Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup commercial pesto (such as Buitoni)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups cubed skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1 cup diced celery
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 (1-pound) focaccia bread, cut in half horizontally, toasted, and cut into 20 slices
1 (12-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
10 romaine lettuce leaves

Preparation:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in chicken, celery, and walnuts.
Spread 1/2 cup of salad onto each of 10 bread slices. Top each serving with about 2 tablespoons bell pepper, 1 lettuce leaf, and one bread slice.

Notes:

We loved this sandwich. The combination of pesto, celery, chicken, roasted red pepper and focaccia was unbelievably good!

Black Bean Chili

Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/4-1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; cook onion and garlic until onions are translucent. Add turkey and cook, stirring, until meat is brown. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, basil, cumin, red pepper flakes, vinegar and chicken stock. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 60 minutes or more, until flavors are well blended.

Notes:

I really liked this, but I think next time I'll cut back on the basil/oregano and up the heat a little bit.

Grilled Chicken with Mustard-Tarragon Sauce

Grilled Chicken with Mustard-Tarragon Sauce

Ingredients:
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 cups gourmet salad greens

Directions:
1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place chicken in pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.
2. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, shallots, and next 6 ingredients (through sugar) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Serve chicken over greens with sauce.

My notes:

Found this recipe in the October issue of Cooking Light, my favorite magazine to find new recipes. The whole recipe was really easy and took very little time to make. Very well recieved by my audience and it was tasty and very filling.

Layered Polenta Bake

Layered Polenta Bake

Ingredients:

1 tsp salt
3 C fine polenta
olive oil, for greasing and brushing
1/3 C Parmesan cheese, finely grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper

-For the tomato sauce:

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 C chopped tomatoes

1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 C canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

-For the spinach sauce:

9 oz spinach, tough stems removed

2/3 C light cream

1 C Gorgonzola cheese, cubed

large pinch of ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Make the polenta. Bring 8 cups water to a boil in a large heavy-based saucepan and add the salt. Remove the pan from the heat. Gradually pour in the polenta, whisking continuously as you do so.

2. Return the pan to the heat and stir constantly for 15-20 minutes until the polenta is thick and comes away from the side of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat.

3. Season well with pepper, then spoon the polenta onto a wet work surface or a piece of marble. Using a wet spatula, spread out the polenta until it is 1/2 inch thick. Leave to cool for about 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 F. To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan, then fry the garlic for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and sage and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add sugar, seasoning and simmer for 10 minues until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally. Stir in the beans and cook for 2 minutes more.

5. Meanwhile, wash the spinach thoroughly and place in a large pan with only the water that clings to the leaves. Cover the pan tightly and cook over meadium heat for about 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Tip the spinach into a strainer and drain, then squeeze out as much excess water as possible with the back of a wooden spoon.

6. Heat the cream, cheese and nutmeg in a smal heav-based saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Stir in the spinach and seasoning then cook gently until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.

7. Cut the polenta into triangles, then place a layer of polenta in an oiled, deep baking dish. Spoon over the tomato sauce, then top with another layer of polenta. Top with spinach sauce and cover with the remaining polenta triangles. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for 35-40 minutes. Heat the broiler to high and broile until the top is golden before serving.

My notes:

My aunt actually made this and it was amazing! It was time consuming and a lot of dishes were used, but it was so worth it! The combination of the Gorgonzola, beans, and tomatoes went amazingly well with the creamy texture of the polenta. Very highly recommended!

Pesto frittata

Pesto Frittata

Ingredients:

Cooking spray or 1 tsp olive oil

1/4 medium onion

1 tomato, sliced and quartered

1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2-3 large eggs)

1 1/2 Tbsp prepared pesto

Salt and pepper, to taste

1-2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato and heat through, about 2 minutes.

2. Stir together pesto and egg substitute/eggs. Add mixture to skillett, cover and turn the heat on the stovetop to low. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until completely set. Add parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and serve.

Notes:

Loved this! This was my first time making a frittata and it turned out beautifully. I might add some turkey bacon next time, but other than that I wouldn't change anything!

Squash and Pesto Pasta

Squash and pesto pasta

Ingredients:

1-2 tsp olive oil

1 medium squash, sliced

1 medium zucchini, sliced

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

1 1/2-2 Tbsp prepared pesto

Pasta

Parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta according to directions on package, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

2. Heat olive oil over medium heat and add squash, zucchini and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes or until just softened.

3. Add cherry tomatoes. When they start to soften, add pasta, pesto and a little of the pasta water (You won't need all the reserved water, but you need enough so the pesto is a little thinned out).

4. Top with parmesan cheese and serve.

Notes:

Sort of came up with this recipe myself, so I was happy with it. I think it needs something else, but i'm not sure what...something sweet? Next time I'll probably add some red bell peppers and I might take away the tomatoes. Overall pretty tasty.

Baked Pesto Chicken

Baked Pesto Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Cups basil
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp soy milk
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2-3 cloves garlic
2-3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp salt, or to taste
Chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a food processor and blend until smooth. Spray baking pan with cooking spray, then add chicken. Spread pesto over the chicken until the top is covered. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the juices run clear.

My notes:
This is delicious!! The pesto is a lower calorie version that I found online somewhere, but if you don't have (or like) soy milk, you can substitute an equal amount of vegetable stock or just double the olive oil. Or, if you prefer to, just buy some pesto at the store and use that. I prefer the homemade stuff though. :) Very nice and easy to prepare and it makes some good sandwiches/wraps for lunch the next day.