Olive Garden Alfredo Fettucine

1 pint heavy cream
1 stick butter
2 TBSP cream cheese
½-3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder, add in more to suit your taste if you prefer
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces fettuccine, cooked and drained

In a saucepan combine butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Simmer thin until all is melted and mixed well.
Add the parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Simmer this for 15-20 minutes over low heat.
Toss pasta lightly with sauce, coating well.
Leftovers freeze well.

submitted by Tiffany Fletcher


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Turkey Sausage Pasta

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 lb. smoked lean turkey sausage, sliced
1/4 tsp chili flakes
3 cloves fresh garlic, diced finely
1/4 c. low sodium chicken stock
1- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1- 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, torn
3 c. fresh spinach
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3/4 lb penne, or pasta of choice
1/2 c. flat leaf parsley, for garnish
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for garnish

1. In large stock pot over high heat, bring water to boil and cook pasta according to instructions.
2. Meanwhile, in large pan over medium heat, add oil and bring up to almost smoking. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
Add thyme and sliced sausage and cook, stirring occasionally until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add chili flakes and garlic and cook, while stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Deglaze the pan with chicken stock, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan.
Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, stirring to combine well. Add oregano, spinach, and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil.
When pasta is finished cooking, drain well and place into pan with tomato sauce. Toss and remove from heat. Let cool slightly, mix well, plate and garnish.
Serve immediately.

submitted by Misty Shawcroft

Spinach Lasgna Rolls

9 lasagna noodles, cooked

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
4 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped, onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
15 oz container of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
24 oz Marinara Sauce (I like to use the brand Classico- Tomato Basil)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spread about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.
2. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, Mozzarella, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
3. In a small sauce pan heat the oil and cook onion for about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix the cooked onions and garlic with the spinach and cheese mixture.
4. Place a piece of wax paper or foil on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over all the noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
5. Spread marinara sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with remaining mozzarella cheese. Tightly place foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts.
6. Makes 9 rolls.

submitted by Misty Shawcroft

Homemade Frosties and Lasagna Rolls

Homemade Frosties-the kind from Wendy's
1 1/2 cups ICE water- really cold
1 1/2 cups non fat dry milk
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2-3 cups ice cubes
2 TBSP oil
Blend in a blender for a few minutes. Until you think it is the right consistency.

Makes 4 shakes.

My sister emailed this to me and we tried it. They really taste just like the Frosties from Wendy's. Except me and her had to add more ice to them than what the recipe called for.


Lasagna Rolls

9 lasagna noodles, cooked and cooled
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
Filling:
1 large container of cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup frozen spinach (optional)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

In a 9x13 baking dish, pour 1/2 of the jar of spaghetti sauce.
Mix together all ingredients of the filling except for one cup mozzarella cheese.
Place one lasagna noodle on a cutting board and spread with filling the entire length of the noodle.
Roll up like a sleeping bag and lay in the pan.
Continue until all nine noodles are rolled. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Freezing Directions:
Slightly undercook the noddles. Place in a disposable aluminum pan and cover with plastic wrap and then foil. If you prepare from frozen. cover the first half of baking.

I got this off of Stuio 5 a few months back and am just getting around to trying them. But they are so good and fast to make. I make them without the spinach and they are still good. You will want to make these.

Greek spaghetti with chicken

We just tried this one tonight and it was really yummy! I adapted it from a similar recipe that I found online. The original had some harder to find ingredients and didn't list amounts for everything...here is my version:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 diced onion
2 garlic cloves diced
2 cans of diced tomatoes with liquid
1 1/2 cups cubed, skinless, boneless chicken (not cooked-I just used 8 tenders because that's what I had in the freezer)
1/2 can Black and/or green olives, pitted and halved (I tried it with black for the kids' sake)
artichoke hearts (optional-I used about a 1/2 cup and chopped them to bite-size pieces)
1 tbs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
salt and pepper
5 oz of feta cheese (other options would be cream cheese or goat cheese. I happened to have cream cheese in the fridge so I used that. It was yummy, but I think the feta would be even better!)
1 lb pasta (it was great with spaghetti noodles)

*Brown chicken in olive oil with onion and garlic. Add other ingredients except cheese and pasta and simmer until liquid is reduced by about half and tomatoes are falling apart. You will want start the water for your pasta now (make sure to salt the water well). When sauce is reduced and tomatoes are falling apart, add cheese and cook until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat. Once your noodles are done and drained combine them with the sauce and enjoy!
*Sprinkle the top with toasted pine nuts and you can use it for company with a nice simple arugula salad!

