Ravioli with Arugala, Tomatoes and Pancetta

1 pound cheese ravioli
6 oz thinly sliced pancetta, chopped (or just use bacon)
1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
3 cups arugula
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
2 tbsp butter, at room temp.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the ravioli and cook for 7-9 min. until tender. Drain.
In a large nonstick skillet over med.-high heat, add the pancetta and cook stirring frequently, until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove to paper towels to drain.  Add the tomatoes, olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook for 2 minutes until tender.  Add the arugula and 1/4 cup basil and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the butter and melt.   Add the ravioli and cooked pancetta and toss until coated.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Transfer the ravioli to a large serving bowl. Garnish with the remaining basil and serve.

Mini Chocolate Fudge Cookie Bites (weight watcher friendly)

I know we are all looking to eat healthier, these little cookies are perfect to satisfy any sugar craving I might have.  They are bite-size, so one is not enough.  Luckily they are only 1 point each.

1/3 cups cocoa (without sugar)
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar, white (I might try reducing this and substituting the difference with splenda or something like that)
4 oz. applesauce, unsweetened
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour, white
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
powder sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 375.  Coat cookie sheets with spray.  Place cocoa, margarine and sugar in a medium bowl; beat with an electric mixer.  Add applesauce and vanilla; beat to blend.  In another small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir flour mixture into cocoa batter with a wooden spoon.  Shape batter into 48 marble-sized balls  (I did a little bigger, about 1/2 a small spoon ).  Arrange 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.  Bake until set, about 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow cookies to stand for 1 minute.  Remove to wire rack and cool; sprinkle with a little powder sugar.  You can store any extra in freezer -safe containers and save for another day.

p.s. The first time I made these I made them what I thought was "marble sized" and I got like 5 dozen.  This time I made them too big and only got 3 dozen (so maybe 1.3 points per cookie, but WW rounds to the nearest whole number).

New Recipes

I've tried a couple of good recipes from Pinterest and wanted to share. Especially because they are super easy!

Cheesy Crockpot Chicken and Rice

This is SO easy and SO yummy! I prepped everything in the morning, turned the crockpot on and dinner was done. I already crave it again.

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, chopped
1 -8 ounce box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 - 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)
1 -15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

Instructions
Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.

Here's a link for pictures and more detailed instructions.

http://www.southernplate.com/2010/09/slow-cooker-cheesy-chicken-and-rice-the-downside-of-being-a-swan-princess.html

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

This recipe comes so highly recommended that I wonder if my expectations might have been to high. It is yummy and easy to make but I felt like it was missing something. A freshness to it if you may. Like a squeeze of lemon juice and some zest? I don't know. The flavor was good. It just felt like something was missing to complete the flavors. Maybe fresh basil? I don't know. If you try it and figure it out let me know. I substituted fresh tomatoes at the end instead of cooking them. I also used fresh garlic. The recipe serves two so you may need to double to feed a family.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

4 ounces fettuccine, cooked

2 teaspoons cajun seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

1-2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 green onion thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (I used fresh minced garlic)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken in butter or margarine until chicken is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat add green onion, heavy cream, tomatoes, basil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and heat through. Pour over hot pasta and toss with Parmesan cheese.