Tonight Lisa made this recipe, the first from a new cookbook we recently spotted in the Bargain Books section: Fitness Food. This cookbook presents recipes that have been “specially developed for active people”; to us it just looks like a nice collection of well-balanced, healthy recipes. I’m sure we’ll be making more from this book over the next few weeks. We used a little less asparagus than the recipe called for, and next time we’ll use a few more cherry tomatoes. We both really enjoyed this one.

Warm Chicken and Pasta Salad
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1 lb 10 oz orange sweet potatoes, cut into 3/4″ cubes
9 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
cooking spray
2 7-oz boneless skinless chicken breast fillets
2 bunches slender asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
13 oz macaroni (we used whole-wheat rigatoni)
14 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 handfuls arugula leaves
3 tbs fat-free french dressing

Preheat an oven to 400. Place the sweet potato at one end of a large nonstick baking dish and the tomatoes at the other end, cut-side down. Lightly spray with oil and bake for 45 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove the tomatoes after 30 minutes.
Preheat a grill over high heat. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add the asparagus and cook for one minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water. Drain. Return the water to a boil and cook the pasta for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and keep warm.
Slice the chicken into 1/2″ thick strips and place in a large bowl with the vegetables, beans, pasta, and arugula and toss until combined. Add the dressing to the salad and toss until well combined. Season to taste and serve.

6 Servings.