Bacon & Chicken-Stuffed Shells

Tonight for dinner we had a recipe I made up in my head.

That's code for "EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK".

I just threw stuff in that I thought might be yummy together and honestly, I was worried. Even though it smelled pretty good, I'm not one to do things without a recipe often and don't have very much experience with 'successful experiments'! To our delightful surprise, it turned out to be pretty darn good!

First, cook the chicken:

2 small boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Then, cook your pasta for 10 minutes then rinse/drain under cold water:

1 box Jumbo Shells

While the pasta's cooking, mix together in a large bowl the filling. To the chicken you'll add:

15 oz. Low-Fat Ricotta Cheese

2 c. shredded Mozarella

2 c. shredded Parmesan

1 well-beaten egg

2 bacon strips that have been cooked (not to the point of crunchy) and chopped into small pieces

1/2 t. Oregano

1 T. Garlic Salt

1 T. Parsley

2 T. chopped Fresh Mint

Mix it well then fill each shell. Place the shells in a well-greased casserole dish (large). This should yield about 36 shells or so.

Over the shells (starting with the edges) pour:

15 oz. jar of Bertolli Four-Cheese Rosa Sauce

Top with 2 c. shredded Mozarella

Bake @ 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Serves 6.

I plan on making this again, only I'm tempted to add one of the following to try something different:

chopped artichokes

roasted red peppers

sauteed mushrooms

I'm also curious if this would freeze well. Any thoughts on that?

An E-Diary of Pear-Shaped Proportions!

http://bottomheavyconfessions.blogspot.com/

(no invitation required...)

Low-Fat (no fat?) Sugar-Free Banana Walnut Muffins...Yummy (no, seriously)

TASTY BANANA NUT MUFFINS (oh yeah, and they're healthy, too...)

1 c. white flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour (I used just a smidgen less wheat flour and added 1/8 c. ground flax)
3/4 c. splenda
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
2 egg whites
2 to 2 1/2 mashed ripe bananas
1/4 c. applesauce
walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease WELL a muffin tin (12). These muffins stick badly to liners so I would NOT recommend using paper liners.

Mix wet ingredients well. In separate bowl, mix dry ingredients (except walnuts). Add dry to wet and mix just until blended. Fold in nuts.

Using about 1/3 c. measuring cup, fill the muffin tin cups. Bake 15-18 minutes (16 min. was perfect at my house). I froze mine and we'll use them on Sunday mornings (I had tripled the recipe).

These really are guilt-free and very TASTY! Enjoy!

it's a matter of simple math, really...

+

=

Diggin' the Tim Tam Slam,

Explorin' different varieties of

Tim Tams & Hot Cocoa combos...

so "gouda" & so low in points! GOUDA-STUFFED CHICKEN

(OK, so I shouldn't apply for a job as a cookbook photographer. )

But I wanted to share this recipe with you, especially those that are looking for something healthy or "diet-friendly".

Last week for dinner I made Gouda-Stuffed Chicken and it was sooooo good! Or as I like to call it: "Gouda!" It was easy, too. I loved the smoked gouda flavor, especially with the apple-juice/broth gravy. The only thing I would change would be the apples. Gotta be honest: I disliked the apples so much that I picked them off my plate. But they sure looked pretty! Next time I would just leave the apples out, or I am toying with the idea of trying it with sliced pears. Here's some photos of the step-by-step process. The recipe below is only 8 points! Not bad for something stuffed with cheese and covered in a sugary juice-sauce! This would be great with green beans or a green salad. Or beets. But then again, I LOVE BEETS and most people don't. No matter what you serve with it, try it and let me know what you think, okay?

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I love cheese. I'd rather tour a cheese factory than a chocolate factory anyday.

And smoked gouda. Come on...that's just YUM!

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It smelled so good as the chicken cooked and the cheese melted inside

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A little honey drizzled on the apples

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Getting the broth/juice mixture nice and hot. Cook it long enough that it thickens.
This part I would not leave out--it was really, really good drizzled over the meat.
The apples on the other hand...well, that I'd reconsider. Maybe pears?


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Cookin' the apples until crisp-tender

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Gouda-Stuffed Chicken
1 breast + 1/3 apple mixtures =8 points

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 oz. smoked gouda cheese, cut into thin pieces
2 tbl. Flour
¼ t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 t. olive or canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. red.-sodium chicken broth
1 c. apple juice
2 lg. tart apples, very thinly sliced (or pears)
1 tbl. Honey

Cut a slit lengthwise through the thickest part of each chicken breast. Fill with cheese.
In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper.
Dip the chicken in the flour mixture on both sides. Shake off excess.

In large skillet, cook chicken in 1 tbl. Oil over medium heat for 8-10 minutes
on each side or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.

In same skillet, sauté garlic in remaining oil for 1 minute.
Add broth and cider, stirring to loosen browned bits. Bring to boil. Reduce heat.
Simmer uncovered for 12 minutes or until mixture is reduced to about 1 c.
Stir in apples (pears) and honey. Return to boil. Reduce heat.
Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes or until apples are crisp-tender.
Serve over chicken.