Nutella Croissants

Why oh why have I never tried Nutella before? These were an INCREDIBLE breakfast (or snack, or anytime, really)! I heard about these online (forgive me, I can't remember where), and decided to throw culinary caution to the wind and try them. Love at first chocolatey, hazelnutty bite.
1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Nutella
White sugar (optional)

Preheat oven according to package directions.

Break apart crescent rolls on baking pan and leave as triangles. Spread Nutella on top of each (just eyeball it - when it looks like enough, it probably is). Roll up, small point first. Sprinkle with granulated white sugar and bake according to package directions.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Wow, long time no post! Mid-year resolution: Blog more!

When I first tried the Laughing Cow Chicken recipe I found on Macaroni and Cheesecake, it was love at first bite. So I started looking for ways to play with the recipe to change it up some so we wouldn't get tired of it (as we often do when we find something we absolutely love). So I devised this way to make a modified Chicken Cordon Bleu.

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-5 pieces Laughing Cow Original Swiss cheese (about 1 per breast, 2 if they're really big)
2 pieces of deli sliced ham per breast
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp season salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, stir eggs, breaking the yolks. In a separate, medium bowl, combine bread crumbs and seasonings. Dredge one side only of chicken through eggs, then through bread crumb mixture. Place flat in baking dish.

Open cheese and 1-2 pieces into chicken breasts, depending on size of breasts. Top cheese with 2 pieces of ham, roll, and place seam-side down in baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Faux Buffalo Wings

Ok they're not actually chicken wings, and they're not deep fried. But they were delicious and took care of that craving.

Nonstick cooking spray
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 cup hot sauce
2 Tbsp. light butter, melted
Celery, carrots, Ranch or blue cheese dressing - any of your favorite wing garnishes

Coat skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat on medium-heat. Add chicken pieces and cook until almost cooked through.

Combine hot sauce and melted butter and pour over chicken. Cook chicken and sauce until chicken is completely cooked through and sauce has reduced and thickened enough to cover the chicken when removed.

Tri-color Tortellini with White Wine Alfredo Sauce

This was my first attempt at making my own pasta sauce, and I'm proud to say that it was very successful! Traditional cream sauce includes heavy cream, but I just couldn't bring myself to cook with it, so I used the fat free half and half I put in my morning coffee. Nevertheless, it was delicious and still felt decadent!

2 bags frozen tri-color tortellini
3 Tbsp. light butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup white wine
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup fat free half and half
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil tortellini and cook per package directions. Drain and set aside.

Melt light butter over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour to create a roux. Add wine and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in half and half and cook, stirring often, until thickened and heated, adding salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Be careful not to let this sauce boil!

Right before you add to the pasta, add Parmesan and stir until melted. Pour over pasta and garnish with additional Parmesan or Parmesan-Reggiano, if desired.

Shrimp Fajitas

With Lent coming, I'm going to be looking for more ways to cook seafood. This is one of our favorites - they're super good and incredibly light.

(Sorry, no picture yet! Ask me after Ash Wednesday!)

1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 small onion (we're not big onion people, so I sometimes flavor the EVOO with onion flakes instead)
1 glove garlic
Dash salt and pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 Tbsp. lime juice

Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add garlic, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. Saute onion and peppers until they start to soften, around 4-5 minutes. Add shrimp and saute until fully cooked. Reduce heat to medium and add lime juice. Cook until juice reduces and forms a light sauce. Wrap in fajita shells and serve with your favorite toppings.

Shrimp Pad Thai

This was my first attempt at Thai (cooking or eating), and let me just say that I am hooked. This had a light peanut sauce with just enough kick that I liked it, but it wasn't too hot for my spice-averse husband.

Since I was a Thai newbie, I made very few changes to the original recipe, which you can find here from Cooking Light. (After seeing Cooking Light come after other bloggers, since I didn't make many changes, I'll let you follow the link for the recipe. My only recommendation - make extra sauce.)

Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

I saw this sauce recipe on Cooking Light, and thought it would be fabulous over chicken rather than just plain pasta. Trust me, it is. Plus, it makes for a very light, very filling meal.



1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
Whole wheat egg noodles (if desired)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (if desired)
Salt and pepper to taste
EVOO

For the sauce:
2 tsp. EVOO
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 cup FF half and half
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

Brush EVOO over both sides of chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Grill until cooked through. Boil water and cook egg noodles.

At the same time, heat 2 tsp. EVOO over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until the onions are clear, around 2 minutes. Add roasted red peppers and cook until heated through, around 2 more minutes. Increase to medium-high heat and stir in vinegar, cooking until liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.

Whisk together half and half and tomato paste. Process pepper mixture in a food processor until smooth. Return to pan and cook over low heat until warm. Stir in half and half mixture and heat through. Stir in ground red pepper.

Serve chicken on a bed of egg noodles. Drizzle sauce on top.

WW Info:
7 points for 1 cup noodles, 3 ounces chicken, and about 1/4 cup of sauce