Garlic Chicken with Orzo

This is one of our favorites! I usually use a lot more red pepper and garlic, because we are gluttons for punishment over here. You can easily use more spinach without killing the recipe, as well.

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Juice of one FRESH lemon
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
salt to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add orzo pasta, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the garlic and red pepper 1 minute, until garlic is golden brown. Stir in chicken, season with salt, and cook 2 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned and juices run clear.

Reduce heat to medium, and mix in the parsley and cooked orzo. Place spinach in the skillet. Squeeze lemon into pan. Continue cooking 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Vegetable Fried Rice

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons fresh or bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh or bottled minced ginger
3 cups mixed cut-up fresh vegetables (such as sweet peppers, red onion, mushrooms, broccoli, or thin carrots
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped bok choy
3 cups cold cooked white or brown rice
¼ reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

In a 12 inch nonstick skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook and stir for one minute. Add mixed vegetables and bok choy; cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender. Add rice and soy sauce; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with green onion.

(Note: You can also add chicken or shrimp with rice and soy sauce for a main dish.)

Mighty Mac and Cheese

1 1/3 cups dried corkscrew pasta or elbow macaroni
¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups milk
10 slices reduced fat American cheese, torn (7 ounces)
6 flavored crisp breadsticks (such as cheese or garlic) crushed

Preheat oven to 350*.

Cook pasta according to package. Drain; set aside.

Meanwhile, in medium saucepan stir together the milk powder, onion, flour, and salt. Gradually stir in the milk until mixture is smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low. Add the cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in the pasta. Spoon mixture into 1 ½ quart casserole dish.

Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until bubbly, stirring once and topping with crushed breadsticks after 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Smashed Potato Pot Pie

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon seasoned pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup milk
2 cups frozen peas and carrots
2 cups frozen cut green beans, thawed
2 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
1 20-ounce package refrigerated mashed potatoes (about 2 2/3 cups)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced (or more, I add tons of garlic)

Preheat oven to 375*.

In large saucepan, melt button over medium heat. Stir in flour, ¼ teaspoon of seasoned pepper, and salt. Add chicken broth and milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in thawed vegetables and cooked chicken. Pour into an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine mashed potatoes, cheese, garlic, and remaining pepper. Using a spoon, drop mixture in large mounds over chicken mixture in baking dish.

Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Honey Crusted Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken beast halves (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon orange juice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper (optional)
¾ cup cornflakes, crushed (to approx 1/3 cup)
½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly coat baking pan with cooking spray. Place chicken in pan.

In a small bowl, combine honey, orange juice, ginger, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Brush honey mixture over chicken.

Combine the corn flakes and parsley. Sprinkle cornflake mixture over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, for 18-20 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.

(Note: I like to keep the cornflakes pretty coarse, instead of grinding them into dust. It adds a lot of crunch!)

Pineapple Beef

12 ounces beef top round steak
1 8-ounce can pineapple slices
2 tablespoons reduced- sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 green onions, sliced
1 6-ounce package frozen snap peas
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
2 cups hot cooked rice

Thinly slice meat across the grain into bite-size strips. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Cut pineapple slices into quarters and set aside.

In a bowl stir together pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Add meat and stir until coated. Cover and marinate meat at room temperature for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving marinade. For sauce, stir in cornstarch and set aside.

Lightly coat unheated skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. Add meat and green onions. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until meat is to desired doneness. Push from center of skillet.

Stir sauce; add to center of skillet. Cook and stir over medium to high heat until thickened and bubbly. Add pineapple, pea pods, and tomato. Coke and stir for an additional 2 minutes. Serve immediately over cooked rice.

My Own Pasta Bake

8 ounces dried penne
1 14-ounce can whole Italian-style tomatoes, undrained.
½ of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) Italian-style tomato paste
¼ cup tomato juice
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)
¼ cup sliced pitted olives
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375*. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato juice, sugar, dried oregano, and pepper. Cover and blend or process until smooth.

In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium high heat until meat is brown. Drain off fat. Stir in tomato mixture. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in pasta, fresh oregano, and olives.

Divide the mixture among 6 10- to 12- ounce casseroles and bake covered for 15 minutes. Or, spoon all of mixture into 2-quart casserole and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and return to oven for approximately 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

(Note: This can be frozen in portion size containers. Also, I like to use fresh tomatoes when available. You can also add fresh or powdered garlic for some extra flavor.)