it wouldn't quite work the way it was since the Boyfriend doesn't eat shrimp.  As luck would have it, lobster tails were on sale @ Safeway so I thought, why not?

My version has quite a list of ingredients...
     1/3 package of linguine
     8 oz lobster tail
     3 small tomatoes, seeded & diced
     3 cups baby spinach
     3 cloves garlic, minced
     1 small shallot, finely diced
     zest of 1 lemon
     1 tablespoon lemon juice
     1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
     1/4 teaspoon salt & black pepper
     1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
     Parmesan (optional)

Before doing anything else, prep the lobster tails...
     Remove the lobster tails from their shells
     Rinse the tails to get rid of any gunk that might be left over
     Rub the tails with salt & rinse them thoroughly
     Place tails into a bowl of ice water & keep in the fridge until ready to use

Now onto the actual dish...
     Start cooking the pasta according to the instructions on the package (-1 min)
     Over low heat, sauté the shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes, & lemon zest in oil
     Add in the tomatoes, season with salt & pepper, & continue to cook for 3 minutes
     Remove the lobster tails from the ice water & cut them into big chunks
     Add in the lobster meat & immediately reduce the heat to low
     Drain the pasta and add it to the pan of sauce; add in spinach and gently wilt them
     Remove from heat as soon as the lobster tails turn pink & toss in the lemon juice

And there it is!  I served the pasta with a bit of grated Parmesan on top for a little bit more salt.  Overall the dish was really light but had a lot of flavor & the lobster tail worked out really well.  I don't know if I will be making this dish this way all the time since the 2 tiny lobster tails cost $10 while on sale, but I can see myself making this again perhaps using crab meat, chicken, or just keeping it meatless.

7x7 Big Eats 2012 - Delfina

Location: 3621 18th Street, San Francisco, California 94110
Date: Tuesday, September 25
Food: Papardelle with liberty duck sugo
Price: $17
Comments: The 7x7 list calls for a papardelle with pork sugo but this counts!  The pasta was fresh but slightly too al dente for my liking.  Duck was nicely cooked but could have benefitted from a less salty sauce since the duck flavor got kind of covered up.  The portion size is decent for the price.

Quick and Easy - Tomato & Asparagus Linguine

We have been trying really hard to have a meatless dinner @ least once a week but I am not creative enough to always come up with something that is vegetarian, inexpensive, healthy, delicious, AND quick.  Thank goodness the Other Half is developing this amazing palate so he can tell me what flavors to put together to make a good dish without a recipe.

This original recipe includes...
     1/2 package linguine
     12 stalks asparagus
     2 small tomatoes
     4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
     1 shallot, finely chopped
     1/3 cup olive oil
     1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
     Salt & black pepper to taste

Start with a pot of water...
     Cook the linguine according to the instructions; about 9 minutes
     In a pan, sweat the shallot, garlic, & pepper flakes in the olive oil over low heat
     After removing the tough parts, cut the asparagus on the bias
     Throw the asparagus into the pan & sauté for 3 minutes
     Quarter & seed the tomatoes & cut them into large dices
     Season the asparagus according to taste & toss in tomatoes near the end
     Drain the pasta and return it to the pot
     Pour the veggies into the pasta & toss to combine
     Serve with a little bit of grated parmesan if desired

Et voilà!  The entire dish from prep to plate took just around 30 minutes.  I learned that it would be better to use a pasta - like a penne or a rigatoni - that is similar in shape to the accompaniment so everything can be scooped up together.  The red pepper flakes was a last minute addition but I really liked that it gave a little bit of heat without the actual spiciness.  My end result was a little tight - not enough sauce - so next time I'll keep a bit of pasta water around to loosen things up as needed.

Quick & Easy - Lemon'y Light Pasta with Summer Squash

I am a huge meat eater; there is not a type of meat that I've had that I don't like or wouldn't eat again.  But eating meat 7 days a week isn't exactly the healthiest - or most interesting - thing to do.  So to break up the meat consumption, I have started to look for vegetarian recipes that are quick, healthy, & full of flavor.

We knew we wanted vegetarian & we wanted pasta; so that's what I Googled.  The first result is from Delish which showed 20 vegetarian pasta recipes.  I chose the Penne Tricolore since I had most of the ingredients already & it looked like something that I could make in 1 pot.

My adaption of the original recipe had...

     3/4 box penne pasta

     1 large zucchini

     1 yellow squash

     1 white squash

     1/4 cup basil, chopped

     1/4 cup parmesan, grated

     1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

     Zest of 1 lemon

     Juice of 1 lemon

     3/4 teaspoon salt

     1/4 teaspoon black pepper

It was kind of an orchestrated process...
     In a large pot, start heating up 4 quarts of water
     While the water is heating up, peel the zucchini & squash & cut them into matchsticks
     Once the water boils, salt it aggressively & add in the pasta; cook for 9 minutes
     In a big bowl, combine basil, EVOO, lemon zest/juice, salt, & pepper
     When the 9 minutes are up, add squash with pasta & cook for 2 more minutes
     Drain the pasta & squash into a colander, making sure all the excess water is out
     Put the pasta into the bowl of sauce & toss until it's all evenly coated
     When serving, grate some extra parmesan cheese on top.

