Cherry Tomatoes and Almond Pesto

By Paul Briand

When you think of pesto, you think of a combination of basil and pine nuts.

But pesto, by Genoese definition, means "to pound, to crush." So just about anything that you can pound or crush together can become a pesto sauce.

I was inspired by an article about pesto in the Wall Street Journal to try one made from cherry tomatoes and almonds.

The article offered a variety of interesting combinations: pecans, parley and dates; pumpkin seeds and spinach; walnuts and grapeseed oil, as examples.

I wanted to try the cherry tomatoes and almond combination because, as it turned out, I had cherry tomatoes and almonds readily available in the house.

Here's the short and sweet recipe that the Journal said came from PBS chef Lidia Bastianich.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup olive oil

Crushed red pepper flakes

Salt

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine the tomatoes, almonds, and garlic clove;

2. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and a bigger pinch of salt;

3. Puree the mixture and add the olive oil in a steady stream until the pesto emulsifies into a thick puree.

It is heartier and nuttier than your store bought pesto and certainly different from the basil and pine nut pesto that most people are accustomed to. But it's a welcome change when you can do it yourself.

Click here for recipe card.

Almond-Crusted Chicken Breasts

By Paul Briand

I'm testing some recipes in a new diet book entitled "Flat Belly Diet! for Men."

I haven't given myself over to this diet just yet. I've been reading the book, assessing whether I can adapt my life to this diet or whether the diet takes over my life in my attempt to lose a few pounds around the middle.

The former I can live with, the latter not so much.

What intrigues me about the diet, when I was thumbing through it at the bookstore, was the quality of the recommended. "This stuff I can eat," I said to myself.

So I'm in the process of trying some of the recipes and commenting on them here. The diet in general makes a big deal about what it calls MUFAs -- monounsaturated fatty acids.

This diet likes MUFAs, which are found in olive oil, nuts, avocado, olives and pesto to name a few. One of the diet rules is to eat a MUFA at every meal. So each of the recipes includes a MUFA.

This chicken breast recipe was easy to prepare and was accompanied by a balsamic drizzle. Frankly, it was really tasty. Diet or no, I'd recommend it for everyone.

Ingredients
1 large egg
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped (this is the MUFA)
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray;
2. Whisk the egg with the water in one shallow bowl;
3. Combine the almonds, bread crumbs and salt in another shallow bowl;
4. Dip each chicken breast first into the egg wash, then the nut mixture;
5. Place on baking sheet;
6. Bake, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes;
7. As the chicken is cooking, combine the orange juice, vinegar and honey in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil over medium to high heat for about 10 minutes or until the sauce is reduced by half;
8. Serve over chicken.