Cream cheese adds flavor to recipes
In my house, there is almost always a block of parmesan cheese
on hand. It’s easy to grate some up with a microplane zester to top
pasta dishes, chicken or vegetables. It’s a cheese that is lower in
fat than other cheeses and packs a lot of flavor into just a few a
pinch. It adds a bit of nuttiness, saltiness and creaminess to a
lot of meals in my house.
Cream cheese adds flavor to recipes
In my house, there is almost always a block of parmesan cheese on hand. It’s easy to grate some up with a microplane zester to top pasta dishes, chicken or vegetables. It’s a cheese that is lower in fat than other cheeses and packs a lot of flavor into just a few a pinch. It adds a bit of nuttiness, saltiness and creaminess to a lot of meals in my house.
Another versatile cheese is low-fat cream cheese. The two cheeses pair well together in one of my favorite meals – a low-fat pesto sauce that combines low-fat cream cheese, parmesan cheese and chicken broth to eliminate the heavy use of olive oil in the pasta dish. I actually prefer the recipe, which can be found online at www.pinnaclenews.com/life, to traditional pesto recipes.
A recent look through the latest Kraft magazine revealed a recipe that is a play on pasta primavera, which packs in lots of vegetables in a creamy sauce. The creamy chicken bowtie and vegetables uses garlic, chicken broth, parmesan cheese and low-fat chive and onion cream cheese. I had never used that flavor of cream cheese before, but it added in plenty of flavor for the meal. I adapted the recipe to use whole-wheat penne (since I couldn’t find whole-wheat farfalle) and I doubled the number of vegetables in the mix.
The pairing of cream cheese and parmesan cheese also works well in stuffed mushrooms. I like to make stuffed mushrooms at home because I know exactly what is in them, and there is no chance of accidentally ingesting shellfish, which I’ve done out at restaurants or at events. A couple months ago at the Morgan Hill farmers market I bought a bunch of large white-cap mushrooms that looked perfect for stuffing. I checked out a few recipes for stuffed mushrooms and then decided to improvise my own filling with parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and cream cheese. The key is to get the right balance between the bread crumbs and the cheese so the filling doesn’t dry out in the oven.
My mom did the mixing on a weeknight when I worked late and the first batch turned out a little dry – too many bread crumbs. We decided to try again the next week and this time, the mushroom filling was just right. The recipe can be adapted to include crab, for those who eat shellfish, or sausage for those who want more than cheese. For me, the cheese makes the perfect combination on its own.
Stuffed mushrooms
1/2 c. Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves
½ c. low-fat cream cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
28 large (2 1/2-inch-diameter) white mushrooms, stemmed
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Stir the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, basil, cream cheese, salt and pepper, to taste, in a medium bowl to blend.
Drizzle a heavy large baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, to coat. Spoon the filling into the mushroom cavities and arrange on the baking sheet, cavity side up. Drizzle remaining oil over the filling in each mushroom. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is heated through and golden on top, about 25 minutes.
Serve.
Creamy chicken bowtie and vegetables
Recipe courtesy of Kraft
3 c. farfalle (bow-tie pasta), uncooked
1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 lb. Frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower), thawed
3/4 c. Fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 c. (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) Philadelphia Chive & Onion 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Kraft grated parmesan cheese
Cook pasta as directed on package.
Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook 4 min. or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Stir in vegetables; cook 3 min. or until chicken is done and vegetables are heated through, stirring occasionally. Add broth and reduced-fat cream cheese; cook 2 min. or until cream cheese is melted and sauce is well blended.
Drain pasta. Add to sauce; stir to evenly coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Serve with freshly ground black pepper
Nutritional info: 540 calories, 12 g. fat, 6 g. saturated fat, 62 g. carb, 42 g. protein