Sauteed Pasta Bar

I got this recipe from my mom, and it has become a regular at our house. I love that it is so versatile and so easy. Just a simple extra step changes this meal from boring, home cooked pasta noodles and sauce to something worthy of the Olive Garden. (Maybe this is an obvious step to everyone else, but it's new to me!)

Anyway, it's so delicious! It's also great because it can feed our small family of three or a huge crowd with very little extra effort. Also, if you have any picky eaters, this meal makes it so everyone can have exactly what they want (or DON'T want), and so everyone is happy.

Ingredients:

• pasta noodles of your choice (my favorite is penne)
• garlic, minced
• pesto
• pasta sauce of your choice
• olive oil
• any meat you want: Our favorite is Italian sausage rolled into one inch balls and cooked. You could also do chicken or hamburger... And of course, meat is optional.
• any vegetables you want: mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers, olives, etc.
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook any meat you plan to use thoroughly. Cook the pasta noodles al dente according to the directions on the package. Then, have each person take a bowl and assemble the following in their bowl: cooked noodles, a scoop of minced garlic to taste, a scoop of pesto to taste (in my opinion you can NOT skip the pesto - trust me), and any meat and vegetables they want. Do not add any sauce yet. Meanwhile, heat about 2 T. of olive oil in a skillet. Dump the contents of one person's bowl onto the heated skillet and saute for about 5 minutes or until warmed through and mixed well. (If you are serving a bigger group, you can have several skillets going at once.) Remove from the pan and return to the bowl or the person's plate. Top with the sauce of your choice and parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Here is a picture of my pasta before I put my sauce on the top, but after it had been sauteed. 

Side Dishes: This is yummy with a fresh green salad and a piece of Tuscan Flat Bread (recipe below).

Tuscan Flat Bread

I like this recipe because not only is it delicious, but it's pretty fast for a homemade bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 T. yeast
  
• 1 T. sugar
  
• 2 c. warm water
  
• 4 c. flour
  
• 2 tsp. salt
  
• 2 tsp. crushed rosemary
  
• 1/2 c. melted butter
  
• parmesan cheese (optional)
  

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let sit for 2 - 3 minutes. Add flour and salt. Knead 2 - 3 minutes (optional). Spread dough to the edges of a greased, lipped, jelly roll pan (12 x 16). Pour butter on dough and spread to cover all the dough. Sprinkle rosemary and Parmesan over surface of dough. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Crock-Pot Mac and Cheese

Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese – Lexie Matson

16 oz. elbow macaroni
1/2 c butter or margarine, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 c milk
4 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/8 tsp. paprika

Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain. Place in 5 qt. slow cooker; add melted butter. In a bowl, combine eggs, evaporated milk, soup, milk, and 3 c cheese. Pour over macaroni; stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with paprika.

Sausage Stroganoff

This is really easy and good.

1 lb. sausage
1/2 chopped onion
1. 8oz basket of fresh mushrooms ( I am sure you could use canned too)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
12 oz egg noddles, cooked

Brown meat in skillet with onions. When meat is almost browned, add mushrooms and saute with the meat and onions. Stir in soup, sour cream, milk, garlic salt and pepper until heated through. Pour on cooked noddles and serve.

Easy Chicken Fettucine Alfredo

Ingredients for Alfredo Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream cheese
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
milk
parsley
salt and pepper
Pasta noodles

Chicken Ingredients:
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 cup lemon juice
lemon pepper seasoning
onion salt
minced garlic
pepper

Melt butter and cream cheese together on low heat, stirring constantly until butter and cream cheese are melted (they will separate). Then add in the Parmesan cheese, while stirring on low heat. Finally add the milk a little at time, until it reaches desired consistency. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.


