Southwestern Pasta and Cheese

I found this recipe in the February/March 2009 issue of Healthy Cooking. I was searching for recipes in Healthy Cooking because I was recently forced to face an ugly truth when planning my Spring Break wardrobe. As I tried on clothes that fit perfectly fine last summer, I realized that even my "fat day" shorts were fitting kind of tight.  A quick trip to the bathroom scale confirmed that I have packed on a good 12 pounds of winter "insulation" since Halloween. I was mortified. To add insult to injury, when I checked the fit of these clothes in the mirror, I was nearly blinded by the translusent white hue that my legs have taken on under months of heavy denim. Yikes! While it's a little late in the game to shape up in time for Spring Break (although believe me, I've logged some time with my workout DVD's this week in a last ditch effort), I realize that summer is just around the corner. I resolved to start counting calories again (Immediately!)...and to stop in for the cheapest spray-on tan I can find before we depart for The Sunshine State on Saturday. Because I'm "keeping track" again, I was ecstatic when I found this delicious pasta recipe in Healthy Cooking. First of all, it's a flavorful, cheesy pasta. It's not like I was going to nibble lettuce through dinner (too late for that anyhow.)Second, because the nutritional information was included, I knew just how many calories/fat grams were present in a serving size. For that matter, I knew what the serving size those statistics were based upon. For the record, it's 3/4 of a cup. Good thing that I really want my shorts to fit comfortably again, because I really, really, wanted more than 3/4 of a cup of this pasta!

I knew that it was going to be good because the recipe begins with bacon. I fried up 4 strips in my cast iron skillet and then removed them to drain.(No picture of this step) After removing the bacon, I poured off the excess grease, leaving about a tablespoon, but did not wipe out the skillet. Then I added diced red pepper and chopped green onion to the skillet. Saute until tender.

While the onions and pepper saute, mix together flour, chili powder, cumin, and salt.

Stir the flour into the pepper and onions with a teaspoon of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce until blended.

Then gradually stir in skim milk. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened.

Once thickened, I stirred in 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese until melted and then I added the crumbled bacon and 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro. Stir to combine.

Next add the cooked bow tie pasta. Toss with the sauce until the pasta is coated.

Top with more cheddar cheese and bake at 400 degrees....

until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

This was a welcomed twist on good old mac n' cheese and not too bad for you either!

Southwestern Pasta and Cheese from Healthy Cooking Magazine February/March 2009
8 ServingsPrep: 30 min. Bake: 20 min.
Ingredients
3-1/3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
8 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil or reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2-1/4 cups fat-free milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
4 center-cut bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Directions
•Cook pasta according to package directions.

•Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute pepper and onions in oil until
tender. Stir in the flour, chili powder, chipotle pepper, salt and
cumin until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook
and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese
until melted.

•Drain pasta; toss with sauce. Stir in bacon and cilantro. Transfer to
a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with
remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 240 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 20 mg cholesterol, 327 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 12 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 medium-fat meat, 1/2 fat.

Notes: I made this in my cast iron skillet so that I didn't need to transfer the pasta into a baking dish for the oven. Less dishes!

To make this even lighter, you could substitute a reduced-fat cheddar and use turkey bacon.

Chicken Tortellini Casserole

I came up with this casserole yesterday afternoon to use up some ingredients in my fridge and pantry. I was SO pleased with the result. It came together quickly, it's easily a 30 minute dinner, and it was delicious. A great way to use up leftover chicken and get your family to eat spinach!

Last week, I decided to make fried chicken from scratch for the first time ever! I brined the chicken overnight, marinated it in buttermilk and hot sauce all afternoon, played with the seasonings until I got them just right, and then fried it up in hot, splattering oil until it was crispy and golden brown. Truth be told, the perfect fried chicken offers quite a challenge to even the most experienced home cook. There are lots of steps, it's time consuming, difficult to get the heat of the oil just right so that the chicken doesn't get too brown yet done on the inside, and it makes a terrible mess in your kitchen. No wonder I've hit the KFC drive-thru when my craving for fried chicken takes over.



As it turns out, on the evening that I'd set aside for preparing fried chicken, my husband called to say that he wouldn't be home for dinner and our oldest daughter was eating dinner away too. After I pulled that crispy chicken from my cast iron skillet, I sat down to dinner with just our toddler. We thoroughly enjoyed the fried chicken together. Someday I'll devote a whole post to fried chicken, but today, I want to talk about what I did with all of those leftovers.

The best way to eat fried chicken is fresh. I think that we can all agree that even the best fried chicken is a bit lackluster when re-heated. Which is why no one in my family wanted to touch these leftovers. I did make myself a lovely panini from some of the chicken breast for lunch the next day, but otherwise all of that hard work was just sitting in my fridge un-eaten. So I decided to shred it and make a casserole.



