Avocado and Arugula Pesto over pasta

What a wonderful day I had today. I got some work done in my home that needed to be done and I also got to play in the kitchen. That's not all. I went and spent some of my time with my bestie:) I love that woman! She is amazing and I admire how wonderful she is with her children. Anytime I get to see her and talk to her makes me happy.

I tried out a couple of new recipes that I had bookmarked a while ago but had not had a chance to make. One of these recipes I saw on the Food Network on Giada at Home. I would have never thought of combining the flavors she used in this pasta dish. Who would of thought of putting together avocados and arugula and creating a pesto out of it? I'll tell you who...Giada and it works together. I found it to be interesting and not in a bad way. The only thing I changed was I did not have any  basil but instead used sage in its place and I added more vegetables to it. I definitely will be making this again. The only thing the hubby complained about was I did not put enough chicken in it for his tastes. You know guys...all about the meat. lol:)

This recipe was so easy and fast and good for a week night meal. You would think you spent more time in the kitchen making it. I hope you will give this one a try.

Avocado and Arugula Pesto
adapted from Giada de Laurentis

Ingredients
1 lb of favorite pasta
1 1lb of chicken breast diced
1 c of mushroom sliced
2 c of squash diced
2 avocado pitted and peeled
3 c of arugula
1 c of sage (her recipe calls for basil)
2 cloves of garlic
1 c grated Parmesan
3 T of lime juice
1 tsp of pepper

Directions
Boil a pot of salted water and cook pasta according to the directions.

Drain pasta but save 1 c of water to thin sauce later. Place pasta in a serving boil and set aside.

Saute chicken, squash, and mushrooms together in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and set aside.

 Using a spoon and scoop at avocado and place in food processor, add the arugula, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth add olive oil if needed to smooth out.

 Add 1/2 the Parmesan cheese and  blend again. Pour the pesto over the pasta and chicken with the vegetables and mix together.

Add the pasta water to smooth and thin out the sauce. Top with more cheese.

Enjoy!

I hope you are having a great day!