Tag Archives: cheese

Grilled Chicken Florentine Pasta

I have to say that I’m pretty happy about the fact that I don’t eat nearly as much pasta as I used to. Considering at one point, about ten years ago, I ate pasta on a nightly basis (with nary a vegetable in sight), the once in a blue moon pasta I now have is all that more enjoyable. I could very easily get back into a routine of eating pasta all the time but I actually like only eating it once in a while. In an Italian restaurant, if I’m going to splurge on pasta, the first thing I look for is some kind of pasta mixed with veggies in a cream sauce. It’s bad, I know, but it’s what I love when I let myself eat it. This Grilled Chicken Florentine Pasta is a perfect pasta dinner, in my humble opinion, which can easily be made at home.

Milk, chicken broth and Parmesan cheese are cooked until thick and bubbly before being mixed with spinach to create a creamy Florentine sauce. Chicken, which has been grilled, is added with freshly cooked linguine to the sauce to make a light pasta dish reminiscent of pasta alfredo. This was such a simple pasta dish to make and can easily be made with any preferred pasta, any preferred cheese, or any preferred vegetable. Instead of bone-in chicken, I used chicken tenderloins but I think precooked rotisserie chicken would be a great quick substitute also. A dish with such versatility is one that I can really get behind. Because the creamy sauce is made with broth in addition to the milk helps to keep calories down without sacrificing flavor. I used 1% lowfat milk instead of whole milk and I didn’t feel like any flavors were sacrificed. If you are looking for a warm, comfort food pasta dish, try this!

The ingredients:

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill until internal temperature reads 165 degrees.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain well; keep warm.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add flour and garlic; cook until garlic is browned (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly.

Add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk; bring to a simmer, and cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and spinach; stir until spinach wilts.

Add pasta and chicken; toss to combine.

Top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Chicken tenderloins
1% lowfat milk

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Pico de Gallo Bruschetta

July has been one hot month for us in the Northeast and now that the humidity has broken (at least temporarily), maybe I’ll actually start using my stove or oven again. On really hot days, when you can’t get your thermostat to get any cooler than 80 degrees, sometimes you want to do as little moving around as possible. On days like that, I have to find something light to eat and this Pico de Gallo Bruschetta seemed like a good bet.

Crusty baguette slices are toasted and lightly covered with cheese before being topped with fresh tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, basil and lime juice. The result is a light and summery bite that seems perfect for a warm night. Although you have to turn the oven on briefly to toast the bread, it’ll be worth it in the end but honestly, you could just scoop this cool tomato mixture right on untoasted bread. Do whatever you feel like, just stay cool doing it!

The ingredients:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush baguette slices with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet. Bake 7 minutes or until light golden brown.

Remove from oven; sprinkle evenly with cheese, and bake 1 minute or until cheese is melted.

Combine tomatoes and remaining ingredients in a bowl; spoon mixture onto bread slices.

Serve immediately.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Basil instead of cilantro

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Coastal Living Magazine

Spinach, Green Onion and Smoked Gouda Quiche

I like cheese but for the most part, I could take it or leave it. This comment generally surprises anyone I tell this to who usually comes right back and says “I love cheese!” like I have something wrong with me. Aside from Cheese Wiz with my soft pretzels or a slice of creamy American on my turkey burger, I didn’t really have a hankering for cheese. Until smoked Gouda came along. I can’t remember the first time I was introduced to this wonderful cheese but I do remember my friend Lori and I shielding the cheese table at a charity benefit a few years ago so that no one could get to the smoked Gouda without going through us first. So it’s no wonder that this Spinach, Green Onion and Smoked Gouda Quiche recipe had me at hello. I love me some spinach but without the smoked Gouda in this title, I might have otherwise passed it by.

Fresh baby spinach and scallions are sautéed until wilted and added to a mixture of low-fat mix, eggs, and shredded smoked Gouda. Poured into a homemade, simple crust and baked until golden brown, this quiche is not the pretentious quiche you might have grown up hating. This quiche is fresh and smoky, light and filling. The crust itself requires some patience and the final product is pretty boring so next time I might just use a store-bought crust. Either way, the smoky cheese and creamy texture of this quiche is the real winner and I’ve realized boring quiches needn’t be so boring after all.

The ingredients:

To prepare crust, place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Combine milk, salt, and egg yolk in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add milk mixture to butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour; beat just until combined. Press mixture into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover. Chill for 1 hour.

Unwrap and place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 10-inch circle. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze 15 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.