Italian Orzo Spinach Soup

When it is single digits outside on a Saturday, what better to make then a hot and hearty soup.  This soup made my house smell delicious for hours and tastes as good as it smelled!  With the use of whole wheat orzo as the Pinterest post suggests, this soup is a healthy lunch or dinner choice.  For this recipe you will need the following:

     2 tbsp olive oil
     1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
     1 cup diced carrots
     1 cup diced celery
     1.5 tsp minced garlic
     6 cups chicken or veggie stock, which ever you prefer
     1 (14 oz) can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
     1.5 cups whole wheat orzo pasta
     1/2 tsp dried thyme
     1 tsp dried oregano
     1/2 tsp dried basil
     4 cups loosely packed baby spinach
     Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large stock pan (dutch oven) over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until soft.  Add carrots, celery, and garlic; saute for 3 more minutes.  Add stock, tomatoes, orzo pasta, thyme, oregano, basil, and stir to combine.  Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (making sure orzo isn't sticking to the bottom), until the orzo is al dente.
    Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and wilted.  Season with salt and pepper as needed and enjoy!

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo - Skinny Girl Style

When I was younger chicken alfredo was my favorite pasta dish; I ordered it every time I went to an Italian resturaunt.  I would eat the entire bowl or plate with a thought of how bad that heavy creamed bowl of deliciousness was for me.  That was until one day I was at the Italian Oven, an Italian resturaunt in my home town with some friends and the one girl was a hardcore athelete and healthy and when I ordered my usual plate of goodness, she was sure to tell me 'You know that is a heart attack on a plate'.  Every since that day, when I did order chicken alfredo, I do so only hearing those words echo in my head......until I would this recipe on Pinterest, from iowagirleats.com and tweaked it a but more to make it even healthier.  This healthy verison of alfredo is a God sent!  It uses my new favorite cooking ingredient - Greek yogurt!  To make this health version of an old classic, you will need the following:

     1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped and cooked, seasoned with salt/pepper or 

         my favorite seasoning Crazy Janes 

     2 cups of cooked broccoli

     8 ounces of whole wheat rotini

     2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

     2 tsps minced garlic

     2 tbsp of flour

     1 cup chicken broth 

     1/4 cup skim milk

     1/4 cup of fat free plain greek yogurt 

     3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 

     Salt and pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining; set aside.

     Heat olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook, stirring consistently until golden brown, about 1 minute.  Sprinkle in theflour then whisk to mix it in and cool for an additional minute.  

    Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, then the milk.  Then add greek yogurt, salt, and pepper, whisking it all together.  Then turn the heat down to low and let the mixture simmer until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes.  

     Turn off the heat and the stir in the parmesan cheese, then the chicken and pasta.  Finally add the broccoli and stir to mix.  Sprinkle a little cheese on top of each serving and enjoy!

Three Cheese Penne Pasta

When you think of pasta and cheese, you rarely think of a dish that is healthy for you.  However with a couple of simple changes, you can turn it into a healthy, low calorie dish!  For this recipe you will need the following:

     1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
     1/2 tsp minced garlic
     24 oz jar of your favorite tomato sauce
     12 oz of penne pasta (whole wheat or regular, your choice)
     1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
     1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
     2 cups of part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese (I used the 6 cheese Italian Blend from Giant &
        calories are the same)
     1 tsp black pepper
     1 tbsp of fresh oregano (1 tsp dried)
     1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley (1 tsp dried)
     1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (if you like to spice it up)

     Preheat the oven to 375.  Cook the pasta according to the directions to al dente, about 10  minutes.
     In a large skillet over medium heat, add a small amount of oil to the pan and cook the onion and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes.  Turn down the heat to medium-low.  Add the entire jar of pasta sauce to the onion and garlic, stir.
     In a medium size bowl combine cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and 1 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and all the spices. 
     In a 9x13 pan, add 1/2 the pasta mixture to the pan.  Then spread all the cheese mixture evenly on top of the pasta.  Next layer with the remaining pasta.  Sprinkle the top with the rest of the shredded cheese.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and then enjoy! 
1cup=198 calories! 

Japanesse Zucchini and Onions

Yes this is another zucchini recipe.  I think I have a mild obsession, but it is just so good and so versitile.  You can prepare it a million different ways and it goes with everything.  I am always looking for new veggie recipes as sides with Asian food instead of the old stand by of broccoli, so I was thrilled when I found this simple recipe on Pinterest.  For this recipe you will need the following:

     2 tbsp olive oil
     1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
     2 medium zucchinis, cut into thin strips
     2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
     1 tbsp soy sauce (I use low sodium to be healthier)
     1 tbsp toasted seasame seeds
     ground pepper

     Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Stir in onions, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add zucchini, and cook, stirring, for about one minute.  Stir in the teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and seasame seeds.  Cook until zucchini are tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the ground pepper, and serve immediately.  Oh and enjoy!

