Creamy Lemon Tortellini Bake

Oh my... this looks really good to me. Also from Emily Bites. I'm looking for some WW/low calorie-ish recipes, so expect some more, people.

Ingredients:
12 oz package of dry Cheese & Spinach Tortellini (I used Barilla – find in the dry pasta aisle)
2 slices center cut bacon
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T flour
2 c skim milk
¾ t salt
1/8 t black pepper
1 ½ t dried basil
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 t lemon zest
2 c fresh spinach, loose, not packed
1 ½ oz Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2/3 c reduced fat 2% shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Lightly coat an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Cook the tortellini in a large pot according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, place bacon in a sauté pan or large skillet and bring over medium-high heat. Cook for 7-9 minutes until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and place on paper towels to dry. Leave one tablespoon of bacon grease in the pan (if you have less than that like I did you may want to add a little butter to make up the difference. I counted one tablespoon of bacon grease in the recipe builder. If you want to make this vegetarian then just skip the bacon altogether and use butter). Add the garlic to the bacon grease and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour to the pan and whisk into grease. Add the milk slowly and continue to whisk until combined. Add the salt, pepper, basil and red pepper flakes and stir. Bring sauce to a simmer.
4. Once sauce is simmering, add lemon juice and lemon zest to sauce. Stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
5. Drain the tortellini and place back into the pot. Crumble the bacon and set aside. Add the spinach along with most of the Parmesan and the Mozzarella (reserve some of each to sprinkle on top). Add the sauce and stir everything together to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan, Mozzarella and bacon over the top.
6. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes.

Yields 6 servings. WW P+: 9 per serving

Pumpkin, Cranberry and Apple Baked Oatmeal

I want, no, I NEED to make this. It sounds so fall-ish. Got this from Emily Bites, who got it from My Kitchen Addiction who got it from Two Peas and their Pod.

Ingredients:
2 c old-fashioned oats
1/3 c wheat germ
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
¼ t salt
1 t baking powder
½ c dried cranberries
1 ½ c skim milk
½ c canned pumpkin
1 ½ T unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 t vanilla extract
1 c apples, chopped
1/3 c chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly mist a 7 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and cranberries and stir to mix. In a separate bowl, stir together the milk, pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients and apples to the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the pecans over the top and bake for 20 minutes until top is golden. Slice into eight pieces and serve.

Yields 8 servings. WW P+: 6 per serving

Szechuan Chicken Recipe

From laloosh.com...apparently all the recipes I am finding are for Asian foods.


Healthy Szechuan Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1lb pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
Sauce
- 3 tbsp fat free chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Directions:
To prepare Szechuan sauce: Whisk broth, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, coriander, black pepper and crushed red pepper in a small bowl.
To prepare chicken: Combine chicken, rice wine (or sherry), soy sauce, cornstarch and garlic in a medium bowl; mix thoroughly.
Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large skillet over high heat. Add oil into the pan, then add ginger and onion. Stirfry for about 30 seconds. Then add the chicken mixture. Cook until the chicken begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Continue stir-frying until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides, another 1 to 2 minutes. Add broccoli, peanuts, and bell pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Now stir the Szechuan sauce into the pan and stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened and glossy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with scallions. Serve immediately.

Entire recipe makes 4 servings
Serving size is 1 cup
Each serving = 6 Points +

PER SERVING: 233 calories; 10g fat; 11g carbohydrates; 28g protein; 4g fiber

Asian Chicken and Vegetables with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Found this recipes on emily bites, a website that has lower calorie meals. Since I am trying to plan some healthier meals, I wanted to save this recipe to try later. As always, I will NOT be using scallions. Blech.

Asian Chicken and Vegetables with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
1 c fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth
2 T peanut butter
2 t soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
1 T sriracha (Thai hot sauce – found by the other Asian products)
1 T sugar
12 scallions (green onions), cut into small pieces
12 oz bag of broccoli slaw (can usually be found in the produce section by the bagged salad)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 T of crushed or chopped peanuts (I pounded mine with a meat mallet)

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine the chicken broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, sriracha and sugar. Stir together and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer. Keep simmering over low heat throughout the remaining steps.
2. Lightly mist a large sauté pan or skillet with cooking spray and add the broccoli slaw, scallions and ½ cup of the peanut sauce. Stir to combine and bring to a medium-high heat. Cook until the vegetables are tender and sauce is absorbed (5-8 minutes). Transfer vegetables to a separate dish and cover to keep warm. Set aside.
3. Mist the pan with cooking spray again and bring it back over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, the garlic and 2 tablespoons of the peanut sauce and cook until chicken is cooked through.
4. Mound the vegetables evenly onto four plates and top with the chicken. Spoon the remaining peanut sauce over the top of each plate. Sprinkle crushed peanuts over the top and serve.

