Lemon Basil Pasta

Lemon Basil Pasta
Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
Makes 4 Servings

10 oz. linguine
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
½ of a lemon
2 ½ tbsp olive oil
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tsp minced garlic

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Add beans for the last two minutes of cooking time. Remove ½ cup cooking liquid and set aside. Drain pasta and beans. Meanwhile, finely shred peel from the lemon half. In food processor or blender, combine lemon peel, basil, garlic, olive oil, juice from lemon half, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Process until smooth. Add reserved cooking liquid, 1 tbsp at a time, until desired consistency (I used 3 tbsp). Toss lemon-basil mixture with pasta mixture.

Nutritional Information: 409 calories, 71 carbs, 10 fat grams and 15 protein grams.

Review: I liked this but didn't love it. I think with this one I just really missed the meat and that made me sad. It was great hot, but not as good reheated. I don't hate it or anything, I just would give it a 3/5. I normally don't post my 3/5 recipes, but I LOVE the idea of a bean pasta and want to work with this one to hopefully like it more. Any ideas?!

Creamy White Chili

Creamy White Chili
Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Café
Makes 6 Servings

20 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup onion, diced
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 tbsp olive oil
2 15.5-oz. cansGreat Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-oz. can chicken broth
1 4-oz. can chopped green chilies 1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
Optional: fresh cilantro for garnish

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information: 384 calories, 27 carbs, 15 fat grams and 29 protein grams.

Review: Wow. The sour cream + whipping cream base really make this soup taste sinful. The can of green chiles adds a nice kick, but it's mild (add a second can for even more!). There is nothing I would do different. The serving may not look huge but it packs a lot of protein with the chicken and beans and kept me full for hours. Austin, Teresa and Forrest agree that this soup is a winner! Austin likes his with a piece of toast.

Black and White Bean Dip

Black and White Bean Dip
My Kitchen Café recipe
Makes 20 Servings

1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of white beans, drained
1 can of shoepeg corn, drained
½ cup Herdez salsa verde
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
15 grape tomatoes, quartered (squeeze liquid out of tomatoes after chopping)
garlic salt to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)

Preheat oven to 400. Rinse and drain both cans of beans. Also drain the can of shoepeg corn. Make sure to squeeze liquid out of tomatoes before chopping so the dip doesn’t turn runny. Put 1.5 cups of cheese and everything else in a bowl and mix together. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray before spooning in the bean mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and pop into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and it is all warm and bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with diced avocado and serve with tortilla chips.

Nutritional Information (without chips): 80 calories, 10 carbs, 3 fat grams and 5 protein grams.

Review: I thought this was excellent! Very different with all of the beans but super flavorful in the green salsa. The garlic salt definitely added a little something extra, and it bubbled up quick. This tasted good after it got cold, too, and it was good the next day. It makes LOTS of food –next time I may use a more shallow pan or pie dish so it’s not as deep.

Pasta Fagioli Recipe

Recipe by Gina’s Weight Watchers Recipes
Pasta Fagioli Recipe
Makes 4 Servings

I tweaked it a bit (removed carrots; added mozzarella; upped the noodles; made it 4 rather than 5 servings) but it’s very much her recipe and AMAZING!

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, small to medium size
½ tbsp minced garlic
1 celery stalk, diced
1 15 oz can cannellini beans
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 large bay leaf
1 tbsp basil, dried
1 tbsp parsley, dried
1 tsp oregano, dried
4 cups fat free chicken broth (or 2 cans)
2 cups water
Sea salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. small pasta (I used mini fusili)
8 tsp grated parmesan cheese
40 grams fresh mozzarella, grated

In a deep pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Blend can of beans with one cup water in electric blender until smooth. Add blended beans to pan then add the tomato sauce, celery, chicken broth, basil, bay leaf, parsley, oregano, sea salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water and bring to slow boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook uncovered until pasta is al dente, according to pasta directions. Ladle soup into bowls, remove bay leaf, and top each serving with 2 tsp grated parmesan and 10 grams fat free mozzarella.

Nutritional Information: 418 calories, 70 carbs, 9 fat grams and 20 protein grams.

Review: You guys! It was so creamy and fabulous like MELT in my mouth. I can’t wait to make this again and make more of it. Me and Austin are officially obsessed with this new, rich, filling recipe. Thanks, Gina!

Southwestern Chicken and White Bean Soup

Southwestern Chicken and White Bean Soup
Adapted from a Cooking Light Recipe
Makes 4 Servings

16 oz. chicken breast
3 tbsp 40%-less-sodium taco seasoning
Cooking spray
4 tsp olive oil
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 16-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained (272 grams total)
1 cup green salsa
4 tbsp Fat-free sour cream, divided
Chopped cilantro (optional)
Trader Joe’s Organic Corn Chips (40 grams, divided)
Cumin and Salt to taste

Combine chicken and taco seasoning; toss well to coat. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray, and add olive oil. Add chicken; sauté 2 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned. Add broth, scraping pan to loosen any browned bits. Meanwhile, place beans in a small bowl; mash until only a few whole beans remain. Add beans and salsa to pan, stirring well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thick. Makes two large servings. Top each with 1 tbsp sour cream, cilantro and 10 grams corn chips if desired.

Nutritional Information (including cilantro, sour cream and chips): 426 calories, 38 carbs, 10 fat grams and 37 protein grams.

Review: I LOVED this! Austin liked it a lot, but said it was a little too salty for his taste. I decided I won't add cumin or salt next time - I think because all of the ingredients (chicken stock, salsa, etc.) are salty in and of themselves, it doesn’t need anything extra. I’ll definitely be making this again – but next time I’ll make more servings! Woo! I also loved that I was able to use this ingenious product – frozen cilantro cubes.

White Bean & Chicken Chili

Adapted from Cooking Light

White Bean & Chicken Chili

Makes 3 Servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
15 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1.5 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp all purpose flour
1.5 tsp cumin
Bush’s Best Cannellini Beans; White Kidney Beans1 15.5 oz. can
Del Monte Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes with Zesty Jalapenos 14.5 oz can
1 cup Swanson 99% Fat Free Chicken Broth
Salt/Pepper

Set a large frying pan to medium-high and add oil. Chop the onions, cut the chicken into small, bite size pieces and rinse and drain the beans. Now that your pain is hot, add onion and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Add chicken, chili powder, cumin salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, and broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and sprinkle flour in to the mix. Stir for 1 minute, then cover and cook for 3 more minutes.

Nutritional Information: 387 calories, 40 carbs, 7 fat grams and 44 protein grams.

Review: Nice, flavorful chili. It's definitely not a 'white' chili, it has a heavy tomato taste which I like. I wish it had 4 servings as opposed to 3, but it's a great one. It's nice to top with saltines too!