Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Fettuccine

I have decided that I really like fresh pasta, even if it does cost a little bit more. This is one of those "20 Minute Dinner" recipes from Cooking Light that really does take 20 minutes to prepare. A nice bonus with twin 11-month-olds in the house and a hungry husband.

SAUSAGE, TOMATO, AND ARUGULA FETTUCCINE



Recipe Notes

You will find the fresh pasta in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, often by the prepared foods or even by the fresh deli meats and cheeses.


Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

356 calories - 13 g. fat - 39 g. carbs - 20 g. protein - 4 g. fiber


Ingredients

- 9-oz. package refrigerated fettuccine

- 1 tbsp. olive oil

- 6 oz. Italian turkey sausage

- 2 tsp. minced garlic (I used bottled)

- 1 pint cherry tomatoes

- Salt & pepper to taste

- 3 c. baby arugula leaves

- 2 oz. pecorino Romano cheese, shaved


Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in a collander over a bowl, reserving 2/3 c. cooking liquid.

2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings and add sausage to pan, stirring to crumble until browned.

3. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

4. Add tomatoes and pepper, covering to cook for 2 minutes.

5. Mash tomatoes with the back of a spoon to break them up. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 3 minutes.

6. Remove pan from heat and add pasta, pasta water, and arugula.

7. Toss well and top with cheese.

Lipton Onion Roasted Potatoes

Guess where I found this recipe? The back of the Lipton onion soup mix box! I had an extra packet and figured it was worth a try. Corey loved these - we have had them twice since I found the recipe.

LIPTON ONION ROASTED POTATOES

Recipe Notes

Watch your oven - mine took a little bit less time than recommended. Also, I used about half as much vegetable oil as is called for in the recipe. I am not sure how many calories and fat grams that switch saves, but it should be substantial.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

360 calories - 18 g. fat - 5 g. protein - 45 g. carbohydrates - 4 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
• 4 medium all-purpose potatoes (I used peeled russet potatoes), cut into large chunks
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and transfer to a 9x13 roasting pan (I used half as much vegetable oil as called for in recipe).

3. Bake, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and golden brown (approximately 35 minutes).

4. Lipton also recommends substituting onion soup mix with savory herb and garlic flavor, onion mushroom flavor, or golden onion flavor mix.

Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata

When I found this recipe in Cooking Light, I was skeptical about the use of Meyer lemons. They have a very different flavor than regular lemons. However, Corey and I loved the flavor and the preparation. I served this with rice and broccoli for an easy dinner. For easy clean-up, steam basmati rice with chicken broth and water in the bottom of a rice cooker while steaming broccoli florets in the steamer basket on top. If you start it at the same time as this chicken dish, it should all finish at about the same time.

MEYER LEMON CHICKEN PICCATA

Recipe Notes

Once again, I highly recommend having your butcher make four chicken cutlets for you out of two chicken breast halves - it will save you a bunch of time. I also used less butter than is called for in the recipe (about 1.5 tbsp. instead of 2) which cut down on the fat and calories but didn't seem to sacrifice flavor.

Nutritional Information (serves 4)

214 calories - 7.3 g. fat - 27.5 g. protein - 8.5 g. carbohydrates - 0.6 g. fiber

Ingredients

• Two 8-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, made into four cutlets
• Salt & fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. butter, divided
• 1/3 c. sauv blanc or other crisp white wine (I used vinho verde)
• 1/2 c. fat free chicken broth
• 1/3 c. Meyer lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
• 2 tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Make the two chicken breasts into cutlets or skip to step 2 if the butcher makes them for you.

2. Sprinkle cutlets with salt and pepper and dredge individually in flour.

3. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add two cutlets to pan and saute for two minutes. Turn cutlets over and saute until cooked through. Remove cutlets from pan and repeat with remaining butter and cutlets.

4. Add wine to pan and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 1 minute or until wine almost evaporates.

5. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook until broth is reduced and thickened (about 2 tbsp. of total liquid). Add lemon juice and capers.

6. Serve sauce over chicken, sprinkle with parsley.

Sauteed Chicken with Sage Brown Butter

This Cooking Light recipe is a nice chicken dish that pairs well with with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

SAUTEED CHICKEN WITH SAGE BROWN BUTTER

Recipe Notes

You can do the pounding yourself, but I would recommend having your butcher turn a couple of chicken breast halves into cutlets for you. It will save you a bunch of time.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

326 calories - 11.1 g. fat - 41.1 g. protein - 13.1 g. carb - 0.5 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 4 six-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I recommend premade cutlets from your butcher)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 2 sage sprigs
• 1 tbsp. minced shallots
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice (1-2 small lemons)
• Fresh sage leaves (optional)

Instructions

1. If pounding yourself, place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch thickness.

2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray.

4. Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge chicken breasts in flour.

5. Add chicken to pan and saute for approximately four minutes per side or until done. Remove chicken from pan.

6. Add butter and sage sprigs to pan. Cook over medium heat until butter is browned. Discard sage.

7. Add shallots and thyme, cook for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and cook for 30 more seconds.

8. Serve sauce with chicken.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

This casserole was so good, I've taken it in my lunch the past two days at work. It has tons of vegetables hiding inside, so it helps you get your daily allowance of vegetables, too! Sorry for the sloppy picture - don't let it dissuade you from trying this recipe!

MEXICAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Recipe Notes

I cooked and shredded the chicken for this Cooking Light recipe in advance. Also, I didn't have the time to make the charred tomato salsa suggested by the recipe, so I used Pace Chunky Salsa instead (and it tasted great). The recipe modification below uses Pace. If you'd like to make your own, the original recipe can be found (here).

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 8)

331 calories - 12.3 g. fat - 26.1 g. protein - 30.8 g. carbs - 4.2 g. fiber

Ingredients

• Pace chunky salsa (I used mild) - 2 jars
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 1 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels (I used frozen)
• 1 c. zucchini, diced finely
• 1 c. chopped red bell pepper
• 3 c. shredded, cooked chicken breasts (2-3 chicken breasts)
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 10 oz. can green chile enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso)
• 1, 4-oz. can chopped green chiles (I skipped this because I don't like green chiles)
• Twelve 6-in. corn tortillas
• 1 c. shredded monterrey jack cheese
• 1 c. crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray and add onion, corn, zucchini, and red bell pepper. Saute 6 minutes or until tender.

3. Add chicken and next five ingredients (through green chiles, if you are adding them). Saute 2 minutes or until heated through, remove from heat.

4. Spread 1/2 c. salsa in the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange six tortillas over salsa. Spoon 2 c. chicken mixture over tortillas. Top with 3/4 c. salsa and 1/2 c. of each cheese (monterrey jack and feta).

5. Repeat another layer, beginning with six tortillas. End with remaining cheeses.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Rosemary Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Shallots

Wow! Time has gotten away from me. Between the holidays and two active babies, I have been repeating some of my easiest, fastest recipes all holiday season. But it's time to start trying new things again! This Cooking Light recipe is a great use of sweet potatoes while they are in season.

ROSEMARY MASHED SWEET POTATOES

Recipe Notes

Creamy mashed potatoes without butter or cream! I actually used less oil than the recipe calls for (did not drizzle any over the top).

Nutritional Information

202 calories - 6.3 g. fat - 2.9 g. protein - 34.9 g. carbs - 4.8 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil (I skipped the 2 tsp part)
• 3/4 c. thinly-sliced shallots
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped rosemary
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a skillet over low heat. Add shallots and cook for 5 minutes (stirring occasionally).

2. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cook for 20 minutes more or until shallots are golden and caramelized.

3. Boil potatoes and cook for 8 minutes or until tender. Drain.

4. Place potatoes in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth. Stir in rosemary, salt, and pepper and beat until well-blended.

5. Top with shallots and drizzle with remaining two tsp. oil, if desired.

Herbed Cous Cous Pilaf

This recipe comes with several variations. Shown here is an adaptation of the Mediterranean variation. I added quartered grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and dill to the basic recipe. It was absolutely delicious with grilled chicken and a big green salad.

HERBED COUS COUS PILAF

Recipe Notes

The more herbs you add to this recipe, the better! This Cooking Light recipe takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. As mentioned above, the Mediterranean version, which adds grape tomatoes, dill, and feta, is terrific.

Nutritional Information

205 calories - 3.7 g. fat - 6.5 g. protein - 2.6 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 c. finely-chopped shallots
• 1 c. uncooked cous cous
• 1 c. fat free chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
  

Instructions

1. Heat a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add oil, swirling to coat.

2. Add shallots and saute until soft (approximately 2 minutes).

3. Stir in cous cous and saute 1 minute.

4. Add chicken broth and salt, bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand five minutes.

5. Fluff with a fork. Stir in parsley and thyme.