While I was shredding the chicken, I started a pot of water boiling for the tortellini and heated a couple of tablespoons of butter in a skillet to which I added a small sliced onion.



Once the onion is tender, add in the shredded chicken and season. Here I used a Sicilian Blend and a Parmesan Blend that I had in the pantry. Some Italian seasoning, garlic, sea salt and freshly ground pepper would work well too. Cook and stir until the chicken is heated through.



Then I chopped up some sun-dried tomatoes (dry pack, not the kind in oil) and added those to mix.



Stir in some fresh, chopped baby spinach. I used two cups this time. I think that the next time, I could sneak in another cup or even two and my family would still love this. That's the thing about spinach, it's such an un-offensive vegetable. I've found tons of applications to add this leafy green vegetable, packed with antioxidants, vitamin A, calcium, and iron, into my cooking. Cook and stir the spinach in the skillet until wilted.



You could easily pour heavy whipping cream over this for a fresh sauce. I went a different route. I got this pre-made low fat Alfredo sauce from the grocery for a steal, so in the interest of a lower fat option, I poured it on.



Then add the cooked tortellini and toss to coat.



Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan. Then pop it into the oven until bubbly and...



golden brown.


This was SO good...and not too bad for you either. By using white breast meat, low fat Alfredo sauce, reduced fat cheese tortellini, and topping the casserole with flavor-packed Parmesan (rather than buttered bread crumbs) I was able to cut down the fat in this dish a bit. Plus, there's spinach in there! Serve it with a simple salad of baby spinach and fresh tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and feel good about this dinner!



Krista's Chicken Tortellini Casserole

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2-3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
Italian or Sicilian Blend seasoning
garlic salt, to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, also to taste
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I used dry pack, not in oil)
2-4 cups baby spinach, chopped
1 jar light Alfredo sauce
9-10 oz. low fat cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Boil water and cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat butter in a skillet. Add the sliced onion and saute until tender. Add the chicken and spices and cook until heated through. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes. Add the spinach and cook and stir over low heat until wilted. Stir in the Alfredo sauce. Add the tortellini and toss until coated with the sauce. Transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees until bubbly and golden brown, 10-15 minutes. If needed turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes at the end to brown the top.

For a printable copy of this recipe, please click here.

Grilled Tomato, Smoked Honey Turkey, and Muenster Sandwiches

I had such a wonderful day today! I'm always running at full speed; working on a project, multi-tasking, running errands and going to meetings, but today I took the day off. A friend was passing through on the way from Pennsylvania to Indiana and decided to stop in for an impromptu playdate. Her oldest and my youngest are only a month apart. They had a blast playing together and my friend and I had a nice visit. When I walked her out to help her load up her kids at the end of our time together, I noticed what a perfectly gorgeous day it was. I decided to scrap the to-do list and head to the pool. I'm rarely alone with my youngest daughter and I've never taken her to the pool without my oldest...which means I have to hold her while I'm watching my oldest in "the big pool" like a hawk. Fun for the kids, but not exactly fun or relaxing for mama. With my oldest away visiting family this week, my little one and I had a great time splashing around and lounging in the baby pool. On the way home, one of my neighborhood friends called us up to her deck where some of my other neighbors had congregated. We caught up with one another while our kids played in the lawn. I hate to admit it, but this is the first day that I've actually taken the time to enjoy the summer. To stop and smell the roses, if you will. When the dinner hour rolled around, we peeled ourselves out of her patio furniture and I headed home to make this simple and delicious dinner. The perfect end to a perfect day.



I found the recipe in an old issue of Cooking Light and thought it looked like a such and delicious, quick and easy meal. I was right! I started by making the sauce. Just combine minced red onion, sour cream, Dijon mustard, and a little thyme.



Now divide the mixture evenly over 4 slices of bread. The recipe calls for sourdough, but I used light multi-grain.



Now for the cheese. I forgot how much I enjoyed Muenster back in my deli-girl days. This recipe reminded me of my forgotten friend. I used to thin-slice the ham that we glazed and baked in the deli where I worked in college, then put it on a fresh baked roll and top it with Muenster before sticking the open-faced creation under the broiler to heat up and melt the cheese. It was even better with a touch of whole grain or horseradish mustard. YUM! Oh yeah, I definitely dug the Muenster! It's is a smooth textured cheese with an orange rind and a white interior, with a flavor comparable to both white American cheese and sharp Jack cheese. The mild flavor and smooth, soft texture make it an excellent melting cheese for grilled sandwiches like this one.



