Southwest Lasagna Rolls

Another different style recipe that crosses Mexican food with Italian. On the scale of 1-10, I would rate it about a seven. It had a good Mexican taste that blended well with the ricotta cheese and the lasagna noodles. Noah, however, ruined it when he said it looked like cat throw up, which after he said it, the mix between the noodles does kind of show resemblance. He did eventually eat it and liked it once he tried it.

Cost: About $10.50 ($1.31 per serving) - Chili Man Black Bean Vegetarian Chili 15 oz ($1.55), Schnucks Part Skim Ricotta Cheese 15 oz ($2.19), Schnucks Shredded Mexican Cheese 8 oz ($1.89), Schnucks Mild Diced Green Chilies 4 oz ($0.69), Schnucks Taco Seasoning Mix ($0.43), Taco Bell Thick n Chunky Salsa 16 oz ($2.19), Kroger Lasagna Noodles ($1.59).

Prep: 20 minutes

Bake: 35 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

• 1 can (15 oz) fat-free vegetarian chili
• 1 carton (15 oz) part skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup (4 oz) shredded Mexican cheese
• 1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
• 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
• 1 jar (16 oz) salsa

1. In a large bowl, combine the chili, cheeses, chilies, taco seasoning and salt. Spread about 1/2 cup on each noodle; carefully roll up.
2. Place seam side down in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Cover and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Uncover; top with salsa. Bake 10 minutes longer or until heated through.

Nutrition: (1 lasagna roll) 257 calories, 7.0 g fat, 3.8 g saturated fat, 23.3 mg cholesterol, 742.2 mg sodium, 34.6 g carbohydrate, 3.6 g fiber, 6.3 g sugars, 14.0 g protein.

Ham Mushroom Fettuccine

Prep/Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

• 12 ounces uncooked fettuccine
• 3/4 pound fully cooked lean ham, cubed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

1. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté ham in oil until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion to skillet; sauté for 4 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté three minutes longer.
2. Stir in the flour, rosemary and pepper until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; add peas and sour cream. Cook 2 minutes longer. Drain fettuccine; stir into the mushroom mixture. Add ham; heat through.

Nutrition: (1 1/3 cups) 334 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 29 mg cholesterol, 876 mg sodium, 46 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 21 g protein.

Comments: A great way to use up leftover ham and a nice alternative to other fettuccine recipes. We used turkey ham for the recipe.

Chicken Pasta Primavera

Prep/Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

• 6 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 package (16 ounces) frozen California-blend vegetables, thawed
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the soup, water, lemon juice, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in vegetables; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Stir in the chicken; heat through. Drain spaghetti; add to chicken mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition: (1 1/3 cups) 342 calories, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 78 mg cholesterol, 526 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 35 g protein.

Comments: We used fresh chicken, about 2 pounds, so it took longer since we had to cook it first. I thought it had a little too strong of a lemon juice flavor, so next time I would cut that down to about 1/2 a tablespoon. Overall, wasn’t bad.

Provencal Chicken Strips

If you keep your pantry stocked, this elegant yet easy dish can become a quick weeknight dinner. Pick up chicken tenders on your way home from work and you won’t even have to cut up the chicken breasts.

Makes 4 servings

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch strips
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6-8 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 3 cups hot cooked whole-wheat pasta

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the chicken, stirring constantly, 4 minutes. Add the shallot and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, 2-4 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, capers, vinegar, and rosemary. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Serve the chicken misture over the pasta.

Per Serving (about 1 1/2 cups chicken and pasta mixture): 266 Cal, 5 g Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 47 mg Chol, 118 mg Sod, 33 g Carb, 4 g Fib, 24 g Prot, 35 mg Calc.

POINTS value: 5

Comments: This was another meal that I was pretty much the only one that liked it. I didn’t use the capers and we ate it over pesto noodles. I also sprinkled some grated parmesan cheese over it. It tasted really good to me the next day as well for lunch.

Mushroom Whole-Wheat Calzones

With quick-rising yeast, this Italian favorite is ready to eat in half the usual time. To reheat in a hurry, microwave, covered with a paper towel for about 30 seconds.

Makes 4 servings

2/3 cup lukewarm (105-115 F) water)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope rapid-rise active dry yeast
1 cup bread flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms
1/2 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3/4 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
1 cup tomato sauce, heated

1. In a small bowl, combine the lukewarm water and the sugar; sprinkle on the yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. In a food processor, combine the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, and salt. With the machine running, scrape the yeast mixture through the feed tube just until the dough forms a ball. Knead the dough by pulsing until it is smooth and elastic, 20-30 times.
3. Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray; place the dough in the bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume, 30-45 minutes.
4. Meanwhile,s pray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; heat. Add the onion and oregano; saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
5. In the skillet, cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until most of their liquid evaporates, about 25 minutes. Stir in the onion and the spinach; set aside.
6. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Punch down the dough; lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour. Turn out the dough; divide into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece into a 7-inch circle. Mound the vegetables and the cheese in the center of each piece of dough, then fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges to seal tightly. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 30 minutes.
7. While the calzones rise, adjust the racks to divide the oven into thirds. Fill a shallow roasting pan with 2 inches hot water; place on the bottom oven rack. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bake the calzones on the top rack until they just begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately, with the tomato sauce on the side.

Per Serving (1 calzone): 278 Cal, 2 g Fat, 0 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 2 mg Chol, 1,179 mg Sod, 50 g Carb, 6 g Fib, 17 g Prot, 240 mg Calc.

POINTS value: 5.

Comments: The calzones were pretty good. I think next time we'd try it without the spinach; which took over most of the taste. It would probably taste good just with the mushrooms, onions and cheese. You could also put other toppings in there instead of the spinach. We used spaghetti sauce to dip it into instead of plain tomato sauce.