Florentine pasta salad

I just made this pasta salad over the weekend for a baby shower and was reminded of how much I love it. Its very easy and I always get compliments on it! It originally came from a Bible study I did at a church in Austin.

1 pkg fresh fettucini noodles (like Buitoni)
1 jar prepared pesto sauce (I like Classico)
1 cup chopped chicken breast (a rotisserie chicken or "carving board" deli meat works well)
juice of 1 lemon
1 container of cherry tomatoes
1-2 cups spinach, torn into small pieces
parmesan cheese, to taste

Optional:
artichoke hearts
mushrooms
other veggies you like!

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and remove to a cutting board. Cut them into smaller pieces for ease in serving. Place in large mixing bowl. Add chicken, tomatoes and spinach (and any other veggies) to mixing bowl and stir well. Add entire jar of pesto and stir until well coated. Add lemon juice and parmesan cheese and stir once more. Before serving, may optionally top with more parmesan.

If you prefer a lighter pesto flavor, experiment with using only half the jar and see how that tastes. I LOVE pesto so I always use the whole jar. This tastes great at room temperature as well as cold. Let me know if you try it!  Any other good pasta salad recipes out there?

Creamy chicken and orzo

Image and recipe source

I got this recipe in a coupon mailer recently and thought I would try it out.  I had the Philadelphia cooking creme already (got it on a great sale for 25 cents!) and wasn't sure what I was going to do with it until I saw this.  I made some changes to the original recipe, see link above for their version.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
2 cups hot cooked orzo pasta
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup corn
1 tub Philadelphia Italian cheese and herb cooking creme
1 tsp oil
1 tsp minced garlic

Directions:
1. Cook chicken and zucchini in large skillet on medium for 6-7 minutes, or until chicken is done.
2. Remove chicken and zucchini to a plate and place in the oven to stay warm.
3. Add a small amount of oil to the skillet and saute garlic for a few minutes.
4. Add corn and tomatoes and saute until warmed through.
5. Add chicken and zucchini back to pan and mix well.
6. Add cooking creme and cook 2 minutes while stirring well to combine.
7. Add orzo gradually to ensure there is enough sauce for all the pasta.

I was so surprised at how much I liked this recipe!  I wasn't sure how to end up with 2 cups of cooked orzo, so I cooked about 1 1/2 cups dry, which was more than enough.  This recipe is very flexible, and you can substitute pretty much any veggies  you like.  Just make sure to adjust the cooking time so that your veggies don't end up soggy.

Chicken Pot Pie

Are you part of the millions of Americans trying to eat healthier in 2011?  I know I am!  This is a great recipe for comfort food but with way less calories than a typical restaurant version.  The recipe source has a ton of other recipe 'swaps' so be sure to look around for your favorites!

Recipe Source

Ingredients:

8 oz. raw boneless skinless chicken breast; cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I like the corn, peas, green beans mixture)
1 can (10.75 oz.) Campbell's Condensed Soup, 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken
3 servings Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls (unprepared)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute chicken pieces for several minutes in a pan spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, until chicken is light brown/cooked but still tender; set aside.
Heat frozen veggies in microwave according to package.
Mix chicken, vegetables and soup together and put in a 9" round baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Place dish in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly (stir about halfway through).
While dish is cooking, unroll 3 crescent rolls. I typically do 4, as 3 makes a very thin crust.
Combine pieces together with hands to make one large ball of dough.
With a rolling pin, roll dough out into a circle to cover top of dish.
Add dough to the top of the dish and cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Serves 4.

Chicken Spaghetti

This recipe is courtesy of my friend, Cynthia. It is really delicious and great for leftovers as well (always a concern when its just the 2 of us eating).
Ingredients:
2 fryers, or 4-5 lbs meaty chicken pieces (I typically use 2 big chicken breasts)
1 green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pkg (10 oz) spaghetti, broken in half
1 can (1 lb) diced tomatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 ribs celery (I omit)
1 onion
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems & pieces (I omit)
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 T. chopped ripe olives (I omit)
Salt & Pepper
Paprika
Worcestershire

• Simmer chicken until tender in well seasoned water; remove chicken and broth.
• Measure 1 qt broth back into pan.
• Bone & dice chicken; set aside.
• Into broth, put celery, green pepper, onion, garlic & mushrooms.
• Let cook a few minutes, then add spaghetti and cook until done.
• Add tomatoes, olives, soup, S&P and paprika and stir.
• Add worcestershire sauce and Velveeta and stir well until velveeta melts.
• Add chicken and heat through before serving.

