Blue Cheese Tenders

If you like Blue Cheese Dressing then you will love this! I even know some who abhor blue cheese but actually ended up liking this. I make this dish all the time for potlucks and it is a hit!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 lb. Chicken Breast Tenders (cut into bite size pieces)
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped
1/3 Cup Blue Cheese Dressing
Hot Cooked Farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
Crumbled Blue Cheese, if desired

Directions:

Heat oil in a 10-inch skiller over medium-high heat
Cook chicken, lemon juice, and garlic in oil for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center.
Stir in dressing.
Cook 2-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until hot.
Served over farfalle.
Sprinkle the blue cheese over the dish, if desired.

Makes 4 Servings.

Note: I usually always end up using more dressing than it calls for. Furthermore, I always sprinkle it with blue cheese.

Penne with Mushrooms, Italian Sausage, and Broccoli

(From Best of Weight Watchers Magazine Vol. 1. 2002)

This has become one of my very favourite crowd-pleasing recipes. For a potluck last week where I knew there would be a vegetarian person, I substituted the sausage with Yves’ vegetarian “ground round” in “spicy Italian” and substituted vegetable broth for chicken broth, and it turned out quite nicely – not the same as with sausage, in my opinion nothing beats animal fats for tastiness – but it was still very good and other than the cheese, which can be omitted, it was a vegan dish. It is also a low-fat dish for those who are concerned about that sort of thing, or if one has guests that might be concerned.

Add-ins:
I always add-in additional spices: rosemary & thyme, I find this really perks up the dish, fresh rosemary is especially lovely. I also tend to add in a small onion, chopped, at the stage where the mushrooms are cooked, which also adds to the flavour. I also have made this with rotini instead of penne, which is just as good.

Cooking tips:
I cook the broccoli with the pasta by putting a steamer above the boiling pot of pasta, thereby saving both time & electricity by cooking both at once. Also, if you aren’t terribly worried about counting the points on this recipe, the mushrooms and onion are quite tasty when you cook them in the leftover fat from the sausage. At the end of the recipe I often find there isn’t enough room for everything in my skillet, so I combine it all in a large bowl, which works just fine.

Ingredients
1/4 pound hot Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed
10 ounces white mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups cooked broccoli florets
4 cups cooked, drained penne
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
crushed red pepper, to taste (optional)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
1. Crumble the turkey sausage meat into a large nonstick skillet and cook until golden brown. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel-lined heatproof plate. Pour off and discard any fat in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown and all the juices have evaporated, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and the drained sausage; cook until warmed through. Stir in the penne, broth, lemon juice, and the crushed red pepper (if using); cook just until heated through. Serve sprinkles with cheese.

Makes 4 servings.