Kermit pasta

As forementioned, arugula pesto was my jumping off point last night. I had a bag of arugula I needed to use, and the rest of the ingredients are staples in my kitchen. I decided kermit was wrong about it not being easy to be green.

Kermit pasta
Ingredients:
Arugula pesto (recipe here)
1/2 lb asparagus (frozen or fresh, I used frozen) 1
/2 lb frozen peas
1/2 lb whole wheat pasta
3/4 lb chicken breasts (optional)
3 green onions sliced (roots removed)
handful of arugula
olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta per package instructions, drain and set aside. Cook asparagus until crisp tender (I grilled over high heat on a grill pan for 2 minutes per side). Slice asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Steam frozen peas for about 4 minutes or until bright green.

Coat chicken breast meat (I used thin sliced tenderloins) with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Sprinkle with a healthy amount of garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir to coat all pieces evenly. Cook over medium high heat in a non-stick pan until no longer pink. You could also use a george foreman grill if you so desire. Amount of time will vary depending on thickness of the breasts. Mine only took 2 minutes per side. Let sit a few minutes before cutting into bite sized pieces.

In the large pot that once housed the pasta, heat 2 tbs of olive oil over medium heat. Stir in green onions and cook until just edges lightly brown. Stir in handful of arugula and wilt. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the pasta, peas, asparagus and between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of pesto. Stir gently to coat ingredients. Continually stirring to heat everything through, add the heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Plate and sprinkle with parmesan. Dinner is served. I accompanied this with a light tomato salad on the side.