Manic Monday: Fettuccine Verona

This week I am making recipes from "20-Minute Super Suppers", a cookbook I recently purchased. The title hooked me and the recipes cinched the deal. I narrowed it down to five recipes for the work week. Manic Monday night's dinner was Fettuccine Verona. The recipe lived up to the cookbook title and even with preparation I only had 20 minutes invested in dinner. While the ingredient list is short, the pasta proved difficult to find. I finally found it at Whole Foods in their dairy section. You could substitute any fettuccine or similar pasta for the meal. Ron said the roasted red pepper fettuccine I purchased really didn't taste any different from any other pasta I've served him but the color was pretty on the plate. Ron also commented that the dish was good but was missing a sauce and there was not enough spices/flavorings for him. Next time I would add fresh thyme or parsley, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and make a light butter sauce. I thought the meal was good but it was lacking in the flavor department. We are so used to seasoning our food with fresh herbs and spices that standard recipes taste pretty blah most of the time. Fettuccine Verona Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 1 (9 oz) package refrigerated red sweet pepper fettuccine (or any similar pasta) 8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast strips for stir frying 1/4 of a 7 oz jar oil-packed dried tomato strips or pieces (1/4 cup) with 2 tablespoons reserved oil (or olive oil) 1 large zucchini or yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced (about 2 cups) 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese (2 oz) Salt and Pepper, to taste Instructions: Using kitchen scissors, cut fettuccine strands in half. Cook pasta in lightly salted water according to package directions; drain. Return pasta to hot pan. Meanwhile, rinse chicken; pat dry. Drain the 1/4 cup tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil from the jar. Set reserved tomatoes aside. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil over medium-high heat. Add zucchini; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from skillet. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add chicken; cook and stir for 2 to 3 miutes or until no longer pink. Add chicken, zucchini, and reserved tomatoes to cooked pasta; toss gently to combine. Sprinkle each serving with cheese. Season with pepper to taste.