Stumbled across another great recipe this week that uses zucchini in place of pasta. We have totally fallen in love with this yummy new treat, so I was all over this one instantly! The original recipe as I found it called for a ton of bacon and more cheese than anyone needs in one serving (who’d have ever thought I would actually say that?!). I switched it around a bit, submitted it to Nutrition Support, and here are the results. Quick, easy, cheap … the trifecta!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups zucchini, julienned thinly (mandolin slicers are great for this)

generous pinch of salt

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp Mrs Dash onion & herb seasoning

1-1/2 cups broccoli florets

2 tbsp basil pesto

2 tbsp fresh Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions:

1. Place zucchini strips in a colander over a bowl or in the sink. Sprinkle zucchini with salt and toss to combine. Let the zucchini sit for 15 minutes while the salt extracts the moisture. Drain excess water, squeezing zucchini, if necessary.

2. Cook chicken on stovetop until cooked all the way through. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

3. Return the pan to medium heat. Add the Mrs Dash and broccoli, stirring frequently for about 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add zucchini and pesto, tossing to combine all ingredients. The mixture only needs to warm up, so 2-3 minutes of cooking should do it.

4. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional breakdown: Makes 2 servings, each serving is:

1 leaner protein

3 vegetable servings

2-1/4 condiments

1 healthy fat