Here is a recipe for Tomato Basil Rotini with Chicken Breast that is a good pasta recipe for diabetics. This recipe uses healthy whole-wheat pasta and adds sliced chicken breast. Those two items allow diabetics to eat this dish without guilt. Add the Garlicky Spinach Salad, the recipe is below, and you have a quick and easy meal that is healthy and tasty. Perfect for a quick meal after a long day at work or the need to rush off to evening activities. Also a good quick meal for a sit-down family dinner.

TOMATO BASIL ROTINI WITH CHICKEN BREAST

12 oz pkg whole-wheat rotini

2 cups chopped plum tomatoes

1 1/4 cups sugar-free pasta sauce

1 tbsp basil

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced OR 1 tsp garlic powder

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. While pasta cooks, grill or saute chicken breasts until no longer pink in the center. When thoroughly cooked, slice into strips. In a large mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, sauce, basil, olive oil, and garlic. Add cooked pasta and toss to combine. Top with the chicken strips. Sprinkle cheese over the top. Serve warm.

GARLICKY SPINACH SALAD

1 lb fresh spinach

2 fresh tomatoes, sliced

6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

5 tbsp plain nonfat yogurt

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Fresh ground black pepper

Wash spinach, remove stems and dry. Tear into pieces and place in salad bowl. Add tomatoes and scallions and use hands to combine with spinach. In a small mixing bowl, combine yogurt, oil, garlic, thyme and pepper. Add dressing mixture to the spinach mixture and mix well.

By: Linda Carol Wilson

About the Author:

Cooking Scallops

Pasta is the Italian word for ‘dough’, derived from he Latin word pasta of the same meaning. Though these days it’s used as a generic term for an Italian version of noodles made from a dough of flour and water (typically durum wheat flour) that can also contain eggs and various flavourings and colourings such as cheese and spinach.

When made the dough is typically passed several times through a series of rollers that progressively thin-out the dough making it elastic. The dough is then cut or shaped into various forms which can be cooked immediately in boiling water or which can be dried for storage.

Today there are over 350 distinct kinds of Italian pasta that range from large sheets such as lasagne to tiny pasta intended for soups, such as orzo.

Below is the recipe for creating your own home-made tagliatelle (ribbon pasta) using nettles to colour and flavour the pasta. You can substitute spinach for the nettles if desired or you can use a mix of 60ml olive oil and 40g grated Parmesan cheese or just add 60ml olive oil and more water to bind.

Nettle Tagliatelle

120ml nettle pur