Farfalle with Chicken and Pinion Nuts (Pine Nuts)

When we lived in New Mexico, we made several trips up to Colorado to see family, and we explored nearly every inch of the state. One day we noticed some pinion pines right next to a remote road. We had to stop and try to pick some pinion nuts. We had great luck - great STICKY luck! The pine nuts are inside of the pine cones, and you pine pitch all over you when you try to get them out. After about a half an hour we had about 1/4 cup of pine nuts and "stick um" all over our hands. Nothing would take it off. I think we finally ended up using gasoline (this was before we knew about "Goof Off" and "Goo Gone"). To say the least, we never tried that again! That doesn't mean that we don't still like pine nuts!

We tried this recipe tonight, and decided it needed pine nuts. I think it needs mushrooms as well, try adding about a 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms and saute them with the chicken if it sounds good to you too!

Farfalle with Chicken and Pine Nuts

1/4 cup low-sodium Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoon Honey
2 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Clove Minced Garlic
6 ounces Chicken Tenders, cut in bite-sized chunks
1/2 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes (not oil packed)
8 ounces Farfalle (Bow-Tie Pasta)
3 Cups Broccoli Florets
1/2 cup Chopped Green Onions
1/4 Cup Pinion Nuts (Pine Nuts)

In a jar, combine soy sauce, honey, lime juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Put a lid on tightly and shake vigorously, until ingredients are well combined. Pour marinade over chicken chunks in a small bowl or in a zip-lock bag. Stir until all chicken chunks are coated with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Pour 1 cup boiling water over sun0dried tomatoes and let soak for 5 minutes. Drain and chop tomatoes. Set aside.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Add broccoli florets to pasta cooking water for the last 3 minutes of cooking the pasta.

In the meantime, transfer chicken and marinade to a large, non-stick skillet. cook over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat.

Drain pasta and broccoli and immediately put into a large bowl. Add chicken and sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and green onions, Toss until well combined. Immediately put pasta into large serving bowl or portion on plates. Sprinkle pignolia over pasta. Serve.

Nutrition Information per serving: 433 calories; 10 g fat (19.8% of calories from fat); 16 g protein;74 g carbohydrates; 8 g dietary fiber; 0 mg cholesterol; 1284 mg Sodium
Exchanges: 1 grain (starch); 1/2 lean meat; 1 vegetable; 0 fruit; 1 1/2 fat; 1/2 other carbohydrates.

Tip of the Day: For recipes with marinated meats, freeze meat for individual meals in zip-lock bags with the marinade. When you are ready to cook, simply thaw the chicken and it's already marinated, making meal preparation even faster!