Last Night's Dinner

This is a long over due post, but considering I just pulled out the last pan of this delicious mancotti from the freezer to heat up for the family, I suppose now is as good a time as any to share this tasty recipe. 

I found this recipe in a cookbook one of my girlfriends shared with me back in college called Crazy Plates: Low-Fat Food So Good You'll Swear Its Bad for You which is now discontinued. It has been a major winter staple for many years now.  I usually only make it about twice a year, because it take a while (about 30-45 minutes) to prep and it makes so much that you have enough to freeze and breakout through out the winter.  So even though its a bit of work, its tasty, low fat and does great in the freezer.

Here are the ingredients:

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into small pieces

1 cup each grated carrots, grated zucchini, and finely chopped mushrooms

3 tbsp minced, fresh basil or 1 1/2 tsp dried

1 tbsp minced, fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 oz light cream cheese, cut into cubes

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

12 manicotti shells or about 20 shells

2 cups of you favorite low-fat, tomato based pasta sauce

1/2 cup shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese (2 oz)

To make filling:

1. Spray a large, non-stick skillet with non-stick spray.  Add garlic and onions.  Cook and stir over medium heat until softened, about 2-3 minutes.  Be careful not to burn them.

2. Add chicken, increase heat to medium high, and cook until no longer pink. 

3. Add carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, basil, oregano and pepper.  Cook for 3 more minutes. 

4.  Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat.  Stir in ricotta and Parmesan cheeses.  transfer filing to large bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes. (Added tip: after about 10 minutes stir the contents to ensure that the warm inside portion gets turned to the outside of the bowl to cool as well)

Assemblage: 

5 While filling is chilling, cook manicotti according to package directions.  Rinse with cold water and drain well. 

6. Using a teaspoon, stuff shells equally with filling.  (see below)

7.  Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce over the bottom of two baking dishes. Arrange 6 stuffed manacotti (or 8-10 stuffed shells) in each dish. 

8. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti and sprinkle with mozzarella.

9. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Let cook for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Last Night's Dinner

This is technically our dinner from Friday night, but is probably going to be tonight's dinner and its such a staple in our meal rotation and so easy and health I thought I would pass it along.

I saw a version of this stuffed squash over on Jen's blog last year and though, hm...I could do that.  I didn't really follow her reciepe, but just sort of took the concept and ran with it.  I have tried different things, tweeked it here and there and have a pretty awesome, healthy plan that's easy to throw togehter on the fly in the fall and winter.  Below is what I do if I am making it for two people.

Ingredients:

1. One medium to large sized acorn squash cut in half with seeds and stuff scooped out

2. 1 1/2 cups of fat free, low sodium organic chicken broth

3.  4 tblsps butter (or margerine) but I prefer the real deal in moderation over processed stuff

4.  Two sliced of whole grain wheat bread (or bread of choice I suppose)

5. 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

6. 1/4 cup dried cranberries and/or cherries

7. Thyme, rosemary, sage and garlic power to preference (usually about a 1/2 tsp of each, but really I add until it smells the way I want it to!)

8. One Chicken sausage removed from casing, cooked and finely separated (optional, for the folks that are wierd about skipping meat at a meal or who just want a different flavor)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Take the acorm squash and cut off the little points on the long end of the squash where the stem is and at its opposite.  Then cut it in half through the thin end (see picture above).  Scoop out seeds and strings and stuff.  Set asside

Start by heating chicken broth and butter in a sauce pan on the stove.  Heat until the butter has melted into the chicken broth.  Remove from heat.

While broth is heating, toast the two slices of bread.  Once toasted, cut into 1/4 inch cubes; set asside.

Mix into the chicken broth butter concoction the walnuts, dried fruit and seasoning.  Then mix in the bread pieces.  If you have cooked up chicken sausage add it too. Mix all ingredients until bread seems to have been evenly coated and saturated with moisture and ingredients are somewhat evenly mixed.

Then scoop stuffing into the squash.  place squash on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the stuffing is golden brown and you can stick a fork into the side rim of the squash and it feels tender.

Remove from oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes.  Serve with steam veggies of choice.