Manicotti Madness

I've been sick so I haven't been doing as much cooking and I'm a little behind on my posting. I hope to get caught up with my kitchen adventures soon. Last Wednesday and Thursday we enjoyed a tasty Italian treat...Manicotti! This recipe was in my Kraft Food and Family magazine (which is free and so much fun to get each month) and it had things we loved...pasta, cheese, garlic and mushrooms...and things we are trying to eat more of...healthy spinach. The recipe turned out really tasty and the only change I would make for next time would be more garlic, simply because we love it, and I would have used the whole jar of sauce, since I like a lot of sauce with my pasta. Otherwise I highly recommend it. We had it the first night with green pea casserole, my mom's specialty. I never had green bean casserole growing up...my mom always made green pea instead. I love it so much more than green bean casserole and even my husband, who grew up with green bean casserole, prefers it now. The second night was some simple steamed fresh broccoli from my dad's garden and some fresh green beans. Yum!

Cheesy Manicotti

1 pkg. (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 egg whites (I used about 6 tablespoons of liquid egg whites)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 container (15 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/3 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided (I grated some fresh Parmigiano Reggiano)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) manicotti shells (14 shells), cooked, drained
2 cups spaghetti sauce (I did this but will use the whole jar next time)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 5 min. on medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Beat egg whites lightly in medium bowl. Add mushroom mixture, spinach, ricotta cheese and half each of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; mix well. Spoon evenly into manicotti shells.
PLACE in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with spaghetti sauce.
BAKE 40 min. or until heated through. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; continue baking 5 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

Green Pea Casserole

1 can Leseur baby peas

1 can Campbells Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 large can or 1 small can French's French Fried Onions

Stir together peas and soup in a casserole dish. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Sprinkle onions on top and bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 until the onions are crispy and golden brown.