Green Goddess Pasta Salad with Chicken

Green Goddess Pasta Salad with Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

• Sea salt and fresh ground black  pepper, to taste
• 2 cups chopped asparagus 
• 12 oz whole-wheat or brown rice rotini or penne (TIP: For even more color, opt for tri-color pasta.)
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup unsweetened plain coconut yogurt or reduced-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 12 oz cooked and cooled shredded boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 cup each coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, dill and mint
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and blanch for 1 minute, until tender-crisp. Remove asparagus from pot with a sieve or slotted spoon and transfer to ice water until cool. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain, mist with cooking spray and cool to room temperature on a tray.
Prepare dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, coconut milk, lemon juice, honey and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
To a large bowl with asparagus, add pasta, chicken, parsley, cilantro, dill, mint, onions and dressing and mix well. Season with additional salt and pepper.