Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

The highlight of this week’s menu is of course the jambalaya I’ll be serving on Tuesday … I have a shellfish allergy so mine strays from the traditional in two ways: 1) no shrimp, and 2) I use turkey sausage. Last week, I made a perfect copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta, one of my FAVORITE dishes from Chili’s (second only to their skillet queso). Eaten at Chili’s, the Cajun Chicken Pasta is an alarming 35pts; however, lightened up and eaten at home, you can have this same dish for only 8pts!

Our menu for the week:
Breakfasts – FiberOne Yoplait yogurts and Bacon & Egg casserole
Lunches – leftovers and soups
& of course, our dinners …
Monday – roast chicken & veggies with wild rice
Tuesday – jambalaya!!!!
Wednesday – chicken enchilada casserole
Thursday – pesto & feta stuffed chicken … we had this not too long ago but Dan so loved it that he asked for me to add it on the plan for this week, it really is just that good!
Friday – balsamic marinated flank steak with hand-cut steak fries and broccoli/cauliflower

Cajun Chicken Pasta
4 servings / 8 pp each
The base for this recipe is Hungry Girlfredo
4 wedges Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss
4 tbsp fat-free sour cream
¼ c reduced-fat grated parmesan
2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp blackened seasoning
4 c whole wheat penne pasta
1 c sliced mushrooms
½ c frozen peas
Olive oil, olive oil spray
Salt & pepper

- Lightly coat the chicken breasts with olive oil spray and season generously with blackened chicken seasoning; press the seasoning into the breasts (both sides) and allow the chicken to rest on the countertop for about 20min
- Spray grill pan with olive oil spray and heat over medium; add the chicken breasts and cook about 7-10min each side or until fully cooked through
- Lightly sauté mushrooms and peas until mushrooms are soft and peas are no longer frozen; keep warm
- While chicken is grilling, cook pasta in lightly salted water; when draining, reserve 1 c of the pasta water
- Return pasta to pot, add cheese wedges, sour cream and parmesan; add reserved pasta water by the ladleful until the sauce becomes creamy; add vegetables and toss to coat; add salt & pepper to taste
- Slice chicken breasts and serve over the pasta; dust entire dish with additional blackened chicken seasoning

Jambalaya
8 servings / 5 pp each
1 pkg turkey sausage – either smoked or hot Italian seasoning
1 lb chicken breast
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 small jalapeno pepper
2 celery ribs
1 onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 15oz or 1 28oz canned diced tomatoes
1 can / 2 c fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 c cooked enriched brown rice
Cayenne pepper
Cajun seasoning
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

- Cook sausage in grill pan until cooked through, slice into 1” thick pieces (or smaller) and keep warm
- Season chicken with salt & pepper, cook in grill pan until cooked through, cut into large chunks and keep warm
- Dice peppers, celery & onion
- Heat 1tbsp olive oil in large stock pot; add diced veggies and garlic, cook until veggies have softened
- Add diced tomatoes and simmer 10min; add seasonings and cook until fragrant (I use quite a bit of cayenne but start with 1tsp or less if you’re not a spicy person); when using Cajun seasoning, it will fill your house with a sweet smell that is just fabulous, once you start to smell that sweetness, move on to next step
- Add chicken broth, turkey sausage, chicken and add more cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, salt & pepper to taste (if needed)
- Allow the dish to simmer over lowest heat setting for at least an hour but preferably 2-3 hours, until the chicken is falling apart when you try to pick up a chunk with your fork
- Cook rice and add to dish just before serving

Enjoy!!!!