Pasta, Pesto and Chicken - Oh, My!

I'm guilty of buying the husband presents that, I'll be honest, are more for us than just him. I'll buy him a CD that'll make its way into my car after a couple of weeks. Or I'll make him something like oatmeal cookies, knowing full well I'm going to eat half the batch myself.

So when we went shopping last weekend and the husband encouraged me to buy myself a new mini-chopper, telling me mine was sooooo old and I reeeeally needed a new one, I had a feeling there was more to his enthusiasm than him just feeling bad for me and my mini hand-me-down appliance.

The man wanted pesto. And it was obvious he was tired of my mini-chopper not chopping the basil and making the worst pesto ever. Ever.

So tonight the man got what he wanted.

I was so excited to use the new mini-chopper. (Is that an unfortunate sign of being an adult or what?) But, seriously, after struggling to make pesto season after season, and being frustrated with the results every single time, I was ready for a good batch of pesto.

Thank you mini-chopper for not letting me down. And thank you, Husband, for buying me my new mini-chopper. I really love it. And knowing how much you enjoyed tonight's pasta dinner - and the fact that you rarely look forward to pasta for dinner - I think you love the new mini-chopper, too.

Whole Wheat Pasta With Pesto and Grilled Chicken

Serves 2

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts

2 tsp Parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves, chopped

about 1/8 teaspoon salt

2 servings whole wheat pasta

grilled chicken (I figured about 2 ounces per person)

1/2 medium tomato, chopped

pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese, for serving

Turn the grill on for the chicken and put a pot of pasta on to boil.

Pulse the basil, olive oil, walnuts, Parmesan, garlic and salt until your mini-chopper has everything perfectly chopped - but not necessarily pureed. (The mixture will be a little thick. That's OK.)

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, and grill the chicken until it is fully cooked.

Take one tablespoon of the starchy pasta water and mix it into the pesto. Drain the pasta and add the pesto to the pasta. Stir in the fresh tomatoes and top with slices of grilled chicken. 

Serve with fresh pepper and Parmesan. Enjoy!