Artichoke-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

From my Cooking Light cookbook.

2 1/2 tbsps Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tsps lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (3 oz) pkg herbed goat cheese, softened
4 (6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves pounded to 1/4 inch thickness.

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine first 6 ingredients; stir well.
Top each chicken breast with 2 tbsps of mixture.
Roll up, tuck in sides and secure each with toothpicks.
Heat a large non-tick skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray.
Add chicken to pan and cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
Wrap handle of skillet with foil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until chicken is done.
Slice carefully and enjoy!

Rosemary Peasant Bread

1 packet dry yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp)
2 c. warm water
1 T. sugar
2 tsp salt (plus a little extra)
4 c. flour
chopped fresh Rosemary
Olive Oil
Corn meal
Melted butter

Dissolve yeast in the warm water and sugar. Add flour, salt, and at least 2 tsp Rosemary and stir until blended. Not need to knead! (I used the dough hook attachment with my Kitchen Aid mixer.) Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until double in size.

Remove dough. It will be sticky. I put olive oil on my hands for taking out the dough and shaping it. Place it in 2 rounds on a cookie sheet lightly coated in oil and sprinkled with corn meal. Or place it on a silicone baking mat with no oil. Cover with a towel or greased plastic wrap. Then let it rise another hour.

Brush each round with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with more Rosemary and salt. Bake @ 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce temp to 375 for 15 minutes more.

I got this recipe from: http://www.makeandtakes.com/rosemary-peasant-bread

I served my rosemary bread with a dipping sauce I made from our herb garden. I chopped a pinch of each of the following: rosemary, oregano and basil. I put it on a saucer, added salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Cover with olive oil and dip until your heart is content!

Healthy(er) Croque Monsieur

If you've never been to La Madeleine, go. If you've been but you've never had they're Croque Monsieur, go and have it. It's out of this world! I have found a recipe that's easy to make at home and satisfies my hankering for the real thing, and it's low in fat and calories. You can't really beat that now can you?!
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(a variation of the recipe from the Cooking Light cookbook)
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1 loaf of French bread
low fat thin-sliced deli ham
honey mustard
5 reduced-fat Swiss cheese slices
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk
salt and pepper
cooking spray
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Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
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Cut the French loaf into 5 sections.
Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into eat section, being careful not to cut all the way through.
Spread honey mustard in each pocket and stuff with ham and a slice of cheese.
Whisk together milk and egg whites with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Coat skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium/medium-high heat. (The cookbook says medium-high, but it was too hot for my stove top, I blackened my first side!)
One at a time (or two if you're crafty like me), dip each sandwich in the milk/egg mixture being careful to coat all solid bread sides and immediately place in skillet. ( I suppose you could coat the meat-filled side, but what about the raw egg mixture getting inside the sandwich pocket and creating a salmonella gooey mess?! That's how my brain works! LOL)
Cook each side until well toasted. I even flipped it over to toast the meat-filled side and get the cheese nice and melty.
Place finished sandwiches on a baking sheet in oven to keep warm while you prepare the remaining sandwiches.

I served this alongside a cup of (store-bought) tomato soup, which I don't usually care for but this one was very tasty. The brand was Pacific Natural Foods and it was Organic Creamy Tomato Sou; it's in a carton rather than a can. I'm weird about acidic things in cans. V8 is all I can handle and that's not very often! Anyhow, I topped the soup with some fresh-chopped oregano and basil and a pinch of reduced-fat mozzarella. It was delicious! Not quite La Madeleine, but I'm sure it was half the calories!

Canadian Bacon Potato Skins

Got this recipe from a Taste of Home Summer Appetizers issue.
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I halved this recipe and still have leftovers!
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6 large baking potatoes
2 tsps canola oil
1/8 tsp Tabasco or some other hot pepper sauce (I used Louisiana Hot Sauce, and I added more than 1/8 tsp!)
1 tsp chili powder (I used a little more)
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
2/3 cup chopped Canadian bacon
2 tbsps finely chopped green onion
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (I, of course, used 2% milk cheese)
salt and pepper (my added touch)
sour cream
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Place potatoes on a microwave-safe plate; prick with a fork. Microwave uncovered on high 14-17 minutes or until tender but firm, turning once. Let stand 5 minutes.
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Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. (Discard, save for a later use, or feed it to your 20-month old mixed with cheese, tomatoes, onion and peas!)
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Preheat oven to 450. Combine oil and hot sauce; brush over shells. Sprinkle with chili powder and a little salt and pepper. Again, cut each shell in half lengthwise. Place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with tomato, bacon, onion and cheese. I also sprinkled a little more chili powder and salt and pepper on top. I live with two Irish men, they are very picky about their potatoes and they prefer them with salt and pepper! LOL
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Bake at 450 for 12-14 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. If you use 2% or reduced-fat cheese, watch it carefully. It can turn crispy if heated too long. Serve with sour cream.
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As I said, I live with two Irish men (my husband and my father-in-law) and they were pleased with this meal, anything with potatoes makes them happy. I served it with the Layered Salad I posted below. Something for them, something for me! LOL
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Layered Salad

This one is from my friend Christine, and not only is it beautiful, it's scrumdillyumptious! My pic below does not do it justice because I hurriedly threw this together last night. If I would have taken more time, it would have looked better.

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In a big glass bowl (for presentation purposes) layer the following:
4 cups torn iceberg lettuce
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup purple onion
1 (10 oz) package frozen English peas, thawed
3 cups torn fresh spinach
3 cups chopped smoked turkey (I left this out)
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Mix the following well and spread in a layer over the above layers:
3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used lite)
3/4 cup sour cream (I used lite)
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Then to top off:
1/2 cup sliced pimento stuffed olives, around the edge
1/2 cup finely shredded Cheddar, in the middle (I used 2% milk cheese)
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled on top of cheese (I used low sodium)
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To serve: Do not mix up, go down into it like a lasagna or something, then mix it once it's on your plate. This way you get a little of everything on your plate. Makes a lot, but it tastes great the next day!
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I must add that my husband who does not like peas, mayo or sour cream did a good job of eating this. But it had bacon on it, so I guess it was a given! LOL I served this with the Canadian Bacon potato skins I'm about to post, so I knew he would be happy with the potatoes and I could enjoy this salad!
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Random Risotto

*1 box Mushroom risotto

*1 bundle asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces and sprinkled with lemon juice

*1 squash, diced

*1/2 can chick peas (garbanzo beans), warmed

*1 tbsp Gorgonzola cheese

*1 small can mushroom pieces and stems, drained

*Shredded Parmesan

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*Cook risotto according to instructions on box.

*Boil squash until tender

*Add asparagus to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes

*Saute mushrooms in butter

*Once risotto is cooked, add asparagus, squash, chick peas, mushrooms and Gorgonzola.

Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Purple Hull Peas

I had never even heard of purple hull peas until this past weekend when we went to our farmers market and they were selling them fresh. Man, are they good! Joe likes to think of himself as a bean (pea) aficionado and he told me time and time again while eating tonight that this was the absolute best (bean) pea soup he has ever eaten. I say it was due to the fresh peas, or maybe it was the cook...?! Or maybe, just maybe, he was really hungry.
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2 pints fresh purple hull peas
4-6 slices of thick, center-cut smokey bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
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In a dutch oven, brown bacon with onion and garlic.
Add peas and water, adding enough water to cover peas plus an inch; add cilantro.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer approximately 20-30 minutes until peas are done.
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I topped mine off with homemade pico de gallo and served it with a green onion and butter-topped cornbread muffins.