Yields 4 servings. WW P+: 7 per serving

Pepperoni Rolls

I went to a party in New Hampshire last weekend and made what I think is a pretty common snack, pepperoni rolls. Only one girl actually knew what they were, and she's from WV too! However, everyone seemed to love them and we blew through a good 47 or so of them. I may or may not have eaten a few myself...

Pepperoni Rolls

Frozen yeast rolls
pepperoni
mozzarella cheese

Thaw the rolls and let rise according to the package directions. Once risen, take 2-3 pieces of pepperoni and a small sliver of mozzarella and place on top of the roll. Stretch the dough around the filling and pinch it closed (like a tiny calzone). Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake according to the roll directions on the bag. These are tasty served warm, but perfectly wonderful after they have reached room temp also.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

A friend linked to this recipe on Facebook. It's from a blog called www.howsweeteats.com. I love Buffalo Chicken dip, so really, how could I not love this? I need to try this. Soon. Like this weekend soon.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Pasta

serves 4-6

1 pound pasta (I used whole wheat orecchiette)
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into chunks
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cups milk
4 ounces grated monterey jack cheese (I used half a brick) + more for topping
1/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese + more for topping
1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

for garnish: 3/4 cup chopped green onions, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, additional buffalo wing sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare water for pasta and cook according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, and once it’s melted and bubbly add the flour. Whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture gets a bit golden in color. Add milk, stir and turn down heat to low. Continue stirring until milk thickens. Add in grated cheeses and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. Stir in buffalo wing sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Spray a baking dish (9 x 13 is fine, I used a round 4-inch deep dish) with non-stick spray. Add pasta and chicken, then pour cheese sauce over and mix throughly until everything is coated. Sprinkle with additional grated cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately top with gorgonzola, green onions and cilantro. Drizzle with buffalo wing sauce.

General Tso's Chicken

Found this recipe on Taste and Tell Blog. Who found it from another blogger, who found it from another blogger and so on and so on. I haven't tried it yet though. I'm thinking it might need some heat, so maybe some Sriracha? And you know I'll skip the green onions because I hate them.

General Tso’s Chicken
adapted from Coup De Pouce Magazine
serves 4

total time: about 30 minutes

1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3-4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
6-8 green onions chopped, plus more for serving
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
hot pepper flakes (optional)
sesame seeds (optional)
hot rice, for serving

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and water. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Dredge the chicken in the cornstarch and shake off any excess. Cook the chicken in the olive oil until browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet and cover with foil to keep warm.

Using a paper towel, wipe the skillet clean. Add the sesame oil, green onions and ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer mixture for 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the chicken back into the skillet, toss to coat with sauce, and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve garnished with green onions, hot pepper flakes (if desired) and sesame seeds (if desired).

Classic Tomato Soup

Now my favorite tomato soup is Campbell's and my favorite way to eat it is with a white bread grilled american cheese sandwich. I'm high class like that.

But maybe, just maybe I should branch out and try this recipe, again from Cook's Country magazine. We shall see...

Classic Tomato Soup

2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
salt and pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Drain tomoatoes, reserving juice, pressing lightly to release juice. Mix juice with chicken broth.
2. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minute. Add 2/3 of drained tomatoes, bay leaf and brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
3. Add tomato paste and flour to pot and cook, stirring frequently, until paste begins to darken (1 to 2 minutes). Slowly stir in juice/broth mixture, remaining tomatoes, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Discard bay leaf. Puree soup in batches. Return pureed soup to pot and stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. (Soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days.)

Paprika Potatoes

This recipe is from Cook's Country Magazine. It looks tasty.

Paprika Potatoes

2 lbs baby red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
1/4 cup EVOO
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper

1. Place cut potatoes in colander. Rinse under cold water until water runs clear, about 1 minute. Drain.
2. Heat 1 Tbs oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and 1 tsp paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add potatoes, broth, and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered until potatoes are just tender 12 to 15 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates, about 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Whisk remaining oil and remaining paprika in small bowl. Ad paprika oil to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.