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.

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.