Place defrosted chicken breast in frying pan. Pour in lemon juice. Top with a dash of onion salt, a small amount of garlic, pepper and lemon pepper. Cook on medium to low heat until chicken is white all the way through, turning occasionally. Pour Alfredo sauce on pasta noodles. Top with sliced chicken breast.

Sometimes if I am in a hurry I will use canned chicken. Or serve the chicken on the side and eat the Alfredo sauce over the noodles.

A little bit of everything

So I have been feeling really guilty that I keep using all of your wonderful, delicious recipes but I haven't contributed anything yet. Here's a few recipes that we had at our house this past week:

Balsamic Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1/2 inch thick)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 T. flour
3 T. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 t. fresh thyme (or 1/2 t. dried)
2 bay leaves
2 T. butter
3 T. heavy cream

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on both sides.
2. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook for about three minutes. Then add the vinegar, stock, bay leaves and thyme and stir. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally.
3. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Continue simmering the sauce, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Add the cream and butter- stir until melted. Discard the bay leaves. Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken and serve. I usually serve with a lemon herb pasta, but you can do what your family likes best.


Ultimate Caesar Salad dressing

The measurements may not be quite exact. This is my mom's recipe and she always cooks according to look and taste (sadly, that gift skipped my generation). This is the best I can do, but you may need to play around with it- it also depends on how much lemon juice you start with.

The juice of one large lemon

1/2 t. minced garlic

1 t. Worchester sauce

3 T Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

3 egg yolks

1/2- 3/4 cup olive oil (to taste)

1/2 t. red wine vinegar

Squeeze the juice into a small mixing bowl, add the garlic and Worchester sauce and stir (use a wooden spoon- metal tends to make the lemon juice go rancid). Stir in the Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Taste it- the lemon juice or the Dijon mustard should not overpower each other- if there is too much of one- add a little more of the other. Add the egg yolks. Then slowly drizzle the olive oil while stiring and finish with the red wine vinegar. Toss this dressing with some crisp romaine lettuce, lots of parmesan cheese, and croutons to serve. You will not use all of the dressing in one sitting. Just refrigerate any leftover dressing for up to a week.


Last-minute pasta bake

This is one of my go-to meals when I can't think of anything else to make because I usually have everything on hand. It's also a good way to sneak some zucchini into my boys' diet. If you have a husband that insists on meat, you can probably add some browned ground beef or italian sausage to the sauce mixture before layering the dish. This can also be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. Bake as directed except increase the baking time to 45 minutes.

12 oz rotini pasta (or whatever small pasta you have on hand)
1 cup zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 28 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or Amie's marinara- yum!)
1/4 cup fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cook pasta until al dente; drain.
2. Combine zucchini, spaghetti sauce and basil in a medium bowl.
3. In a 9" square baker, layer one-third of the sauce mixture, half of the pasta, one-third of the sauce mixture and half of the cheeses. Add remaining pasta, then sauce, then cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve with garlic bread and salad, if desired.


Not-your-typical Chicken Fingers

2 cups seasoned croutons, crushed until fine crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. fresh parsley or 1 t. dried
1/4 t. garlic salt
2 egg whites
1 T. water
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into small, thin strips

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. In a small bowl, combine crouton crumbs, cheese, parsley and garlic salt. In another bowl, whisk together egg whites and water.

3. Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, then into crumb mixture to coat evenly. Arrange on a bakng sheet lined with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Bake 15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Serve with ranch dressing to dip.

Baked Ziti

This recipe is from my friend Melanie. It is easy and so delicious.

Makes 10 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 oz) pkg dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 lb. italian sausage
1 (26 ounce) jar traditional spaghetti sauce
1 (26 ounce) jar Italian Sausage & Garlic spaghetti sauce
1 (8 ounce) pkg provolone cheese, sliced
1 (8 ounce) pkg mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 c sour cream
1/8 c grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta and cook until al dente (about 8-10 minutes); drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer in the following order: 1/2 of the ziti, provolone, mozarrella, sour cream, and sauce mixture. Then top with the remaining ziti, provolone, mozzarella, sour cream, and sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

*This recipe makes a large dish so make sure that you use a deep 9x13 dish or a larger baking dish. Also, I have always just used cheddar or mozarella cheese, because that is what I have on hand. I'm sure the provolone would be delicious though!

roasted chicken-noodle soup

I know, everyone has a favorite chicken soup recipe, but just in case you don't have one yet, this is a great one.