At first, the individual flavors of the oil, basil, & lemon juice really stood out & even fought against each other.  But after letting it sit together for a minute & the heat from the pasta integrated everything together.  The end product was light, fresh, & perfect for summer (or if you're having a "fat day").  I didn't mind having the seeds of the squash but if you do, you can cut the squash half, seed it, & cut it into thin semi-circles instead of matchsticks.  The pasta also works just as well without the squash as a side dish to go with fish.

Quick & Easy - "Winging It" Turkey Meatballs

We got 4 packs of ground turkey from Costco & are constantly trying to find different ways to cook it.  And what better way to use ground meat than to make meatballs with it?  After browsing a bunch of recipes online, I felt like I knew the gist of it & I was just going to wing it (not to mention I was late getting home & had to get this done quick).


All it took were...
     1 pound ground turkey
     1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
     1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
     1 egg, beaten
     1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
     Salt & pepper

And all I had to do was...
     Take the onion pieces & sweat them out until they're soft, let cool
     Throw all the ingredients into a large bowl & season with salt/pepper
     Using your hands, mixing everything together until well incorporated
     Make a small patty & cook it to make sure the seasoning is good
     Using your hands again, roll the mixture into 1 inch balls
     Sear the meatballs in a pan until all the sides are browned (~5 min)
     Continue to cook the meatballs in tomato sauce until cooked (~7 min)
     Serve with a pasta of your choice.

And there you have it.  If you are not thinking of cooking the meatballs for a pasta, you can continue cooking the meatballs after they've been browned using chicken broth or baking it.  I thought the turkey was kind of mushy but it is ground meat after all.  Surprisingly, these microwaved really well the day after.

Weekend Dinner - Linguine in Turkey Meat Sauce

So we went out to brunch @ Outerlands & brought home a loaf of their delicious bread.  What can one do with a whole loaf of bread?  We thought: garlic bread!  But we can't really eat just garlic bread for dinner, can we?  So to have something accompany the bread, I whipped together my own spin on the classic spaghetti & meat sauce.

What I dug out from my fridge...
     1/2 box of linguine
     1 pound ground turkey
     2 medium tomato
     2 cups white button mushrooms
     1/2 jar of tomato basil pasta sauce
     Several fresh basil leaves
     Garlic, salt, pepper, &  chipotle powder to taste

How I made something edible from the ingredients above...
     Fill a large pot half way up with water & start getting it to a boil.
     In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey with some salt & pepper to give it some flavor.
     Put some oil into a large pan & heat it up.  Brown the ground turkey.  I found it easier if you let the meat sit for a little bit & then break it up into little clumps.
     Drain the water/juice from the ground turkey and let it sit.
     While the turkey was cooking, cut the tomatoes into segments and remove the seeds.  Then cut them into large dices.  Wash the mushrooms, dry them, & cut them into slices.
     Once the pot of water starts to boil, salt it generously and then put in the linguine.  Cook the noodles to 1 minute less than the instruction on the box (mine took 9 minutes).
     In the same pan you browned the turkey, heat up a little bit of oil & some minced garlic.  Once the garlic turns a little bit brown, toss in the mushroom & let them wilt down a little bit.
     Add in the turkey & the tomato sauce & let the whole thing simmer for 5 minutes.
     Season with salt, pepper, & chipotle powder (optional) & toss in the tomato dices.
     Keep the sauce on the lowest heat possible until the linguine is ready.
     Roll up the basil leaves tightly & cut into thin strips...or chiffonade if you want to get all technical.
     Just before you add the pasta into the sauce, toss in the basil.  Quickly incorporate everything & serve.

From beginning to end it took about 45 minutes & there was enough for 4.  The chipotle powder gave a good dose of spiciness & the sauce was perfect for the garlic bread to soak up.

Nothing Homemade - Double'y Clam'y Linguine

Ever had a day where nothing goes as planned?  It's 4pm & you just got off work.  Your plans for dinner fell through & so you had to get groceries, get home (which takes ~1.5 hours), & put dinner for 2 on the table in less than 30 minutes.

That was my Monday.

Yeah - pizza delivery was definitely an option but it would've taken $15.00 out of my wallet & put in 620 Calories - along with 26g of fat, 1600mg of sodium, & 76g of carbohydrates - into my body*.  No thank you!  Instead, I bought $7.28 of food & made a delicious dinner in 10 minutes.

All it took was 1 package of Trader Joe's Linguine with Clam Sauce, 1 box of Trader Joe's Steamer Clams in Garlic Butter Sauce, & 3 tablespoons of water...

