Grilled Chicken and Dairy Free Pesto with Brown Rice Noodles

Okay folks. This is my first dairy free, clean eating dish. It is simple and delicious. And in case you're exhibiting a little trepidation trying what you think of as clean eating (raw leafy greens with strong flavors and no flavors), this is a great transition dish. First of all, brown rice pasta... Pretty much the same as regular pasta. My skeptical husband didn't care a lick!And second, you don't even miss the Parmesan in the pesto. I was going to add an avocado for creaminess, but mine didn't ripen in time. It was still delicious. There was nothing about this that felt like you were depriving yourself of anything you think pasta "should have". This dish has clean, simple tastes and was easy to cook. So jump in with me on my 30 day clean eating cleanse...

Ingredients/Instructions:

For the Pesto:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 oz of basil

5 garlic cloves

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1. In a food processor, combine the pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Pulse until smooth. 2. Add the basil leaves (torn from stems) and the salt as well. Continue to blend on the "chop" setting until it looks like pesto, roughly 30 seconds. 3. Set the pesto aside until you're ready to cook the noodles and combine the ingredients.

For the Chicken:

2 chicken breasts

2 tbsp organic brown sugar

2 tbsp sea salt

4 cups of cold water

1. In a bowl combine water, sugar and salt. Stir it until it is mixed. This creates a brine which will add flavor and juiciness to your chicken. (Make sure your brown sugar is organic if you want this to be "clean".) 2. Allow the chicken to sit in the brining liquid, covered and refrigerated) for 2-6 hours. 3. Remove the chicken from the brining liquid and turn on your grill to a medium-low setting (approximately 300 to 350 degrees). 4. As the grill is heating up, slice your chicken in half, down the length of the breast. (Just like you're going to butterfly it, but cut it all the way through. This will help it to cook quicker and keep the outsides from drying out.) 5. Place the chicken on the grill and cook each side for roughly 6-8 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to verify the internal temperature at 165. 6. Bring the chicken inside to rest then cube it when you're ready to add it to the dish.

Putting it all Together/Other Ingredients:

4 cups dry brown rice noodles

1 bag of spinach 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 1. Measure out 4 cups of brown rice noodles and cook them according to the instructions on the package. (Mine said 10 minutes, but follow your instructions.) 2. In a large pan (that will fit all of the ingredients) add the olive oil, salt and spinach. Cook until the spinach is cooked/wilted. 3. Add the noodles, pesto and chicken and stir till everything is reheated and the pesto has coated all of the other ingredients.