Mozzarella chicken spinach roll-ups

Happy Valentine's Day! Yesterday, I received beautiful roses from my husband! He told me that the second part of my Valentine's gift was that he was going to cook dinner for me today.  Well, when he arrived home from work two hours early, carrying a box of tissues, I knew that his plan of cooking was probably no longer in place.  My poor husband was sick.  So, I decided that sickness or not, we were still going to have a special Valentine's day dinner! His plan was to make some sort of chicken breast, so it was all defrosted and ready to go.  I, however, am always left wondering what to do with chicken breast.  So, after searching some recently "pinned" recipes, I decided to give Chicken Rollatinis with Spinach a try! Though Hubby isn't a huge fan of spinach, he does enjoy chicken, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese! If I can sneak in a little vegetables, that is a bonus! Plus, they make a great presentation when trying to set up a pretty plate! Here is my adaptation of this recipe, adapted from skinnytaste.com.  I hope you enjoy it!


Servings: 6
WW PPV: 7 

Ingredients: 
- 6 thin chicken breasts (I used 3 thick breasts, sliced in half)
- 1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup egg whites, divided
- 8 tbs. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
- marinara sauce
- olive oil cooking spray

Start by pounding chicken breasts flat.  (If you've never done this, a tip is to stick a few in a zipped gallon ziplock bag, and pound with flat side of mallet until thin and even). 

Next, mix together ricotta cheese, spinach, all but 2 Tbs. parmesan cheese, 

2 Tbs. mozzarella cheese, and 2 Tbs. egg whites.

Spread the ricotta mixture across the center of each flattened chicken breast, leaving border along all edges.

Next, set up breading station by combing bread crumbs and remaining parmesan cheese

and pouring onto a large plate.  Pour egg whites into bowl.

Roll up each chicken breast from narrowest end, loosely.  Dip in egg whites, followed by bread crumb mixture covering all sides of chicken.  Place seam side down into greased 9x13 pan (no need to use toothpicks).  Spray tops with olive oil cooking spray.

Bake at 450* for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven.

Cover with 1-2 Tbs. marinara sauce, followed by 1-2 Tbs. shredded mozzarella cheese.  Replace in oven from 3-5 minutes, until sauce is heated and cheese is fully melted.

Remove from oven.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

As you can see in the picture, I served this with roasted rosemary potatoes, sea-salt green beans, and yes, good ole' stove top stuffing (the hubby's favorite side dish...).  Happy Valentine's day to each of you, and here's hoping that you were able to enjoy a yummy meal with your loved ones today!

-

Spicy Chicken Pasta with Rose Sauce

Have you ever really wanted to go out to dinner instead of cook? Maybe its because you had a really busy day, and the last thing you feel like doing is standing in the kitchen for thirty minutes to throw something together.  Or maybe its because you have nothing defrosted (that is always my excuse)?  Well, today, I really wasn't that busy, and I had lots of fresh meats, so neither of those excuses were really cutting it.  I had this craving for Buca Di Beppo's, and decided we'd go out there for dinner so I could get their Spicy Chicken Rigatoni - its pretty delicious, I'm kind of obsessed.  So I went to text the hubby and see if that worked for him, only to hear his text noise upstairs... He left his phone at home.  Ugh.  So, I emailed AND facebooked him (yes, I *really* wanted this Spicy Chicken Rigatoni).  However, I guess most people actually work at work and not check their facebooks, so he never got my message.  I was bummed.  So I started checking out things I had pinned previously on Pinterest.  <Insert heavenly 'ahhhh' noise here>.  I had totally forgotten that I had pinned someone's knock of recipe of Spicy Chicken Rigatoni from Buca's!!! MY LUCKY DAY! Seriously... this made my week.  It was THAT good - and for the cost? Even better! This is my new favorite pasta recipe!  

(By the way, for you ladies that are busy and/or don't like making your own sauce, this is FANTASTIC! I typically prefer to make my own sauce, but honestly, with the combination of all of the flavors in this recipe, there really is no need to spend the time making your own marinara and alfredo!)

Here is my adaptation of Spicy Chicken Pasta with Rose Sauce (from Pinterest)

Ingredients: 

- 1 pound pasta (I used farfalle; original recipe uses rigatoni, obviously!)

- 1/4 cup olive oil (I always use grapeseed oil)

- 1/2 Tbs. crushed red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like things... I used a full Tbs but my husband said it was a bit too spicy for him)

- 1 heaping Tbs. minced garlic

- 6 to 8 oz. of sliced/cubed chicken (your preference of shape - I like cubed)

- 3/4 to 1 cup marinara sauce (I used a six-cheese marinara from Prego)

- 1/2 to 3/4 cup alfredo sauce (I used Aldi brand)

- 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

- 2 Tbs. margarine

Directions:

Cook pasta according to box directions.  Set aside.  

Meanwhile, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add crushed red pepper flakes and garlic, and cook until fragrant.  Don't allow garlic to burn!  Next, add in cubed chicken and toss until coated.  

