Recipe of the Week: Zucchini Pasta

I love to cook. My style of cooking is definitely Southern. It's rare that we have a meal that there's not something fried. That's the way me & my husband grew up eating. I love when you eat a meal and it takes you back to a place in your life and you can relive memories thru the food. I know for me that when I make my moms spaghetti it takes me back to when the Branson's would come stay at our house for a week or two and we would make a big pot of spaghetti, eat and laugh until late at night. When I make my mother in law's chicken tacos it takes me back to when me and my husband, Jeremy were dating and I made it and surprised him when he got home from work. I love that feeling of comfort you get from different dishes. 

Most of the recipes that I make are ones that have been passed down thru my family and husbands family. I also love creating my own dishes. A lot of times what I will do is find a dish in a magazine or online and put a spin on it... Make it my own. I like to have fun with my food and experiment with it. 

While my style might be Southern and we sure do love our fried foods here at the Floyd household, I do occasionally like to make something healthy. The dish I am featuring this week is tasty, filling and healthy! I found this recipe in a magazine and fell in love with it. I made a few modifications to it... I added chicken because my husband is a firm believer in "meat at every meal." You could certainty leave the chicken out if you desire though.

Zucchini Pasta

What you'll need:

Penne Pasta

2 cups cooked Chicken

1/4 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

2 medium Zuchinni halved lengthwise, cut into half moons

2 Large Garlic Cloves, minced

2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest

1/4 Cup Parmigiano Reggiano

3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil

3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley

Salt & Pepper to taste

What you do:

Saute zuchinni in olive oil over medium-high heat in large skillet until brown & tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 2 minutes).Remove from heat, stir in lemon zest, salt & pepper. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain pasta. Add zuchinni mixture to pasta along with Parmigiano Reggiano, basil & parsley. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Toss to combine adding pasta water if necessary to moisten pasta.

I served with "The Bread" from Pioneer Woman's website. You should go check that out. It's so easy but some of the best bread I've ever had. 

Try this recipe... You won't regret it! Let me know if you do and if you liked it!