Philly: Spinach and Chicken "Lighter" Alfredo

Do you know the feeling when you just want to procrasinate on just about everything...even getting up for water?

Yeah, I'm there.

I feel like a ton of bricks wrapped in two tons of something equally as damaging has been dropped on my lower back prompting a slightly odd hump for the likes of a twenty-something college student. I think it is a mix between stress, the unholy sickness that is already going around, and being overworked.

Who knows. But in order to further procrastinate and avoid reading about insurgency in predominately religious countries, or the differences between the Yoruba and Dogun culture in Africa, or the American Revolution in 1775 New York City, instead I am blogging. Yay productivity!

But back to the food, which I must admit there is occasional night when I don’t cook but when you are on a budget it usually comes between cooking or not eating. Forget this magical thing called “take-out.” That doesn’t exist in college land.

So here it is:

When you think cheese sauce you probably imagine some unbelievably rich and fattening dish. Am I right?

Don’t bet on it. Because this recipe allows you to have your cheese sauce, and eat it too. Of course this still has butter but with low-fat milk and part-skim mozzarella, light cream cheese, and parmesan it isn’t as bad. But please, trust me on the butter, it is worth it!

Now I like to serve this with pasta and chicken mixed in, but if you would like to make it more of a side dish, cut the quantities and skip the chicken, serve with baked chicken and/or a salad.

 I now realize that for this purpose, you actually should use very little cheese so it is more like a sauce than say a fondue. But eh, live and learn is my policy.


Chicken and Spinach “Lighter” Alfredo : 4 meal size servings

Ingredients:

1 cup fat-free milk

2 tbsp. light cream cheese

2 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. flour

1 garlic clove minced

¼ cup grated parmesan

¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

1 bag of fresh spinach

1 chicken breast, cut in chunks

Olive oil

pepper

Worcestershire sauce


Directions:

If serving with pasta, cook pasta ahead of time or while you are making the sauce.

In a medium sauce pan add olive oil and minced garlic.

Add chicken chunks to the pan and begin to brown, add pepper and a dash of worcestershire.

Add spinach and cook until both spinach and chicken are done.

Remove the mixture from the pan and put in a separate bowl.

In the same pan add butter and allow it to bubble.

Add tsp. of flour mixing quickly with the butter, making sure it doesn’t brown.

Begin to add milk slowly, ¼ cup at a time, constantly stirring with a whisk.

Once milk has thickened, whisk in cream cheese.

Mix in in cheeses.

Mix until sauce is smooth.

 

Add chicken and spinach mixture into the cheese sauce.

Mix pasta in with the sauce until the noodles are evenly coated.

Serve and enjoy your delicious and not-as-indulgent-as-you-think Alfredo.

Love,

The College Cuisiner