Sweet Potato Linguine with Sage and Mushroom Chicken

Okay folks, here it is. The moment you've all been waiting for...

...it's recipe time!

Over the weekend I was experimenting with some new flavors. I have been trying to eat less red meat and more chicken and seafood to keep my triglycerides under control (I've determined red meat, egg yolks, and stress are the culprit of my higher-than-I-would-like triglycerides). But when you're accustomed to eating bacon every day, chicken is boring. There. I said it.

Live chickens would be much more fun, but I still haven't gotten hubby on board with letting me have a chicken coop in the backyard. Not sure how the neighbors or the HOA would feel about that either... but I digress...

I promise it tastes better than it looks.

Sweet Potato Linguine Topped with Grilled Chicken Smothered in Sage and Mushroom Sauce

(A working title)

Serves 4, or 2 with leftovers for lunch

Ingredients:

1 large Sweet Potato (or 2 medium), cleaned and peeled

4 tbsp organic Butter or Coconut Oil (1 tbsp separated)

1/2 cup chopped Onion

8-10 Mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 tsp chopped Parsley

2/3 cups Coconut Milk

2/3 cups Water

4 tbsp chopped Sage (1 tbsp separated)

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 and 1/2 pounds of Chicken Breast, thinly sliced (should be 4 cutlets or more)

Iodized Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

1. If you have a mandolin, I'm jealous, this recipe will take you less time than it took me. Slice the sweet potato thinly with the mandolin and slice those slices into 1/4 inch strips, much like linguine noodles. (I don't have a mandolin, so I sliced it into 1/2 inch strips and then used a potato peeler to slice it thinly like noodles.) Set aside.
2. Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute one minute before adding mushrooms and parsley. Saute until mushrooms brown (about 5 to 10 minutes).
3. When your mushrooms are brown, add the coconut milk and water to the sauce pan. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it reduce (about 10 minutes). If you're in a hurry or the sauce isn't thickening, try stirring in 2 tsp of arrowroot powder, 1 tsp at a time.
4. Meanwhile, add olive oil to a grill pan over medium heat. Add the chicken cutlets and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
5. Melt the remaining 1 tbsp of butter in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. As it melts, add 1 tbsp of sage. Add sweet potato to the pan, tossing to coat with butter.
6. Stir 2 to 3 minutes or until tender and warmed through, then prepare to plate.
7. When the mushroom sauce has reduced to the desired thickness (should stick to a wooden spoon), add the remaining 3 tbsp of sage and blend it into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. When the chicken is cooked through, place on top of the sweet potato linguine and smother with the sage and mushroom sauce. Viola!

So this recipe jumps around a bit. There's a lot going on at once, so I tried to place it in a timeline that would lead to a successful meal. Take care not to overcook the sauce as it will separate if you leave it on the heat for too long. And sorry about the photos. I'm not an artist or a photographer, and it was all I could do not to eat it. You're lucky you get to see what it looks like at all! ;)

Enjoy!