Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I have no idea how I would survive the summer without this recipe. I've had several different recipes for chicken salad but this beats all. To make it even healthier I sometimes make it into a lettuce wrap. Yum!

2 c chicken
1 c grapes
1/2 c celery
1/4 c dried onions
1/2 t celery salt
1/2 c sliced almonds
3/4 c mayonnaise
1/2 c lemon yogurt
chow mien noodles

Mix all ingredients together. Serve in bagels or croissants.

Healthier and yummier version:
1 can (Costco's Kirkland brand) chicken
1 1/2 c grapes
1/2 c celery
1/4 c dried onions
1/2 t celery salt
1/3 c sliced almonds
1/8 c mayonnaise
1 1/2 containers or 9 oz lemon yogurt (I use Yoplait light lemon cream pie yogurt)
small handful of chow mien noodles

Makes 14 1/4 c servings at 69 calories each.

Creamy Cheesecake with Strawberry Topping


Cheesecake:
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c lemon juice
1 t vanilla
graham cracker crust

Mix first 4 ingredients and pour into crust. Chill. Cover with strawberry topping.

Strawberry Topping (otherwise used as a pie filling):
3/4-1 c smashed strawberries
3 Tb cornstarch
1 c sugar
1 Tb lemon juice
1/2 c water
red food coloring

Cook until mixture thickens.
For a strawberry pie, pour over fresh strawberries sliced into a baked pie shell. Cool. Serve with whipped cream.

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/4 c hot water
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 26oz jar spaghetti sauce

Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8-10 minutes or until a-dent. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside. Dissolve bouillon cube in hot water. In large bowl, mix chicken with bouillon, cream cheese, and 1 c mozzarella cheese. Spread 1/3 spaghetti sauce in 9" square baking dish. (I used 9x13.) Cover with the chicken mixture and top with lasagna noodles;repeat. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
I would recommend doubling layers for a larger family.

Healthier version:
Use light cream cheese, and only 3/4 c mozzarella cheese. With substitutions, it makes 12 servings at 189 calories each. With regular cream cheese it's 215 calories per serving.