I picked this cheese up on Sunday on one of my foodie field trips. I was driving up I-71 between Columbus and Cleveland and saw the signs for Grandpa's Cheese Barn. I decided to make a pit stop and let my toddler out of the van to stretch her legs after a few hours on the road. Grandpa's Cheese Barn was an experience! More than cheese, there were sauces, salsas, pickles, relishes, cider and more....but the cheese...oh the cheese! They have samples out of every variety. I felt as if I'd eaten my weight in cheese samples when I made the way back across their parking lot with my little package of Muenster in hand. If you're ever heading up I-71 in Ohio, you've gotta check this place out!



While the recipe only calls for one slice of Muenster, I put a slice down over the sauce, topped it with the smoked honey turkey, and then slapped on another slice of the Muenster. Oh look, there appears to be a little mouse in my kitchen...or someone took a bite out of this piece of cheese! Who me? Never. : )



Top the cheese with 2 slices of tomato...fresh from the garden would be best.



Top with bread, smear on some butter, and grill!



Loved it!



The perfect summer day deserves a perfect summer dessert. We chased our sandwiches with sundaes tonight! I have to give the credit to my husband here...this was his idea. I adore the combination of creamy vanilla ice cream, salty dry roasted peanuts, and chocolate syrup. It reminds me of the sundaes we made straight from the ice cream maker when I was growing up. YUM!



Grilled Tomato, Smoked Turkey, and Muenster Sandwichfrom Cooking Light July 2001 original recipe found HERE.

Yield: 2 sandwiches (serving size: 1 sandwich)

1 tablespoon minced red onion
3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 teaspoons butter, softened
4 (1 1/2-ounce) slices sourdough bread
6 (1-ounce) slices fat-free, honey-roasted smoked turkey breast
4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices tomato
2 (1/2-ounce) slices Muenster cheese

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Spread 1 teaspoon butter on one side of each bread slice. Spread 2 tablespoons mustard mixture over unbuttered side of each of 2 bread slices; top each with 3 turkey slices, 2 tomato slices, 1 cheese slice, and 1 bread slice (with buttered side out).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the sandwiches; cover and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

CALORIES 451 (28% from fat); FAT 14.2g (sat 8g,mono 4.5g,poly 0.9g); IRON 2.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 65mg; CALCIUM 238mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.7g; SODIUM 913mg; PROTEIN 27.9g; FIBER 1.8g

I hope you're all enjoying your summer to the fullest!

Artichoke Chicken Bake

If you're following the meal plan and were just dying to see how I make oxtail soup, then tune in tomorrow! I traded this meal for the soup tonight so that the soup can have a chance to chill in the fridge for optimal fat-skimming tomorrow. Don't be disappointed for long...just feast your eyes on this creamy, Parmesan-crusted Artichoke Chicken Bake!



At first bite, I was thinking, "Yeah, this is pretty good." I liked it more with each bite. But my husband and kids were easy...they loved it right away. All I heard as dinner progressed were compliments. Not a single complaint! In my book, this constitutes a winner!

I actually pulled this dish out of the freezer to thaw this afternoon. It's a product of my 2 day chicken processing adventure last month. Check it out HERE! All I needed to do tonight was pop this in the oven. But you can read about how it all came together below.

First of all, I poached approximately 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can see how I did that HERE.

Then I melted half a stick of butter in a skillet over medium heat. I sauteed a cup of onion and a couple of cloves of garlic until tender.



Once the onions were tender, I stirred in 2 tablespoons of flour and some salt until smooth. After a minute or so more of cooking, I stirred in 2-1/4 cups of chicken broth. The original recipe called for a cup of broth AND 1-1/4 cups of dry white wine or apple juice. I just went with broth for the whole deal. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and bubbly.



Add in half a block of cream cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Then, remove the skillet from heat and set aside.



Place the chicken breasts in a 2 quart casserole dish.



Arrange a can of drained artichoke hearts (I chopped mine up a bit) over the chicken.



Pour on the cream cheese sauce and spread it evenly over the chicken breasts.



This is where I called it quits. I put a piece of wax paper right on the top of the casserole, then covered it with foil that I had labelled with baking and garnishing instructions. I cooled the casserole to room temperature, then stuck it in my freezer until today.