Enjoy!

Crescent Chicken

This recipe is SO delicious and simple. Here's the source.  This recipe seems pretty plain, but tastes awesome and is so quick to put together, especially if you have leftover rotisserie chicken or chicken from another recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
1 cup shredded cheese, any type
1 can crescent rolls
1 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup

• Mix chicken and cheese in a medium bowl. You could add veggies here if you wanted to!
• Separate the crescents and lay them out on a pyrex sprayed with cooking spray
• Place about 1/3 cup of chicken/cheese mixture on the crescent.
• Stretch the dough until you can pinch it closed.
• Mix 1 cup of milk with the soup and pour it over your bundles.
• Bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Chicken Fiesta Soup

I'm always on the lookout for recipes that resemble chicken tortilla soup.  I've had this soup at probably 50+ restaurants, and my hands down favorite is McAlisters.  The only copycat recipe for that soup I can find did not turn out at all like the restaurant version!  So, I'm resigned to simply making any chicken tortilla-ish soup that crosses my path...and eating McAlisters version as much as I can drag Bart to go with me!  This recipe came from a crockpot cookbook I borrowed from a co-worker.  It definitely fits the bill for eating more veggies, and I thought it was good!  The green chiles make it a bit spicy, so I'd decrease those if you don't like spice.

just some of the ingredients...got ahead of myself chopping before I took the pic

Ingredients:
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 14oz can stewed tomatoes, drained - I used crushed, and poured the whole can in
1 28oz can enchilada sauce
1 14oz can chicken broth
2 4oz cans green chiles
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chopped onion
chicken* - I used 1 large chicken breast, but the recipe called for 4! I'd recommend 1-2.
salt
pepper
chili powder - I substituted cayenne
cumin

-Chop all vegetables.  I used my mini chopper and this was a huge timesaver compared to last week's Sausage & Tortellini soup! 
-Add everything to crock pot except chicken. (Spray crockpot with cooking spray or use a liner for easy clean up!) I went in this order - veggies, canned items, spices.  I don't think it matters much, but don't put the spices in first or they might get stuck on the bottom and not mix through well.  Stir well.
-I added an uncooked, partially still frozen chicken breast and then cooked on low 8 hours.  When I got home, I took out the chicken and shredded it with two forks.  Then, I returned the chicken to the crockpot and allow to heat through (I also added a little water at this point because it was looking fairly stew-like).  The recipe calls for adding cooked chicken to the soup mixture, which you can definitely do.  I don't know all the rules for uncooked chicken, but I think the temperature and length of time you are cooking kills any bacteria in the soup that comes from putting the raw chicken in it.  But, if you are concerned, you can always cook the chicken in the crockpot overnight, shred it in the morning and throw it in with the soup ingredients.

Now that its even cold in Texas, soup is the perfect thing to have for dinner!  Filling, healthy, and warms you up.  Try this one and let me know if you like it!

King Ranch Chicken

I'm surprised I haven't posted about this already - its one of our favorite chicken dishes! I just made it tonight with a little twist, so I'll tell you about two variations.

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel
1.5 cups chicken broth
12 tortillas, cut into quarters (pizza cutter works great for this!)
1/2 to 1 onion, chopped (amount to taste)
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1-2 cups shredded cheese (amount to taste)

To do:
-Mix soups, Rotel and chicken broth in large saucepan (a skillet might be too small, I use this piece and it works great).
-Add chicken and onion and cook for 10 minutes, covered.
-Spray a 9x13 or other baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
-Layer tortillas, 1/3 of soup mixture and 1/3 cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times.
-Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Please, no comments on our lack of vegetables. I'm pretty sure Rotel counts. :)

Tips:
-I sometimes use 2 cream of chicken soups rather than 1 mushroom/1 chicken. I had one batch of King Ranch turn out very mushroom-y which was not too good (but no prob if you like mushrooms!)
-Tonight, I substituted crushed tortilla chips for the tortillas, and barely noticed a difference.
-This reheats GREAT! Almost better than the first time, which, if you know me well, is a big claim for me to make. I'm usually anti-leftovers :)

Let me know if you try it and like it!

