Quick & Easy Weeknight CHIA Pasta

Confession: I love pasta.  But really, who doesn't?  I could eat Mac-n-Cheese, spaghetti, lasagna, baked ziti all day long.  If it's pasta, I love it.  Good for my taste buds...bad for the rest of me!

We live right behind a Fresh Market.  And by right behind, I mean it's literally across the street.  It isn't my favorite place to shop (expeennnnnsive!), but I do enjoy perusing the aisles sometimes to see what I can find.  One evening I had quite the hankering for some pasta and came across CHIA pasta. Coincidentally I was going through a meatless period (sometimes it just grosses me out!) so chia pasta was the perfect solution.  If you don't know about chia yet,  here are some facts:

5 Things I LOVE about Chia Seeds!

1. They are high in Omega-3's which help to decrease cholesterol
2. They are extremely high in fiber - 10g per 2 tbsp (woot!) but are easy on the tummy (easily digestible), so it's the perfect way for me to up my fiber!
3. Chia seeds FILL YOU UP.  They expand up to 12x their size meaning that as they sit in your system, they soak up water and expand - making you fuller for longer!
4. It is a complete protein with all 8 amino acids and equals to about 20% of your protein requirement per serving. 
5. They are gluten free (not a big deal for me, but for those who are intolerant to gluten - this is great news!)

So as you now can see, I was excited to find these chia noodles! So anyways, I looked on the back of the bag and there was a delicious looking vegetarian pasta recipe.  The recipe I'm going to share with you is an adaptation to the one on the bag. :)

Here's the recipe: (serves 2)
Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes total

Ingredients:

• 1/2 package of Bona Chia noodles 
• 1C peas
• 1C mushrooms, sliced
• 1 sweet yellow onion, sliced and cut in half
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T EVOO
• Dash of salt and pepper
• Sundried tomatoes (to taste)
• Kalmata olives (to taste)
• Crumbled Feta cheese

Directions: 

1. Add EVOO, onions, mushrooms, and peas to medium heat in a pan.   Sauté fot ~5-7 minutes, add garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. 
2. While the veggies are cooking boil your water for the noodles.  Once the water is to a boil, add noodles and cook for 3 (yes THREE!) minutes, drain and rinse. 
3. Immediately toss the noodles in a bit of EVOO, top with veggies, sundried tomatoes, olives, and a little feta.  Gobble it up! 

Sauté for ~5-7 minutes, add garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. 

Voila!

Easiest recipe ever, right?  Of course, me being me, I've made this dish multiple times and every time it is different.  Sometimes I add zucchini or green beans.  You could also add chicken if you like (I haven't because the chia noodles already have enough protein).  As I always say, get creative!

With green beans - yum!

With green beans and zuchinni!

What did you add to your pasta? Let me know in the comment section!