Low Calorie Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

We had this meal for dinner tonight. It was delicious! I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of it. I have tried many similar recipes, but on the low calorie side, this has definitely been the best!

Low Calorie Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
adapted from Food Network Magazine

1 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp all-purpose flour
1 cup 2% milk
Kosher salt
2 Tbsp Neufchatel or low-fat cream cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
12 ounces fettuccine
1-2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

Make the sauce: melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook until the garlic is slightly soft, about 1 minute. Add in the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and 3/4 tsp salt and cook, whisking constantly, until just thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the Neufchatel and parmesan cheese; whisk until melted, about 1 minute.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and return to the pot.
Add the chicken, sauce and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and gently toss to combine, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen. Divide among bowls and top with parmesan.

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine
adapted from Cooking Light

1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
4 cups hot cooked penne pasta
2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup milk
1 can condensed reduced-fat cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper. Saute 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.

Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. Salt to taste. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Pad Thai

While I was watching the Food Network I came across this recipe. I have tried a few Pad Thai recipes, but didn't really like any of them. This one seemed easy and the reviews on it were really good. It was really easy to make and tasted delicious!

Pad Thai
adapted from Sandra Lee

1 (16-ounce) package rice noodles
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1-2 tablespoon chile sauce, depending on how hot you want it
2 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup chicken broth
3 carrots, grated
4 scallions, sliced thin
2 cups bean sprouts
Chicken, Shrimp, or Tofu (I used 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded)
1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped, for garnish
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook rice noodles according to directions. Set aside.

In a wok or a large skillet scramble the eggs. Cook until they are firm. Remove them from the pan and let them cool a bit. Roughly chop them and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, chile sauce, lime juice, garlic, and broth. Set side.

Add the 1 tablespoon oil to the pan along with the carrots, scallions, and bean sprouts and stir fry 1 minute. Add the reserved eggs, noodles, chicken and sauce, stirring to coat everything completely. (I doubled the sauce from the original recipe so I only used about 3/4 of the sauce. Then we poured the left over sauce on top of our noodles once we had dished up). Cook for another minute. Serve garnished with peanuts and cilantro.