Smoky Chicken and Cheesy Potato Casserole

Recently, I got an email from Better Homes & Gardens with a bunch of casserole recipes. This is one of those - and its so easy! Here goes:

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8oz carton sour cream
6 oz smoked cheddar cheese, shredded (I used regular cheddar)
1 28oz package frozen loose-pack hash broens with onion and peppers, thawed (I used Simply Potatoes brand)
3 cups chopped chicken or turkey, cooked

To do:
-Lightly coat the inside of a 3 1/2-4 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
-In a bowl, mix all the ingredients then pour into the slow cooker.
-Cover and cook on low heat 5-6 hours. Makes 6 servings. (reheats great!)

I think this would be a great side dish if you omit the chicken, although it would be pretty substantial for a side.

Chicken Francais

This recipe came from the Cooking Light cookbook I checked out of the library awhile back. We made it for a friend that came over, and we all thought it was good. Here goes:

2 eggs
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 c parmesan
1/8 tsp salt
dash parsley
pinch hot pepper
1/4 c white wine
1 garlic clove
2 large/3 small chicken breasts
1/8 c flour
1/2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter

Mix first 8 ingredients together, using 1/2 lemon juice and 1/2 wine
Pound chicken t0 1/4" thickness
Dredge chicken in flour, then in egg mixture
Heat oil in skillet over medium and cook chicken 4 minutes on each side
Remove chicken, then add butter to melt in skillet
Add the other 1/2 of wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil
Cook 10 seconds then pour over chicken
Serve immediately

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

We made these enchiladas this week, and they were great! Pretty easy as well.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken, cooked
8 tortillas, softened
1 1/2 cup monterey jack or mexican cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 (15 oz can) chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can green chiles

Divide chicken into tortillas, add 1 1/2 tbsp of cheese to each.
Roll and place in 9x12 dish.
Melt butter in saucepan, add flour. Stir and cook until bubbly. Whisk in chicken broth.
Bring to boiling, stirring frequently, then remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream and chiles until well blended.
Pour sauce over enchiladas, and top with remaining cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

I typically cook the chicken in the crockpot with chicken broth, spices and some salsa. Then its super easy to shred for the enchiladas. I do think this sauce is maybe a little too sour creamy-it would probably be better if I was using real butter and sour cream rather than low fat :) But they are still very good!

Italian Chicken and Pastina by Giada

This is a yummy dinner recipe my roommates made in college. It is easy and a nice alternative to my typical meal for company- king ranch chicken!

Ingredients:
1 cup small pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken
1 clove garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Cook pasta until al dente- about 5 minutes. Cook chicken in oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic, cook 5 more minutes. Mix pasta, chicken, tomatoes, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Place mixture in a greased 8x8 pan. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle mixture over top and dot with butter. Bake until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. This is really only about 4 servings, so you should definitely double it or add more chicken if you need more servings (or have a lot of side dishes!)

Hope you like it!

Parmesan chicken tenders with marinara dipping sauce

Here is an easy weeknight meal that is really yummy.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
3/4 oz reduced fat parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
3 medium egg whites
1 lb uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 24 thin strips
1 cup marinara sauce, heated

1. Preheat oven to 400. Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine bread crumbs, cheese and garlic powder in a small, shallow bowl. Whip egg whites until foamy and place in another shallow bowl. Dip chicken first into egg whites and then into bread crumbs to coat thoroughly.
3. Please tenders on prepared pan and bake until crispy, about 25 minutes. Serve chicken with sauce.

Yields 6 chicken tenders and 1/4 cup of sauce per serving, makes 4 servings, each 6 points (apx 300 calories).

Hope you enjoy!