Garden Vegetable Fettuccine: Name Your Poison Day Blog With Friends

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends themed collaborations. Each month a group of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about his partnership is that it's not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may a recipe, sewing tutorial, crocheting, crafts project, book review, and/or technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month's theme is Name Your Poison Day.

There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here's a peek at what we all came up with:

I made Garden Vegetable Fettuccine.

Garden Vegetable Fettuccine

Name your poison, to me, is something a bartender says when you're ordering a drink, so of course I thought about a cocktail recipe for today's post. Although, since I develop and name my own recipes, if I ever went into a bar and ordered it, chances are the bartender would think I was hallucinating and shut me off before I even start. Don't want that happening.

But at its core, "name your poison" is about making a choice, and it's in that context that I've decided to share this recipe with you today. Because, during our coronavirus lockdown, I've had to make some food choices I hadn't seen coming. I spoke, in last month's Use Your Words post about my husband suddenly having gallbladder issues, and how challenging it was to change his diet at a time when I couldn't go in and out of stores at will. 

The other thing that was difficult was making one meal for him and another for College Boy and I. We would have been happy to eat the healthier meal and dessert options I was making for him, and how much easier that would have been, but we don't have medically necessary restrictions so without access to grocery stores daily, any recipes developed for him, I had to save just for him. And the foods no longer on his menu needed to be consumed.

At this point though, most of the foods he can't eat are gone and as I've shopped, I've replaced those items in the fridge, freezer and pantry with gallbladder friendly foods and we're now eating (mostly) the same foods.

So today, for my Name Your Poison post, I'm choosing a healthier recipe to share. One I've developed for him but now get to enjoy myself. 

Before I tell you about this recipe, I want to give you links to click on to the others I've developed that are lower in saturated fats and sugars in case you want to try them. Each of them I've made to be healthier, but without sacrificing flavor (and keep watching this blog for upcoming options too):

Almond Coated Honey Mustard Pollock
Grilled Chickpea Burgers 
Lemon Berry Cake with Strawberry Lemonade Drizzle
Apple Oatmeal Quick Bread 
Balsamic Marinated Tuna Steak
Believe It or Not Chocolate Cake

For today's recipe I've chosen pasta, whole wheat is better but not necessary. For the protein, boneless skinless chicken, and of course, lots of vegetables. 

I cooked the chicken in just a little canola oil, then drained the pan for reuse and added the chicken to the serving bowl to keep warm.

The vegetables cooked in a little olive oil before I added the sauce.

I know you'll find this sauce unusual, at a time of need I used what I had and, although thinner than most sauces, V8 does have a lot of the ingredients I'd normally use in a tomato based pasta sauce. 

 

While the sauce is simmering, cook the fettuccine to al dente, drain and add to the serving bowl with the chicken. 

 

Once the sauce is ready, add to the fettuccine and chicken and toss well. Sprinkle with just a little grated parmesan and dinner is served.

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:

 

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares I Choose Me. 


 





Tamara of Part-time Working Hockey Mom shares I Need a New Dishwasher Because of Reasons. 

 





Melissa of My Heartfelt Sentiments shares Spa Day is What We Need.

Jules of The Bergham Chronicles shares Skin. 

Garden Vegetable Fettuccine

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 TBSP canola oil
1# boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 onion, chopped
1/4 red pepper, sliced
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup cleaned sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups V8 (original) juice 
1/4 cup white wine (can omit)
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1# fettuccine pasta (whole wheat is best)
3/4 cup cauliflower florets
3/4 cup broccoli florets  
1 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
*Slice the chicken into about 1 1/2 inch strips. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sprinkle with garlic powder and cook until the chicken is completely done. Drain the chicken and remove to a large serving dish or bowl.
*Wipe the skillet with a paper towel (or use a clean pan) and heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, red pepper, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, just until the onion softens.
*Add the V8 juice, white wine (if using), tomato paste, and Italian seasoning to the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
*While the sauce is simmering, cook the fettuccine to al dente, drain and add to the bowl with the chicken. Steam the cauliflower and broccoli florets to al dente and add them to the bowl also.
*Finally, once the sauce has simmered, add it to the serving bowl and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and serve.