Grilled Chicken Caesar Pasta

Last week at work, my coworker and awesome friend, Jenna, brought a Lean Cuisine Grilled Chicken Caesar dinner to work. It smelled absolutely divine. And, according to her, it was. After thoroughly inspecting her plate and examining the box, I decided to remake this meal tonight. Served with Texas Toast, it was a very satisfying meal.

Can't you see all the deliciousness in there? While not as creamy looking as the original, the portion size was much bigger than their serving and the Caesar taste definitely came through. Very pleased with this meal. You should try it too! Here's the recipe:

Grilled Chicken Caesar Pasta
      Serves 4

1 lb chicken breast, grilled and diced
2 cups broccoli, steamed
8 ounces whole wheat pasta (any kind - I used penne because that's what I had in the pantry)
2 Tbsp canned diced tomatoes, drained
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fat free Caesar dressing

Boil the pasta as directed on the box, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, and drain. While doing so, sautee the broccoli, chicken, and garlic in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes. Add the pasta to the skillet. Add the Caesar dressing and thin out slightly with the reserved pasta water. Toss together and serve.

Up next: Gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I converted the gingerbread cookie recipe into a cupcake recipe. However, I have to perfect it just a tad before showing y'all the finished product. They are yummy!

Pizza and Salad....Done Light!

Instead of a baking entry, I thought I would share with y'all the supper I made Monday night in honor of Meatless Mondays and the beginning of one of my New Year's resolutions: to lose weight. This meal was filling and tasty...and light! Both recipes were adapted from a favorite food blog of mine, Love & Olive Oil. You should check out this site. Everything this couple makes looks absolutely yummy.

I started off the meal making a side salad composed of heirloom tomatoes. It made for an awesome side dish as well as an amazing picture.

The recipe (adapted from Love & Olive Oil)

1/2 medium cucumber, chopped into 1/4 - 1/2 inch cubes
3 Heirloom tomatoes, chopped into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup thinly sliced, uncooked red onions
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
Fresh torn basil

Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl and let stand in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Tip: The longer you let it marinate in the fridge, the better it tastes.

Next, I made the main portion of my meal: veggie pizzas.

The recipe (adapted from Love & Olive Oil)

4 medium fat-free tortillas
4 tsp olive oil
1 small can of sliced black olives
1 cup shredded, fat free mozzarella cheese
4 large eggs
1 cup roasted red peppers (packed in water, not oil), sliced into strips
4 large red onion rings
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Brush 1 tsp of olive oil on each tortilla. Scatter the red peppers and black olives over the tortillas then sprinkle with the cheese and rosemary. Place an onion ring in the center of each tortilla and crack an egg into the center of the onion ring. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the egg whites turn from a clear color to a white color, then turn on the broiler and broil for about 1-2 minutes to finish setting the eggs. Serves 4.

I chose to leave my egg yolks runny. If you don't like that, feel free to cook your eggs on top the stove while baking the tortilla pizza, then just top your pizza with an egg. You can also choose to top your pizzas with fresh, torn baby spinach (I forgot to do that!!!). I realize the pizza doesn't make for a pretty picture, but it'll make you want to smile pretty once you take a bite.

Enjoy!

Update: Check back on the marble bundt cake blog to see the changes I made to the recipe. Also, I have received both the molasses and the espresso powder I was waiting for to make the espresso gingerbread cookies. Stay tuned!