Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

I made these for dinner tonight - very quick and very good! I made my own thousand island dressing to make it lower fat (scroll down for the dressing recipe).

Yield 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
8 slices rye bread
4 (1-ounce) slices reduced-fat, reduced-sodium Swiss cheese (such as Alpine Lace)
8 ounces smoked turkey, thinly sliced
2/3 cup sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fat-free Thousand Island dressing
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided

Preparation

Spread about 3/4 teaspoon mustard over each bread slice. Place 1 cheese slice on each of 4 bread slices. Divide turkey evenly over cheese. Top each serving with 2 1/2 tablespoons sauerkraut and 1 tablespoon dressing. Top each serving with 1 bread slice, mustard sides down.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 sandwiches to pan; top with another heavy skillet. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden; remove sandwiches from pan, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and sandwiches.

Allison Fishman, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2006

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/3 cup dill pickle relish
pinch salt
pinch ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined, and serve.

Pan-Seared Scallops with Tomatoes and Pesto

We made this last night for one of our lenten dinners. It was really quick and easy and very flavorful! For a side we made the Orzo with Spinach and Feta!

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
2 cups grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons commercial pesto
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Preparation

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Pat scallops dry with paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add scallops to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove scallops from pan; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium. Add rind and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; bring to a simmer. Add tomatoes; cook 45 seconds, tossing to coat.

Spoon about 2 teaspoons pesto on each of 4 plates. Arrange one-quarter of scallops and about 1/2 cup tomato mixture on each plate. Sprinkle with basil.

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2004

Orzo with Spinach and Feta

We made this last night to go with the Pan-Seared Scallops with Tomatoes and Pesto. The only thing that I will add next time is something red for a little color - we put the leftover tomatoes from the scallops recipe in with the leftover orzo and ate it cold the next day and I actually liked it better cold.

Yield 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

5 cups water
2 cups uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
5 cups coarsely chopped spinach
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add orzo. Cook 10 minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain.

Combine pasta, spinach, and feta in a large bowl. Combine oil and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle lemon mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat.

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 1999

Chicken Tortilla Soup

The following three posts all come from Tara. These are a few of her staple recipes that she makes for her family! She says that she is a different kind of cook and kinda uses what she has to make up meals on her own! She has some recipes that sound great and some good time saving tips for making chicken ahead or using the pre-cooked rotisserie chickens! Tara also made this for the March Meal exchange for us to try!

In a large pot, cook about half a white or yellow onion (chopped) with a little EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil for all of those that may not be Rachel Ray fans) and some fajita seasoning (cumin, pepper, etc). Cook on medium heat just enough to get the juices flowing. Then dump in:
Shredded cooked chicken (half a breast of prepared rotisserie or 2-3 cooked breasts)
1 can corn
2 cans rotel (one regular, one mild- if you like a little spicy, both mild if you don’t)
2 cans chicken broth
1 can refried beans
Simmer on low at least 2 hours (I do 3-4 hours)
Serve with chopped scallions, shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips


Note: Tara recommends using the already cooked rotisserie chickens for this recipe. Another great tip to save time is to bake a large amount of chicken over the weekend (usually marinated in Italian dressing, baked at 350 for 45-50 min.) and use that through the week for recipes, over salads, etc.

Creamy Bowtie Pasta

Cook box of bowtie pasta according to package in a big pot. While pasta is cooking, throw about half a red onion (chopped) in a skillet with a little EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil for all of those that are not Rachel Ray fans) and garlic. Cook on medium heat, just enough to get the juices flowing.
Cook alfredo dressing (get dry packet) according to package. (You could use a jar of it)
Drain pasta, throw back in pot and add:
Shredded (cooked) chicken, onion mixture, 1 jar sundried tomatoes (drained and chopped), 1 pkg. pine nuts, alfredo sauce, oregano, basil. Stir. If too dry, you can add more alfredo or add some of the sundried tomato oil they came in.

Note: Tara recommends using the already cooked rotisserie chickens for this recipe. Another great tip to save time is to bake a large amount of chicken over the weekend (usually marinated in Italian dressing, baked at 350 for 45-50 min.) and use that through the week for recipes, over salads, etc.

Easy Creamy Chicken

Throw in a crock pot:

4 chicken breasts (whole, can be frozen)
2 “cream of” soups (one cream of celery and one cream of mushroom- low sodium)
Chopped celery (I do a whole stalk- whatever your family prefers)
Diced onion (about half)
Season to family’s taste (I do some combination of pepper, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage)

Cook on low for about 6 hours. Chicken should just shred apart.

Serve over egg noodles (or rice if you prefer). You can add different things to make it your own…milk and sour cream to make it creamier, more soups, chopped mushrooms, etc.

Scallops Provencal

Krista just recently made these and said that they were very tasty and it was very quick and easy! Can't wait to try them!

Cook Time 10 minutes

Yield 3 servings

Ingredients

1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, cut in 1/2

Directions

If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.
In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

2004, Barefoot in Paris, All Rights Reserved - from http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Crustless Quiche

This recipe is from Lisa - she made it for us one day when we had a Deloitte Mom's playdate and it was so good. She said it only took five minutes to get everything in the pie dish and she let it bake while she was getting ready - good idea! I have made this twice for visiting family since she gave me the recipe and everyone loves it!

Preheat to 350 degrees.

4 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
1 package dry Knorr vegetable soup mix
Cheese – shredded asiago and cheddar mixed (I probably used almost 1 cup) – although use whatever you like.
½ bagel toasted and torn

Spray pie dish with Pam
Bake for 45 – 50 min.