Tag Archives: cheese

Chicken Salad Melts

Why is lunch such a pain? Breakfast is easy. Dinner is usually easy. But lunch? You need something to keep you going that won’t fill you up so much that you can’t get through the rest of a long afternoon. Do you need a super easy, super quick lunch? Well I do! I’ve been working from home lately but that doesn’t mean I’m left with all kinds of time to sit and have a nice long lunch. Between meetings, conference calls and a lot of work to do, I need something fast. These Chicken Salad Melts are perfect for a quick little bite that won’t take up a lot of time and won’t leave you needing a nap right away.

Precooked rotisserie chicken (a busy girl’s lifesaver) is mixed with fat-free Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, and scallions. The mixture is covered in cheddar cheese and broiled until melted and gooey. Thin slices of fresh apple and leaves of Bibb lettuce round out this little sandwich which can be easily made ahead of time and wrapped up to-go (just heat up the cheese in a microwave or leave it off completely). I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of using Greek yogurt in chicken salad but if there is a nice balance with some light mayonnaise, it can actually provide a nice little tang that you wouldn’t normally get. Give these a try. I mean, it beats yet another boring can of soup or unsatisfying frozen meal!

Preheat broiler to high. Combine chicken, yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, salt, pepper and scallions in a medium bowl; stir well.

Place 1/3 cup chicken mixture on bottom half of each muffin. Top evenly with cheese. Broil 1 minute or until cheese melts.

Top sandwiches evenly with apple, lettuce, and top halves of muffins.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Light mayonnaise

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Cheesy Penne with Broccoli

I’ve mentioned this before but I’m shocked by how little I eat pasta anymore. When I was a vegetarian, it was all I ate. Which may be why I never lost weight. Now, I appreciate a good pasta meal but I don’t crave it (thankfully). I had some milk and cheese in my refrigerator that I didn’t know what to do with and some lingering penne that just never seemed to go away. This is typically how I decide what foods to make – by looking at what’s left in my fridge/pantry. Because even though I love to cook, I don’t love to spend a lot of money at the grocery. This Cheesy Penne with Broccoli was an easy way for me to use up some leftover staples I had hanging around my kitchen without having to spend a dime.

Cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, and cheddar cheese are all melted into an easy milky cream sauce and poured over cooked penne and boiled broccoli. The result is this hearty dish which will satisfy any pasta craving you have. The cheese sauce, even with it’s three cheeses, it light and thin enough to be a backup singer to this song. And even though I get weak (in a good way) when mustard is added to cheese sauce, the best part (in my opinion) is the broccoli. I mean, broccoli and cheese? Yes please. I have to point out that broccoli being my favorite anything is something that never would have come out of my childhood mouth. My how things have changed. Now, I won’t even consider pasta unless it has a veggie in it.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add broccoli to pan; drain. Place pasta and broccoli in a large bowl.

Combine milk and flour in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened; remove from heat.

Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan, cream cheese, Dijon, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cheddar cheese, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

Add cheese mixture to pasta mixture; toss.

Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Whole-wheat penne
Whole grain Dijon

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Smoky, Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Empanadas with Chimichurri Dipping Sauce

I was in Buenos Aires for work last week and was either working, eating, drinking, or sleeping and didn’t have time for blogging or much else. In Argentina, people don’t eat dinner until sometime after 9pm. One night, we didn’t even finish eating until after 12:30am! I was worried about finding something to eat in Buenos Aires since I’d heard that they eat a lot of meat down there, primarily beef and pork, both of which I don’t eat. But luckily, they had plenty of grilled chicken, plenty of fried cheese, and tasty cheese empanadas. The empanada options there were typically either cheese or pork so I decided to come home and make my own with some chicken and spinach. The result were these Smoky, Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Empanadas with Chimichurri Dipping Sauce.

Precooked chicken, cheese, spinach, onion and pimientos are combined with a creamy mixture of cream cheese and smoked paprika before being folded into empanada dough and baked until golden brown. A quick chimichurri sauce of parsley, oregano, onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and red pepper flake adds a bold, fresh flavor which would also be a great addition to any beef, chicken or pasta dish. These empanadas are full of flavor and are perfect for a small meal on the go.

Tip: I found the empanada dough discs in the freezer section of my market, near the international and vegetarian frozen meals. To quickly thaw the dough, remove the discs from the packaging, separate them by the paper between each one and sit at room temperature while you make the filling.

Smoky, Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Empanadas with Chimichurri Dipping Sauce (makes 10 empanadas)

For the empanadas:

1/2 pound rotisserie or leftover chicken, shredded
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped pimientos
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 ounces 1/3-less fat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce package frozen empanada discs, thawed (such as Goya Empanada Discs)
1 egg

For the chimichurri sauce:

2 cups flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup fresh oregano
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
salt and red pepper flake to taste

To prepare the empanadas, cook spinach according to package directions. Drain and cool slightly. In a bowl, mix chicken, spinach, mozzarella cheese, pimientos, onion, and pepper.

In a small saucepan, mix broth with cornstarch. Add cream cheese and smoked paprika. Whisk over high heat until mixture is boiling, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape over chicken mixture and combine well, adding salt to taste.

Place thawed empanada discs on a flat service. Stretch each disc carefully to expand dough slightly. On each disc, spoon heaping 2 tablespoons of chicken mixtures.

Fold dough over filling to form a semi-circle, then fold edges together and pinch to seal, using a fork. Gently place empanadas, slightly apart, on baking sheet.