Yield
2 1/2 quarts (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
6 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 cups diced peeled baking potato
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded rotiserrie chicken
1 cup evaporated skim milk
4 ounces (2 cups) uncooked wide egg noodles (I love the country noodles that come in a big bag this time of year at costco)
Fresh thyme (optional)
Preparation

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrots, celery, and garlic clove; sauté 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour, oregano, thyme, and poultry seasoning over vegetables, and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, potato, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 25 minutes or until potato is tender. Add roasted chicken, milk, and noodles, and cook 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Garnish with fresh thyme, if desired.


Nutritional Information
Calories:215 (19% from fat)
Fat:4.6g (sat 0.9g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.8g)
Protein:14.9g
Carbohydrate:28.6g
Fiber:2.6g
Cholesterol:37mg
Iron:2.4mg
Sodium:355mg
Calcium:101mg
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 1996

Avgolemono with Pasta (this is a soup)

What can I say, I really love soup so I had to post another one. An old roommate of mine used to make this and she called it Elephant Snot Maggot Soup (don't be disgusted), and it was a secret family recipe. Well, I found the real recipe and it goes by another name. Apparently it's a very popular Greek soup and the name means egg and lemon. It's so easy to make and is the best for when you have the flu.

71/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup orzo pasta
3 eggs
juice of 1 large lemon
salt and pepper
lemon slices to garnish

In a large pan bring stock to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook 5 min. Beat the eggs until frothy, then add the lemon juice and 1 Tbsp of cold water. Slowly stir in a ladleful of the hot chicken stock to the egg mixture, then add one or two more. Return the mixture to the pan, remove from the heat and stir well. (Do not let the soup boil once the eggs have been added or it will curdle.) Season the soup with salt and pepper, and server immediately garnished with a few lemon slices.

Tomato Basil Pasta

If you have a garden and are wondering what to do with all those tomatoes, this is a winner. We've had it twice in the last week and it's a hit. I don't have a recipe, I just kind of throw it together, which is one thing I love about it, I also love that it tastes so yummy and costs so little!

1 lb of your favorite pasta (I like it with spaghetti)
4-6 cups diced tomatoes (a mix of varieties works great)
2-4 cloves garlic, diced
2-4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2-3/4 cup shredded pecorino romano cheese (again, I like the Kirkland)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in salted water. After you start the water for the pasta, add the olive oil to a large sautee pan over medium heat. Once it is hot, add garlic and tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook until tomatoes are falling apart and liquid from tomatoes has gone down by 1/3-1/2 (about 10-15 minutes). Toss with hot pasta and basil and half of the cheese. Use remaining cheese to top individual servings. Enjoy!

Pesto-Ranch Chicken Salad

My cousin made this one last week at our reunion and she just threw it together without measuring, so I'm going to give it my best guess. It was so yummy!

1 lb farfalle (bowties) pasta, cooked and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh or store-bought pesto
1/2 16 oz bottle light ranch dressing
aprox. 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (can use rotisserie)
1 cup shredded parmesan
1/2 cup pine nuts (even better if you toast them first)
aprox. 1 1/2-2 cups frozen peas
aprox. 1/2-1 cup craisins (optional)

Combine the dressing and the pesto in medium bowl. Place all ingredients in very large bowl and stir to combine. Makes a great meal on a bed of lettuce.

Garden pesto

For those of you who have basil in your gardens, this is a must-try. I think that fresh pesto is so much better than bottled. Roland prefers it to restaurant pesto too. If you need a food-processor, call me!

Pesto Recipe
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano (Kirkland is great)
1/2 cup Olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
3 garlic cloves

Place the garlic in the food processor fitted with the blade attachment and process until chopped. Add the basil, and the nuts. Turn on and add the oil through the feed tube cup (this will allow it to drizzle in slowly so that the mixture can emulsify). Add the cheese at the end and turn on to combine.

Toss with hot, cooked pasta or drizzle over chicken. A little will go a long way. I like to use just enough to coat, not drown my pasta. 1/2-3/4 cup is usually enough for 1 pound of pasta.

