Salsa Chicken Skillet

Prep/Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups salsa
• 2 cups hot cooked rice
• 1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1. In a large skillet, sauté chicken in oil until no longer pink; drain and set aside. Coat skillet with cooking spray. Saute mushrooms, green pepper, onion, celery, corn and garlic for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add salsa and reserved chicken; heat through. Serve over rice. Top with cheese and sour cream.

Nutrition: (1 1/4 cups over 1/2 cup cooked rice with 1 tablespoon sour cream) 355 calories, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 66 mg cholesterol, 649 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 29 g protein.

Comments: I thought this dish was delicious and full of flavor. The salsa really added a lot to it since there are no other seasonings involved. I used medium salsa and, again, it was too hot for everybody else’s taste. They would have preferred a mild salsa. Leftovers tasted great even without the rice.

Chicken Jambalaya

Prep/Total Time: Prep 20 minutes, cook 1 hour

Yield: 6 servings

• 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
• 4 ounces reduced-fat smoked turkey sausage, diced
• 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery with leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 2 to 3 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) no-salt added diced tomatoes, undrained

1. In a large nonstick skillet lightly coated with cooking spray, sauté chicken for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the next 10 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes.
2. Stir in tomatoes; cover and simmer 10 minutes longer or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

The following spices may be substituted for the Creole seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon each paprika and the garlic powder, and a pinch each cayenne pepper, dried thyme and ground cumin.

Nutrition: (1 cup) 302 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 43 mg cholesterol, 452 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 21 g protein.

Comments: I like Cajun food, so this was really good too me. However, to everybody else, it was a little too spicy. I thought it had a lot of flavor and it still tasted good the next day as leftovers.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Prep/Total Time: 20 minutes prep, 15 minutes bake

Yield: 8 servings

• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried savory
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 1/2 cups 2 % milk
• 1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 8 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked and drained.

1. In a large nonstick skillet, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pin. Add the broth, carrots, celery and savory. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted. Pour over chicken mixture. Add noodles; mix well.
3. Transfer to a 3-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

Nutrition: (1 cup) 343 calories, 11 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 681 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 31 g protein.

Comments: This is now one of Tammy’s favorites. It had really good flavor and tasted a lot like home made chicken noodle soup. We used 1/4 tsp ground sage instead of the savory and skim milk instead of the 2 % milk.

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.

Smoked Sausage with Pasta

Prep/Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

• 4 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
• 1/2 pound reduced-fat smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups julienned seeded plum tomatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, sauté the sausage, mushrooms, garlic and basil in oil until the mushrooms are tender.
2. Drain the pasta; add to the sausage mixture. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper; toss gently. Heat through.

Nutrition: (1 1/4 cups) 258 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 611 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 16 g protein.

Comments: We used dried basil rather than fresh for the meal. It tasted alright. I like turkey, but I’m not a big fan of turkey sausage over pork sausage. It tasted a lot like having cut up pieces of hot dog. Was a really quick meal to prepare.

Crispy French Toast

Prep/Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 12 slices

• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 12 slices day-old French bread (3/4 inch thick)
• 1 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes

1. In a shallow dish, combine the egg substitute, milk, orange juice, vanilla and nutmeg. Add bread; soak for 5 minutes, turning once. Coat both sides of each slice with cornflake crumbs.
2. Place in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes; turn. Bake 5-8 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Nutrition: (1 slice) 147 calories, 1 g fat, Trace saturated fat, Trace cholesterol, 359 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein.

Comments: Had a different taste to them, but weren’t bad. We ate them with turkey bacon and hash browns. Next time I would just coat each side in the liquid rather than soak for 5 minutes. The bread came out a little soggy.

Crumb-Topped Scallops

Prep/Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon margarine, melted
• 1 to 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 pound sea scallops
• 6 fresh mushrooms, quartered
• 1 tablespoon white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Lemon wedges, optional

1. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, margarine and parsley; set aside. Place scallops and mushrooms in a 9-in. microwave-safe pie plate. Combine wine or broth, lemon juice and seasonings; pour over the scallop mixture.
2. Cover and microwave at 50% power for 1 1/2 minutes; drain. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Cover and microwave at 50% power 3 1/2 minutes longer or until scallops are opaque, stirring once. Serve with lemon if desired.

Nutrition: (prepared with reduced-sodium broth) 162 calories, 4 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 38 mg cholesterol, 321 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 21 g protein.

Comments: It was okay, but not the best scallops I’ve had. I’m the only one that ate them. Everybody else spit them out after one bite. Really quick to make. I’m not sure I like my scallops microwaved. I’d rather have them grilled.