Main Dish of the Month

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

18 large pasta shells
1 container (15 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
1 cup chopped chicken cooked (deli rotisserie tastes great with this recipe, purchase a 2-1/2 pound chicken)
1 jar (26 ounces) tomato pasta sauce
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend or mozzeralla cheese (8 ounces)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook and drain pasta as directed on the package. Rinse with cool water, drain.
Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, spinach and chicken.
Spread one cup of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch (3 quart) glass baking dish. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of ricotta mixture into each pasta shell. Arrange shells, filled sides up, on sauce in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over stuffed shells.
Cover dish with foil; bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Italian cheese blend. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Creamed Corn with Bacon and Leeks

6 ears of fresh corn
2 cups 1% low fat milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 slices bacon
1 cup chopped leek
Cut kernels from ears of corn to measure 3 cups, using the dull side of a knife blade, scrape milk and remaining pulp from cobs into bowl.
Place 1-1/2 cups kernels, low fat milk, cornstarch, sugar, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until smooth.
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. REmove bacon from pan, crumble bacon. Add leek to pan, cook two minutes, stirring constantly. Add pureed corn mixture, 1-1/2 cups corn kernels and corn milk mixture to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer fore three minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in crumbled bacon just before serving.

Roasted Veggie Pizza

4 slices thick cut bacon
one 16-ounce package refrigerated pizza dough
6 ounces fontina cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup brussel sprouts, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup broccoli broken into small pieces
3/4 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
1/3 up drained sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
Put your oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 500. In a skillet, cook the bacon until nearly crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Drain on paper towels, reserve the bacon fat.

Grease a baking sheet with one tablespoon of bacon fat, place the pizza dough on top and press and stretch the dough as close as possible. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the dough. Bake for five minutes.

in a pot of boiling salted water, cook the brussel sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli for one minute.
Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl and add the sun dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt and plenty of pepper; toss well. Spoon the veggie mixture evenly over the dough, halve the bacon crosswise and scatter on top.
Sprinkle the pizza with the remaining cheese.
Bake the pizza until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly, about 10-12 minutes.
Let cool slightly before serving.