Crab and Pasta Salad

Small shell pasta (1 box)
Celery chopped (1 whole stalk)
Imitation Krab meat (1- 1 1/2lbs)
Mayo
Seasoned salt
Dill weed
pepper

Cook pasta, strain, and cool under cold water.  In bowl, combine pasta, chopped
celery, and krab meat (flake the meat).  Add mayo until creamy and season with
seasoned salt, dill weed, and pepper to taste.

-April Orr

Deviled Egg Pasta Salad

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

8 oz. large pasta-I used Rotini

12 hard boiled eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 T. Dijon style mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles (I used sweet relish)

1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced celery

 

In a small saucepan combine onion, vinegar and sugar.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat; set aside.

 

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions (do not overcook).  Drain and rinse well with cold water.

 

Coarsely chop one egg for garnish, and set aside.  Halve remaining eggs; separate yolks from whites.  Coarsely chop egg whites; set aside.

 

For dressing, place yolks in a medium bowl; mash with a fork.  Add mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar/onion mixture.  Mix well. Gradually stir in 2 T. water, salt, paprika and pepper.  Set aside.

 

In a large bowl combine the egg whites, pickles or relish, celery, pasta and dressing; toss to combine.  Top with reserved egg and sprinkle with additional paprika and pepper.  Serve at once or cover and chill up to 6 hours.  Makes 10 servings.

 

Each serving has:  273 calories, 15 g fat, 422 mg sodium, 21 g carb, 1 g fiber, 11 g protein.

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Chicken Spaghetti

2 cups Cooked Chicken

3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained-Optional!
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Stuffed Shells

Stuffed Shells

3 cups ricotta cheese

1 c. mozza, grated
½ c. parmesan cheese
1-2 beaten eggs
2 T. dried parsley
¼ tsp. Italian seasoning
Garlic salt to taste
1 box jumbo shells
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Cook jumbo shells according to pkg directions.  Combine other ingredients and stuff shells (use baby spoon).  Mix a little hot water with spaghetti sauce and put a small amount in pan.  Put stuffed shells on top of sauce and pour more sauce over.  Sprinkle with additional mozza and bake 375 for 30 minutes covered.

Creamed Ham Bake

Courtesy the Daily Herald originally from the Family Dinner Cookbook

3 cups egg noodles, cooked
1 lb. ham, cooked, cubed (or chicken)
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup green onions, chopped

Spread cooked egg noodles in greased 9x13 pan. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over noodles. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Skillet Chili Mac

I made this the other night and it was delicious. I love a meal that can come together quickly like this and yet taste great. I think it could have used more pasta, so next time I would probably add another 1/4-1/2 cup water and 1/4-1/2 cup more pasta. Also, I only used half the cheese (and stirred it in according to directions). I thought that was plenty of cheese (I used half shredded parmesan and half cheddar) so if you are trying to cut calories, this is a great way. I also think the oil could be eliminated from the first step-and my kids were not huge fans of the green chiles-but that's a matter of personal taste. Enjoy!

Skillet Chili Mac
Source: Mimi's Fit Foods

1 T. oil

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, minced

3/4 T. chili powder

1/2 T. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 cup water

4 oz. (1 cup) penne pasta (whole wheat pasta boosts the healthy factor!)

1 can diced green chiles, drained (optional)

1 cup shredded cheese (any kind-reduced fat if you are watching calories), divided

Heat oil in skillet, add ground beef, onion, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Cook until ground beef is no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease. Add garlic and brown sugar and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce, water and pasta. Cover and simmer until pasta is done, about 12-15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in half of cheese and chiles until cheese is melted and chiles are warmed through. Serve with additional cheese sprinkled on top.

Serves 4.

8 pts plus

Asian Sesame Chicken and Soba Noodles

1 T. sesame seeds
2.5 oz. Japanese (buckwheat) soba noodles
8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in bite sized pieces
1 red pepper, sliced
1 1/2 cups broccoli, cut in bite sized pieces
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 T. soya sauce
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
4-5 green onions, chopped

Toast sesame seeds by putting in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Stir frequently and don't let burn.

Bring big pot salted water to boiling and add soba noodles. Cook for 3-5 minutes and drain. Rinse with cold water and drain well.

Meanwhile, cook chicken in frying pan in about 2 tsp. olive oil. When almost done (still a little pink) add the peppers and broccoli and cook until tender crisp and chicken is done. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, mix sesame oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, sugar and green onions. Stir well. Toss with noodles and chicken vegetable mixture. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and serve. Good hot or cold.

2 servings

I didn't have any fresh broccoli, so I made this recipe using frozen stir fry vegetables instead. Recipe comes from http://mimisfitfoods.com/?s=asianMimi's fit foods blog.

Fit Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp

I made this today for lunch and it was a hit! Not quite the same as the full fat version, but the nutrition information is pretty impressive: 366 calories, 8.2 g fat, 39 g protein, 30.8 g carb and 4.6 g fiber.

8 oz. whole wheat fettuccine
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined or 2 chicken breasts
2 tsp. butter
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 grates of nutmeg or dash of powdered nutmeg
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 1/2 T.shredded parmesan
1/2 cup 2% Greek Yogurt
salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp. parsley

Boil fettuccine noodles until 2 minutes before al dente. Add shrimp and cook until they curl up and turn pink. Drain noodles.

Meanwhile melt butter in a skillet. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix cornstarch with nutmeg and whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Add chicken broth mixture to garlic/butter and stir constantly until it boils and thickens. Add 1/4 cup cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add Greek Yogurt. Stir in until well blended. (Can warm over burner, but do not boil.) Toss noodles and shrimp with sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with extra cheese and some parsley.
.
Serves 4. Picture and recipe from Mimi's Fit Foods.

6 pts

Spaghetti Casserole

8 oz. spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg beaters)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 of 10 0z. pkg frozen cut spinach, thawed
1/3 cup onion
3/4 lb. ground beef or turkey
any other vegs. chopped very fine (bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini) optional
4 cups spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 8x8 baking pan.

Toss cooked spaghetti noodles with egg and shredded parmesan. Put in baking dish.

Drain thawed spinach, pressing out any additional liquid, but putting in a colander and pressing out with back of spoon. Spray large skillet.

Cook ground beef or turkey with onion, and any other vegetables you desire (not spinach yet) unti browned, breaking up meat. Drain off any fat. Add spinach and spaghetti sauce and heat through. Add to baking dish on top of noodles.

Top with mozzarella cheese, cover with foil and bake 40-45 minutes or until bubbling. Let sit 10 minutes, cut in squares and serve.

Serves 6. Can be doubled, and half frozen for another time.

Asian Sesame Chicken and Noodles

2 tsp. garlic
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 tsp. Hoisin sauce
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 T. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 T. peanut butter
2 T. hot water
5 chicken breasts, cut into long strips

Sesame Noodles:
Use half of the marinade above for noodles
12 oz. thin spaghetti or angel hair
green onion, thinly sliced
carrots, thinly sliced

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl (you may need to microwave peanut butter to get it to stir in easily). Pour half of the marinade mixture into a ziploc bag and add strips of chicken. Marinate for 2-8 hours. Reserve the other half of the marinade for the noodles. Grill chicken.

For the sesame noodles, cook noodles al dente, drain and pour into a bowl. Slice the green onions and carrots and add to the pasta with the reserved half recipe of marinade. Toss and serve with grilled chicken.