Allow chicken to cook until almost fully cooked.  Next, add in the marinara sauce and alfredo sauce.  Bring to a boil, and allow to simmer until sauce is reduced by 1/4th, and chicken is not longer pink.  Remove the sauce and chicken from heat, and mix in the butter and peas until well incorporated.

Re-wet the pasta, allow to drain, and then add to sauce.  Toss until coated, and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

I recently received a request from a very dear friend for a recipe for a comfort food that is dairy-free.  (No cheese? ... Could be tough, but I like a challenge).  So I started thinking about what comfort food I could come up with that didn't include dairy.  For me, comfort food is definitely pasta.  I. LOVE. PASTA.  It makes me smile - I don't know why, it just does.  It makes my belly full and happy.  It is oh-so satisfying.  And it is the perfect one-pot meal.  Happy belly + one dish = Happy me! But boring pasta and tomato sauce just doesn't cut it.  That isn't comforting... That leaves me wanting something else - something more satisfying.  I remembered going to T.G.I. Friday's awhile back when I wasn't feeling well, and ordering their Bruschetta Chicken Pasta.  I remembered liking it... a lot! It must have done the trick, because I still remember how satisfying and delicious it was! So I figured I'd try to recreate this delightful dish for my friend's enjoyment (and mine, too, of course!).  I think this has become a new favorite! It is AH-MAZING! Enjoy it!


Servings: 4
Weight Watchers PPV: 10

Ingredients:
Bruschetta mixture:
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 2 Tbs. minced garlic, divided
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, slivered
- 4 tsp. olive oil, divided

Balsamic glaze:
- 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2/3 Tbs. sugar


- 1 chicken breast
- salt and pepper

- 1/3 cup tomato sauce
- 8 oz. dried pasta (I used cavatappi)

Two hours ahead of meal time, combine diced tomatoes, 1 Tbs. minced garlic, 2 tsp. olive oil, and basil.  Cover and refrigerate.

To make balsamic glaze, combine balsamic vinegar and sugar and heat in small sauce pan until boiling.  Simmer until reduced by 3/4, and until a thick syrup forms.  Remove from heat and reserve until ready to serve.

Cook pasta according to box directions until al dente.  Meanwhile, season chicken with salt and pepper.  Grill until no longer pink.  (I used the George Foreman).  Slice into desired size pieces, or shred.

Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in large pan over medium heat.  Add garlic, and cook for one minute or until fragrant.  Do not burn.  Next, stir in bruschetta mixture made earlier and heat for several minutes.  Add tomato sauce, and bring to a boil.  Reduce to low.  Stir in cooked pasta and chicken and stir until heated through.  Serve with balsamic glaze drizzled over each serving.

Barbeque Chicken Pasta

What do you have the most of on hand? Somehow, I ended up with four bottles of barbeque sauce.  I have no idea how.  It isn't something I even use once a month, but apparently, when I have a coupon, I'll buy anything.  I've been trying to think of a different way to use up some of this barbeque sauce, but one can only eat so much barbeque chicken pizza.  I always tend to think that whatever tastes good on pizza, would make a good pasta, too.  After doing some research, I decided to combine what sounded best from a bunch of recipes.  Here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:
- 16 oz. farfalle pasta
- 1 red, orange, or yellow pepper, diced
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1/2 cup turkey bacon, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 8 oz. chicken, sliced
- 1 package fat-free cream cheese
- 1/2 cup barbeque sauce (I like it best with a smokey/mesquite bbq sauce; if you use a sweet or honey sauce, your sauce *will* end up very sweet.  As you can see in the picture, I used Sweet Baby Ray's, and it was too sweet.  I made it again with K.C. Masterpiece and thought the sauce was perfect!  Up to you, but I'm not a big sweet pasta sauce fan)
- 1/4 cup fat free ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup fat free half and half

Start by boiling a pot of water for the pasta.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, and cook the peppers, onions, and bacon until the onions start to turn clear (but don't let them brown).  

Next, add in the sliced chicken, stirring frequently until chicken is no longer pink.  (At this point, I removed by chicken and put it in the food processor to shred it.  I am typically not a fan of big pieces of chicken in pasta, so I prefer mine shredded.  -Yes, I have texture issues...).  Next, add in the garlic, and cook for a minute or two until the garlic starts to brown.  Reduce the heat to low, and add drop in the cream cheese.  Cover with a lid for a few minutes until the cream cheese is melty.

Mix in the barbeque sauce, ranch dressing, and half and half .  Keep mixing until the sauce is uniform.  Drain the pasta, and carefully mix it into the skillet.

Serve immediately, or if for later use, put the pasta into the fridge immediately until ready to be reheated.  If you prefer baked pasta, transfer to an oven-proof dish, drizzle a little barbeque sauce and paprika on top of the pasta, and bake at 350* for 15 minutes.  

Enjoy!