Today, I thawed the casserole on my counter top for a few hours (you could also thaw it in your fridge while you go to work or about your day). Then I popped it into the oven and baked according to the directions...except I left mine covered. At the end of the suggested 35 minutes, mine was still cold in the center. Probably because it was still a little frozen when I put it in. I stirred it around a bit and pulled off the foil, then put it back in for another 10-15 minutes, increasing the oven temp to 400 degrees. When it was ready, I pulled the casserole out of the oven. Rather than top with sliced almonds or parsley as instructed by the recipe, I sprinkled it with a generous layer of Parmesan cheese. I knew my family would go for a nice Parmesan crust. I wasn't so sure about almonds...or even parsley. Plus, I was thinking about the artichoke dip that I might order at my favorite restaurant. I'm pretty sure they use parmesan on top. It seemed to me that Parmesan was the way to go!



I put the casserole back into the oven to broil until the Parmesan turned a nice, crispy, golden brown. Definitely not a mistake. I personally think the Parmesan crust made this dish.



Creamy, delicious, and a big hit!



Artichoke Chicken Bake adapted from Frozen Assets Lite and Easy: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month by Deborah Taylor-Hough

Serves: 6

1/4 cup butter
6 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup dry white wine (can substitute apple juice or chicken broth...I used broth)
1 cup chicken broth
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and cut up (not marinated artichoke hearts)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Melt butter in a skillet over medium to medium high heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender. Stir in flour and salt until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine (or juice, or broth); cook over medium heat , stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add cream cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat; set aside. Place cooked chicken breasts in a 2-quart casserole dish. Arrange artichoke hearts over chicken. Pour cream cheese mixture over chicken and artichokes. Spread to cover. Cover, label, and freeze.

To serve:

Thaw. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly. (I kept mine covered for most of the baking process). Sprinkle with Parmesan. Broil until Parmesan is golden brown.

Per serving (if using fat free cream cheese and omitting Parmesan cheese): 382.3 calories, 14.7 g fat, 41.3 g protein, 15.5 g carbohydrates, 82 mg cholesterol

Dilled Tuna Orzo

I found this recipe in "20 Minute Super Suppers, Fresh and Simple" by Better Homes and Gardens. I do love this book for it's tasty 20 minute suppers, like Coyote Pizza and Fabulous Focaccia Sandwiches. We ate this Dilled Tuna Orzo warm for dinner early in the week, then I ate it cold for lunch for the next two days. This recipe works well for a light dinner, lunch, or a side salad. I loved all of the flavors and textures at play here: the dill, the mustard, the lemon....the crunch of the cucumber, the sweetness of the roasted pepper. I began by following the recipe exactly. Then I gave it a taste. For the most part it worked...but I wasn't super impressed. As it turned out, this recipe was a work in progress and I didn't get it right until the second day. After the first taste, I immediately doubled the dressing. It needed more. After adding more dressing, it was better but still not there. It needed something else. I was thinking feta. Since I didn't have any feta, I grated some Cojita cheese over the top and stirred it in. Again, it was better, but still not there. This is where I stopped and we ate it for dinner with some lovely steamed asparagus. The next day for lunch, I added some chopped tomato and a little more pepper. It was nearly perfect. The next time I'll add a little diced red onion too and then...perfection!

You start with 1 1/2 cups of orzo. Just in case you're not familiar with orzo, it looks like rice, but it's really pasta.



Cook, then rinse and drain.



You could poach your own tuna, but I just opened a can of tuna (packed in water), drained it, and broke it into chunks.



I seeded a cucumber and chopped it. I actually peeled mine too. Why? Because the skin on the cucumber *blush* makes me burp. Weird but true. I don't know why. If you don't have this problem, I'd recommend leaving the skin on. It adds color. : )



Combine the orzo, tuna, cucumber, roasted red pepper (and if you're following my revised recipe)chopped tomato, and red onion in a bowl.



In a jar with a lid, combine Dijon mustard, olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and dill. Shake until combined.



Pour the dressing over the orzo and veggies and toss to combine.



If you like, grate some Cojita cheese or crumble some feta over the top, then stir it in.



Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm or chilled. This is how we ate it for dinner the first night; warm with asparagus:



And this is how I ate it for lunch over the next couple of days, chilled with chopped tomato added in:



This one was definitely worth "playing with" until I got it right!

Dilled Tuna Orzo adapted from 20 Minute Super Suppers Fresh and Simple by Better Homes and Gardens

1 1/2 cups orzo
6 oz. canned tuna, broken into chunks
1 small to medium sized tomato, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup diced red onion
2-3 tablespoons drained and snipped roasted red peppers
1/3 cup grated Cojita cheese or crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:
1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (more or less to taste) snipped fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain in colander. Rinse with cold water; drain again. Transfer to a large bowl. Add tuna, tomato, cucumber, red onion, roasted red pepper, and cheese. Toss to combine. Add dressing ingredients to a jar with a lid. Screw on the lid and shake until dressing is combined. Pour dressing over orzo mixture. Toss to coat with dressing. Salt and pepper to taste.