Veggie and Cheese Orzo

This is a terrific summer side dish for BBQ chicken.  In addition, it is actually pretty health when prepared as stated, only 200 calories per serving, which I calculated was about a heaping cup.  I will say it was hard to find whole wheat orzo, even at Wegmans, but it is still healthy when made with regular orzo.  For this recipe you will need the following:

     1 small garlic clove (or 1/2 tsp of minced garlic like I used)
     1 small shallot
     1 cup of baby carrots
     1 cup of broccoli florets
     2 tbsp of olive oil
     1 cup of white or whole wheat orzo
     1/2 tsp of salt
     1 cup water
     1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
     1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

     Place the shallot and garlic (even if you are using the already  minced) in the food processor and pulse to chop.  Add the baby carrots and broccoli florets to the food processor and pulse; scraping down the sides half way until it is finely chopped. 
     In a large stock pot, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat and saute the chopped veggies, raw orzo, and salt for 4 minutes, stirring continuously.
     Add the water and broth to the pot, increase to medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.  Then lower to medium heat and cook for 10 minutes uncovered, or until the liquid starts to evaporate and the mixture thickens.  NOTE: I found it took more then 10 minutes, so you will need to judge it for yourself.  I did find covering it made it thicken quicker.
     Finally add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine, then enjoy! 

Tex Mex Summer Squash Casserole

When I think of summer I definitely think of squash and zucchini.  Although, I do eat it year round, when summer rolls around I eat it at least three times a week, therefore I am always looking for new ways to prepare it.  So when I tried this recipe I found in Taste of Home magazine, I knew it was a definite keeper.  It has tons of flavor and it is easily divided in half when you don't need to feed 10 people lol.  You can also modify it and change things, like my friend Emil did when she added bacon.  For this recipe you will need the following:

     7 medium yellow summer squash, sliced (about 10 cups)
     2 1/14 cup shredded cheddar cheese
     1 medium yellow onion, chopped
     1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
     1 can (4 oz) diced jalapeno peppers, drained
     1/4 cup flour
     1/2 tsp of salt
     1 tsp of cumin
     2-3 tsp taco seasoning
     2 tsp of cilantro
     3/4 cup of salsa
     4 green onions, diced
     1/4 cup of red onion, chopped

     Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the squash, 3/4 cup of cheese, yellow onion, chilies, and jalapeno peppers.  Sprinkle with flour, salt, and other spices; stir gently to combine.
     Transfer the squash mixture to a greased 13x9 inch baking dish.  Bake, covered, 30-40 minutes or until squash in tender.
     Remove from the oven, and spoon the salsa over the top; sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 cups of cheese.  Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes or longer until the cheese is golden brown.  Let it stand for 10 minutes.  Top with the green and red onions, and then enjoy!
    

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers

I was never a big fan of stuffed peppers, until I found this recipe!  Probably because of my love for wings is why I loved this recipe.  The chicken mixture if so good that you could use it for many other things - buffalo chicken tacos, buffalo chicken sandwich - the possibilities are endless.  To make it easier to bake the peppers, I recommend that you get you use female peppers - peppers that have four nubs on the bottom - they stand up better in the baking dish.  For this recipe you will need the following:

     1.5 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
     1 medium yellow onion, sliced
     1/2 tsp of dried parsley
     1/2 tsp dried dill
     1/2 tsp dried chives
     1/2 tsp garlic powder
     1/2 tsp onion powder
     1/2 tsp sea salt
     1/2 tsp pepper
     4 yellow or orange peppers, tops cut off & seeds cleaned out
     1/2 cup of your favorite wing sauce (I used Wegmans wing sauce)
     1/4 cup of unsalted butter
     1/4 to 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese (depends on how much you like cheese)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all your dried spices together in small bowl; set aside.  Next you will poach your chicken by doing the following.  Cut the chicken breasts into 2-3 pieces and then place in the bottom of a sauce pan.  Add water to cover the chicken and about an additional two inches of water.  Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer; simmering the chicken uncovered for about 10 minutes.  Then turn off the heat, cover, and let the chicken stand for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.  While the chicken is cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat.  Once melted stir in the wing sauce and sit aside.  Once the chicken is done, shred chicken using two forks.  Place the shredded chicken back in the saucepan (after you dump the water), add the onions and mixed spices.  Simmer on medium heat until the onions are tender, stir occasionally.  Add the wing sauce mixture to the chicken mixture and stir to coat the chicken mixture.  Stuff the peppers with chicken mixture and then sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until the peppers are softened to your liking and then enjoy!