First dinner for the rents - a whole wheat pasta & bruschetta recipe

Playing a little catch up on a few recipes I have recently tried...Jay O. & I had my parents over for dinner for the first time in our new house last Sunday.  We are very close to being completely settled in & can't wait to have a few good friends over for app's & vino sometime soon.  

 I had never cooked bruschetta before, but absolutely loved this recipe!  Definitely go light on the salt.  And, the pasta is very light & great for a satisfying stand alone entree' :)

 

Bon Appétit!!!

 

Black Pepper-Basil Farmer's Cheese Bruschetta with Tomato

Ingredients

• 8 ounces fresh farmer's cheese (I used ricotta cheese)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for bread (I recommend only 1/2 teaspoon salt, I had to add a lot more cheese because it was too salty). 
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more for bread and garnish
• 8 slices French baguette, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 4 whole cloves garlic
• 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Directions

Place cheese, basil, and lemon zest in a food processor and process until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and pulse 2 times to incorporate.

Heat grill to high. Brush bread with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and rub with garlic cloves. Grill bread on each side for 1 minute or until slightly charred. Spread each slice with some of the farmer's cheese mixture and top with tomato and more cracked black pepper.

**********************************************************************

Whole Wheat Penne with Asparagus, Spinach & Chicken

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese)

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  uncooked penne pasta (I used a larger quantity of penne in whole wheat, the regular sized box which can serve 5 people)
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 bag real bacon bits
• 1/2  cup  chopped sweet onion
• 2 1/2  cups  (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 pound)
• 1 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 4  cups  bagged baby spinach leaves
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) preshredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• citrus grill seasoning (from Sam's) or lemon pepper & salt would be a good substitute

Preparation

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.

Cut the chicken into pieces and cook chicken in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat in 1 TBSP olive oil, season the chicken with the citrus grill, salt & pepper. Remove chicken from pan & set aside.  Add onion to leftover olive oil & seasonings in pan; sauté 1 minute. Add asparagus and broth to pan; bring to a boil (if you use only 8 ounces penne don't use the full amount of broth). Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add pasta, spinach, 1/4 cup cheese, and pepper to pan; toss well. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and real bacon bits.