El Cacciatore

This week Mango and I signed back up for WW. Yep, the diet is back on!

One of the main must-haves for us on this diet is one, good home cooked meal, which is usually dinner. So, for the week, I create a little menu, do my grocery shopping, and create complete mayhem in the kitchen. Usually Mango just sits on the breakfast counter and reads while I proceed to tap into my inner loony alchemist at the stove.

::Insert Evil Laugh Here::

Last night, I kicked off the diet by making a dish that I have never made before in my life...Chicken Cacciatore. I wanted something Italian, but I wasn't really in the mood for tomato sauce and cheese, so I figured this would be perfect. The recipe was really simple and in the end turned out to be one of my favorite dishes so far. As I am one that simply adores sharing good food, that is the foodie in me, here is the recipe and how-to:

(please forgive the picture quality, they were all taken ala' the camera phone)
1. Use about 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper to season 4 4oz. chicken breasts (1 pound.) and begin boiling a pot of water for your pasta.

2. Heat up a nonstick skillet with 1 tsp. of olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken breasts. Cook until browned on both sides (about 5 min. on each side) and until the chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

3. Take your chicken breasts out of the pan and set aside. 4. Time to start making your sauce! Chop up 1 med. onion, 1 med. yellow pepper, 1 med. green pepper, and mince 1 garlic clove. Toss everything into your pan and cook until the veggies are nice and soft. Stir occasionally.

5. By now the water should be boiling, so go ahead and add your pasta. You need 3 cups of cooked pasta, I found that half a box was just right.

While your waiting, I usually find it helpful to entertain myself with a bit of reading, hence my regular cooking setup... A magazine (last night Elle kept me company), the recipe, and a my new favorite Diet Coke Plus. It's a bit sweeter than normal Diet Coke if you ask me, which really helps with the sweet tooth. OK, back to cooking!

6. Once the veggies are soft, add 1/2 cup of dry red wine, 29 oz. of canned stewed tomatoes (Italian style), and 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning. Stir it up and then put your chicken back into the mixture.

7. Cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

8. Once your pasta is done go ahead and drain it. Then I transferred it to a bowl and tossed it with a little bit of olive oil and some freshly chopped parsley.

9. After 20 minutes your chicken cacciatore is done!

Enjoy! Recipe via WW