Chicken pot pie is truly one of the classic comfort foods.  Delicious and damn tempting but by no means healthy.

Well, fear not because our version has been revamped and slimmed down!   Trust me, your waist line will thank you.

• 1/2 package reduced fat crescent rolls *
• 1/2 of a leftover rotisserie chicken cut into 1″ chunks (or just use 2 chicken breasts)
• 1 medium size baking potato
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 cup of baby carrots
• 3 stalks of celery
• 1 can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
• 2 springs of fresh thyme (you can substitute dried)
• 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
• salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 375.

Start by cutting all your potato, onion, celery and carrots into bite size chunks.  Then, toss them in a microwave steamer bag and nuke for about 5 minutes.  If you don’t have these (and you should!)  you can always steam your veggies the old fashioned way.

Next, combine chicken, veggies, seasonings and soup in a large casserole and toss to combine.

Bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.

Roll out your crescent into the shape of your casserole and place on top of your chicken mixture.

Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Now, devour!

* Use the rest for breakfast tomorrow!  Spoon a dollop of your favorite jam inside, roll up and bake as directed.  Sooo yummy!

This is one of those ‘use what you’ve got on hand recipes that always scores big points with the hubbs.  You can sub out the veggies for whatever you’ve got in the crisper.  Peppers, leftover potatoes and/or meat would all be delicious.

Quesadillas

• 1/2 cup zuchinni, chopped
• 1/2 cup yellow squash, chopped
• 2 tbs red onion, chopped
• 1 wedge of  The Laughing Cow Light Cheese
• 1/4 cup instant mashed potatoes
• 2 Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas (I like Tam-x-ico’s Low Carb version)
• 1/4 cup of reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Salsa

• 1 tbs red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• juice of 1/2 lime
• salt and pepper

Spray skillet with non-stick spray over medium heat.  Add zuchinni, squash and onions and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Saute for about 8 – 10 minutes.

Remove veggies and set aside.

Prepare instant potatoes according to package instructions.  (I microwave them.  It’s the fastest, easist method for sure)

Spread one tortilla with your Laughing Cow wedge and the other with your mashed potatoes.

With your skillet over medium heat, place one ortilla in the pan and top with veggies, shredded cheese, and your second tortilla.  Cook about 2 – 3 minutes per side, slice into wedges and serve with salsa.

Roasting is my favorite way to cook vegetables.  It brings all the flavors to a whole new level -rich, caramelized and intensely satisfying.   We’d gone on a produce run last week but time sort of got away from us and left us with a bunch of veggies that were about to go bad.   I love any excuse to use my immersion blender so I decided to make soup!

• 1 zucchini, cut 1″ chunks
• 1 yellow squash, cut into 1″ chunks
• 1 bulb fennel, sliced
• 1 large white onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 32 oz. carton of chicken broth
• 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 cup fat free half and half
• sour cream for garnish
• fresh basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 450.  Grab a few cookie sheets and line them with aluminum foil.  Divide your zucchini, squash, fennel, onions and garlic evenly so that they are in single layers.  I needed 3 sheets to do this but it’ll depend on how many veggies you’ve got.   The reason you don’t want to layer them up too much though is that it will create steam which won’t allow the vegetables to roast properly.

Drizzle each cookie sheet with about 2 tbs of olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Roast veggies for about 30 minutes, stirring half way through.

Transfer veggies to a stock pot over medium heat and add in tomatoes, chicken broth and spices.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, remove bay leaves and use immersion blender to puree.  Finish soup by adding in your half and half.

To serve, top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh basil.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the mixture, in batches, to a blender.  Or, if you wanna go really rustic, just skip that step entirely!

Pretty much every vegetable is awesome roasted, so feel free to adapt this recipe by using what you’ve got on hand!

Kick up a pair of roma tomatoes with bleu cheese, garlic and red pepper for an instantly elegant side dish.  

Ingredients:

•  2 fresh roma tomatoes
•  1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
•  2 cloves of garlic
•  1 tbs fresh chopped parsley
•  1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
•  1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
•  1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a cookie sheet or roll pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking oil.
3. Cut your roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and use a spoon to gut’em of their seeds.
4. Mince the two cloves of garlic.
5. Roughly chop the parsly leaves.
6. Assemble your filling by mixing the crumbled bleu cheese, the minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and the chopped parsley saving about 1 tsp of parsley for garnish later.
7. Divide the mixture and spoon equally into your hollowed out roma tomatoes.
8. Pop the tomatoes into the oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is all bubbly and slightly browned on top.
9. Pull them out of the oven, sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley and serve piping hot.

The recipe serves two: to feed more just double the recipe.

Tips:

• Parsley comes in curly and flat leaf varieties (also known as italian parsley).  Skip the voyage back to 80’s fine dining garnish and get the flat leaf variety if it’s available.
• If you’re sensitive to spice, hold back a bit on the red pepper flakes, or cut them out completely…it’s yours to customize.

Steam is for a spas and steamed asparagus is dull in color, flavor and texture.  Give oven-roasting a try and discover a new depth for a classic veggie.

Ingredients:

•  1 Bunch of thin asparagus
•  1/8 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
•  1 1/2 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
•  1 tsp Pepper

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. While the oven is preheating, break down your Asparagus.  Select a single stem and with one hand, hold the bottom of the asparagus.  Place your other hand at the middle and slowly start to bend the asparagus over until it snaps.  Use the broken asparagus as a guide for the rest of your stems and trim them accordingly.  Unless you’re into making your own vegetable stock, discard the bottoms.
3. Toss the asparagus into a pyrex dish and pour over about 1/8th of a cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 
4. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of Kosher or Sea Salt to taste. 
5. Add about 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper to taste. 
6. Toss the asparagus until all spears are well coated.  (ditch the tongs here and get your hands dirty).
7. Roast the asparagus in the middle of your preheated oven for about 20 minutes until the tips of the asparagus just begin to get crispy.  (Remember, char and crispy are two different things)

Tips:

 Asparagus is sold in very thin and very thick stalks.  If your grocery store only has the thicker stalks in stock, then trim off the dark green flesh from the bottoms of your asparagus with a potato peeler to mitigate the fibrous texture.

 Accessorizing:

Feel free to customize this dish with your favorite accessory: chopped garlic, paprika, onion powder, or pitted kalamata olives would all make wonderful additions.