My husband LOVES chicken parm. I always used to like the taste too – but the fat content usually discouraged me from making it at home and ordering it when we’re out. A few months ago I came across this recipe, from Ellie Krieger (who is a dietitian and shares my passion for tasty healthy food) and I made it one night for dinner – it was a huge success. The technique of using cooking spray and then baking the chicken keeps the outside crispy while minimizing fat by avoiding frying. I know it sounds complicated to make your own bread crumbs, but it really is VERY easy and I think it adds a lot to this recipe – the crumbs just tasted so crispy and fresh when cooked.

We served this with whole wheat pasta and a tasty ceasar salad – a wonderful way to enjoy some great Italian food without all the guilt.

Ingredients

• 4 slices whole-wheat bread (1-ounce each)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 (6 ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 jar good-quality marinara sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons (1/2-ounce) shredded Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed, about 25 to 30 seconds. Put the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, until golden. (You will wind up with about 1 1/3 cups toasted crumbs.)

In a medium bowl, toss the crumbs with oregano, garlic powder, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and milk together. In a third bowl stir together the flour, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Dip each piece of chicken, 1 piece at a time, in flour, shaking off excess, then egg, then bread crumbs, shaking off excess.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place breaded breasts in a glass baking dish and spray on each side with cooking spray, about 5 seconds total per side. Bake breasts until cooked though and crumbs are browned, about 15 minutes. Top with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.

I spotted this recipe on the cooking blog A Year in the Kitchen. It looked like a fun, different way to serve zucchini. When I saw some nice-looking fresh zucchini at the store (not an easy feat in New England during the winter!), I knew I had to try the recipe.

I served the zucchini sticks with baked chicken parm and whole wheat pasta. They were a nice change from the salad that I usually serve with pasta dishes.

I followed the recipe exactly as written, and was very happy with the results. The breading turned out crispy and flavorful, while the zucchini was moist and tender.

Zucchini Sticks

2 egg whites, whipped to a foam
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch wide sticks

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Combine zucchini breading ingredients in a shallow dish.
3. Whip egg whites in a bowl until they foam.
4. Toss zucchini in the egg whites, then toss in the bread crumbs. 5. Transfer to a baking sheet.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, until crispy and brown.

I’ve been making the basic boule from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for nearly a year now. My husband spotted this Sun-Dried Tomato and Parmesan Bread recipe while thumbing through the book the other day. Since we had company coming for dinner on Saturday night, I decided to give it a try.

The central idea behind Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is that “Pre-mixed, pre-risen, high moisture dough keeps well in the refrigerator.” Initially mixing the dough takes about 10 minutes or less and shaping/baking a loaf only requires 5 minutes of attended preparation time. Additionally, this dough can be mixed using only a spoon and a mixing bowl. No kneading is required.

The book contains a number of base dough recipes that can be modified, resulting in dozens of different kinds of bread and bread products.

This recipe uses 1 pound of the Master Bread recipe, which I’ve detailed in a previous post. I omitted the sun-dried tomatoes, making this a Parmesan bread. The cheese added a nice tang to the bread and brushing the crust with olive oil resulted in a nicely browned, crisp crust.

Parmesan Bread

Yields a single 1-pound loaf

1 pound (grapefruit-sized portion) of dough
Olive oil for brushing the loaf
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or other Italian-style grating cheese)
Cornmeal pizza peel

1. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go.

2. Roll out the ball into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. As you roll out the dough, use enough flour to prevent it from sticking to the work surface, but not so much as to make the dough dry.

3. Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese. Starting from the short end, roll the dough into a log and gently tuck the ends under to form an oval loaf. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel for 1 hour (or just 40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

4. Twenty minutes before baking tiem, preheat the oven to 450, with baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread.

5. Brush the top of the dough lightly with olive oil and slash parallel cuts across the loaf, using a serrated bread knife.

6. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm.

7. Allow to cool before slicing and eating.

I’ve been making this recipe for Dijon Alfredo Sauce for years. My husband and I stumbled across this on allrecipes.com when we were searching for a cream sauce to go along with a bottle of Gew?rztraminer that we had picked up.

The Dijon mustard adds an interesting bite to the creamy Alfredo sauce and complements the asparagus quite nicely. In fact, this dish made me fall in love with asparagus. The sauce is rather rich, but it’s a fun treat. This dish has always gotten rave reviews from guests.

I love making this dish for company because of its’ unique flavor combinations and impressive presentation. It does require around 30 minutes of hands-on preparation, but the steps aren’t too complicated. I typically work on dinner while casually visiting with guests in the kitchen.

Based upon reader reviews, I have lightened up a the recipe by reducing the amount of butter and using light cream in place of whipping cream. I also use far less mustard than the original recipe. The resulting sauce is rich, smooth and flavorful.

Asparagus and Ravioli with Dijon Alfredo Sauce

Yields 4 servings

2 (9 ounce) packages refrigerated chicken- or cheese-filled ravioli
1 pound fresh asparagus
6 tbsp butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1-2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups light cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Cook ravioli in a large saucepan according to package directions; drain and keep warm.
2. Snap off tough ends of asparagus; cut asparagus into 2-inch-long pieces.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add asparagus, and saute 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Spoon over ravioli.
4. Melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium heat; add garlic, and saute 1 minute. Whisk in mustard. Gradually whisk in light cream until smooth.
5. Bring cream mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Stir in cheese and remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Pour over asparagus and ravioli, and toss. Serve immediately.

I maintain a “recipe to try” binder that contains recipes I’ve pulled from magazines or found online. Since I’ve had good luck with many other Cooking Light recipes, I decided to give this low fat light alfredo sauce a try. I served it with herb-seasoned baked chicken and steamed broccoli on cellentani pasta.

The Alfredo sauce is easy to make and comes together quite quickly – more quickly that I had anticipated! I was lucky enough to have someone willing to stir the sauce while I drained the pasta and sliced the chicken.

The resulting alfredo sauce had a nice flavor, but the consistency was not what I expected. After blending in the Parmesan cheese, the sauce had a thick fondue-like consistency. I added two additional tablespoons of milk and two tablespoons of chicken broth to thin it to a sauce-like thickness. After tossing the pasta with the Alfredo sauce, the sauce remained smooth but clung quite thickly to the pasta. I was glad that I hadn’t used fettuccine, as it would have been difficult to separate the noodles.

Since I enjoyed the flavor, I will give this sauce another try. If I can’t get the alfredo sauce to be thinner and less sticky, I’ll move onto another recipe. This one has potential. Stay turned for future updates.

Cooking Light: Light Alfredo Sauce

Yields 4 Servings

1 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups skim milk
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups hot cooked pasta of your choice (8 ounces uncooked pasta)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Cracked black pepper
Optional: Extra milk or chicken broth to thin sauce to desired consistency

1) Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2) Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
3) Stir in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.
4) Add 1 cup Parmesan , cream cheese, and salt, stirring with a whisk until cheeses melt. If needed, add extra milk or broth 1 tbsp at a time to achieve desired consistency.
5) Toss sauce with hot pasta. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Garnish with black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.