Start cooking the steamer clams according to the instructions on the box.  Add in the linguine after 1 minute & cook that according to the instructions on the package.  In 10 minutes or less (I timed!) you are going to end up with 2 servings of delicious food that looks like this...

You might think this plate of yummy'ness is going to be disastrous in terms of its nutrition.  As it turns out, 1 plate contains 310 Calories, 11g Fat, 670mg Sodium, 33g Carbohydrates, 90mg Cholesterol, 21g Protein, & 2g Dietary fiber.

There you have it!  At half the price of a pizza, you can consume half the Calories & other bad stuff from , & be able to enjoy twice the goodness.


* Nutritional contents were calculated for the consumption of 2 slices of Papa John's pepperoni pizza.

Quick & Easy - Pasta with Sausage

I got home from work on Friday & realized that I hadn't prepared anything for dinner.  So I looked around my fridge for a few minutes & decided to throw together a quick spaghetti with sausage.

The prep work...

     Thinly sliced up some onions.  I used 1/4 because that's what I had wrapped up in my fridge.

     Slice up your sausages.  You can use whatever kind you want but I would suggest to stay away from something that has really strong flavors like a hot link.

Heating things up...

     Over a medium flame, heat up some oil.  Add in the sliced onions when the oil is hot & cook for a few minutes until they become soft and looks translucent.

     Once that has happened, add in the sausage slices and let those cook until they are a little bit brown on the outside.  Sausages are already cooked so you don't need to spend a lot of time on them.

     Add in your tomato sauce & stir everything around.  @ this point, season the sauce according to your taste.  I waited til now to season because store bought sauces are usually already flavored & I don't want to risk having super salty food.  Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes.

     Add in your pasta.  If you're using just cooked pasta, toss everything together gently & serve.  If you're using leftover pasta like me, toss everything together & let the pasta heat through.

Voila...everything including prep finished in 10 minutes!

Last night, I heated up leftover of the leftover pasta with dices of mozzarella cheese.  This added a new dimension to the sauce & minimized some of the punchy acidity of the tomato.  Yum yum yum.

      

Weekend Dinner - Spicy Zucchini Pasta with Chicken

It was Saturday night which means I get to spend a little bit of time in front of the stove & actually cook a real meal.  This usually also means making a bit of extra to bring as lunch the following week.

I have been meaning use up a packet of whole wheat linguine that has been sitting in my cupboard for a few months but I didn't know how I should cook it.  When I went to the grocery store today, I unknowingly started looking for summer squash only to realize that they weren't available because...haha...it's not summer anymore. Fortunately, I was able to find good-looking & cheap zucchinis so I decided to cook it up with some onion in a tomato sauce.  For protein, I used chicken tenders just cause I had them sitting in the freezer.

The whole thing was pretty easy to make & it took only about 20 minutes.

So here is what you'll need to do for preparation...

     Take an onion - red, white, yellow doesn't matter - & cut them into thin slices.  I used a quarter of an onion because I was cooking for only myself.

     With the zucchinis, scrub with water to get rid of the waxy coat on the outside.  After that, cut off both ends and slice thinly.  If you're not good with a knife, I found that it is easier if you keep the stem end on so you have more to hold on to.

     Chicken tenders are great because they are already in these thin strips & I can just season them with a little bit of salt/pepper.  Chicken breast & high can be substituted since they tend to be cheaper.  Cut them up into strips or leave them as they are.

Now on to the cooking...

     Depending on how much pasta you're cooking, bring the appropriate amount of water to a boil (when in doubt, you'd rather have more water than no enough).  Add in a good bit of salt & cook the pasta according to directions on the package.  I take 1 minute off the instructed time because I like to toss my pasta in the sauce for a little bit before serving.

     In a pan, heat up some oil - whatever kind you like - on high heat & sear the the chicken.  This doesn't take too long, just until the outside to look totally cooked & go a little bit beyond that.  Obviously if bigger pieces of chicken is being used, add an additional minute or 2.  Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside.

     In the same pan, heat up some more oil on medium heat & add in the onion.  Once the onions have turned a little translucent, add in the zucchini.  Add some salt/pepper & 2 spoonful of the pasta water.  I added chipotle pepper powder too for heat.  Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for 3 minutes. After the time is up, turn the heat to low; add in 1-1.5 cups of store-bought pasta sauce (I like the tomato basil from Trader Joe's) & stir everything around.  Add the chicken back in and let it cook for a few more minutes.

     At this point, I took the chicken back out because the pieces get in the way.  I took the pasta out of the water & transferred it immediately to the sauce.  Using tongs, mix everything together until it looks nice & delicious.  Serve the pasta on a plate & place the chicken pieces back on top.

That's it!

It might seem complicated to have to cook the pasta, make the sauce, & cook the meat.  But things can be done @ the same time so it's not too bad.  I made enough to feed me for dinner, another portion for lunch, & I still have un'sauced pasta that I can make in other ways.