*Air is the enemy of pesto, if you don't plan on using it right away, press some plastic wrap onto the surface refrigerate or freeze. I like to make a few big batches and freeze them in ice-cube trays. it will keep for a few months this way and I don't have to pull out more than I need. It's great for pesto-pizza because you only need 2 cubes for one pizza.

Pasta Salad

This pasta is so versatile and it's always yummy.

Pasta Salad:

1 box pasta, cooked (any kind you like, I use Rotini or Bowtie)
1 package pepperoni (I use Turkey Pepperoni)
1 large jar marinated artichoke hearts (my favorite is Cara Mia)
1 large jar marinated mushrooms
1 can petite diced tomatoes (or you can use fresh)
1 small block cheddar cheese (small diced and I prefer Kraft Sharp)
1 bottle Italian Dressing (I use fat free mostly but I LOVE Girards on occasion)

*you can add SO many different things in this salad so be creative. I have used all kinds of marinated veggies (green beans, aparagus, baby corn, snap peas) and they are all good. I have also used turkey salami in place of the pepperoni and that's good too.

Summer Salads

Chicken Salad
4 c. cooked, chopped chicken
¼ c. chopped green onion
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. cut grapes
½ c. slivered almonds
2 c. raw macaroni, then cook
Dressing:
Mix together:
2 c. mayo
2 t. chicken bullion granules
½ pt. whipping cream
Mix dressing and pour over salad.
May be served as a salad or on croissants.

Grilled Chicken & Pasta Salad
1/2 Bunch of Fresh Spinach (chopped)
16 Oz. bowtie pasta
3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
¾ c. sunflowers seeds
1 can water chestnuts (chopped)
3 Chicken Breasts Grilled, Cut into bite size pieces, seasoned with Lemon Pepper Seasoning.
Dressing:
¾ c. olive oil
¾ c sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 ½ tsp sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp. sesame seed oil
2 cloves garlic
Cook & drain bowtie pasta. Grill chicken breast & cut up chicken into small pieces. Mix pasta, spinach, sesame seed, sunflower seeds, water chestnut and chicken together. Mix up the dressing ingredients together and pour over pasta, mix well. Stir before serving.

Lemony Orzo

I told Laura that I would post this one. Some of you have seen it before, but it's a good one! Plus it uses herbs!

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 1/3 cups diced zucchini
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup diced tomato
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation:
Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain well. Combine orzo, zucchini, and onion in a large bowl; toss well. Combine parsley and next 6 ingredients (parsley through pepper); stir well with a whisk. Stir into orzo mixture; add tomato and cheese, tossing gently to coat.
Yield-6 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 199(22% from fat); FAT 4.8g (sat 1.5g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.6g); IRON 2.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 58mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.7g; SODIUM 307mg; PROTEIN 6.7g; FIBER 1.8g

Tuscan Chicken Salad (or pasta)

I found this recipe a couple of years ago, and I love it. Even JP and Jack really enjoy it also.

Ingredients – serves four

1 lb – Chicken Breast
1 lb bag – Spring or baby green mixed lettuce
1 cup – Roasted Tomatoes, in herbed olive oil if available (I just use the Italian style canned diced tomatoes)
1 cup – Olive oil or oil from tomatoes (I just use 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil)
1 cup – Flour
½ cup – Lemon juice
1 – Large lemon
Salt and pepper
1 – Loaf favorite crusted bread.

Preparation

Cut lemon into half length wise and then into 1/8th inch slices. Cut chicken into large bit-sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix flour with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add cut chicken to flour mixture and coat evenly. In a large non-stick sauté pan, add olive oil and heat to medium high. When pan and oil is hot, add floured chicken, shake off excess flour before putting in pan, and cook until lightly brown. Add lemon juice, sliced lemon and roasted tomatoes, tossing until chicken is done and ingredients are hot.
Divide mixed greens onto four large dinner plates, make lettuce pile high in middle and leave some empty plate exposed around edges. Take chicken, lemon and tomato mixture and divide and decorate plates equally and finish by drizzling pan drippings as dressing. Cut two bread wedges for edge of plate and enjoy.

I have also used over penne or bowtie pasta instead of over the salad.