Main Dish | Kitchenbelle

Arugula, Cranberry, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

Posted on November 11, 2009 by kitchenbelle

This is another delicious and easy weeknight meal. I made it up in my head on my way home from work based on ingredients I knew we had on hand. The panko crumbs make the cutlets very crispy, though you could certainly substitute any type of bread crumbs. The filling is a delicious little surprise! I think this is a perfect fall meal. I served with roasted maple and olive oil acorn squash.

Arugula, Cranberry, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Turkey Cutlets:

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups fresh arugula
1 leek, rinsed clean and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
coarse salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs, seasoned to taste with coarse salt and pepper
3 teaspoons of mango chutney (I use Major Gray’s)
2 teaspoons honey mustard (or Dijon mustard)
4 turkey cutlets, rinsed and dried with a paper towel
1/4 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over low heat. Add leek and cook until tender. Add garlic and cook until soft. Add arugula. Add salt and pepper and use a spatula to move arugula around the pan. Cook until just wilted and then add chopped dried cranberries, goat cheese and mozzarella.

On a baking sheet place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In one small shallow bowl combine mustard and chutney. Mix with a small spoon until combined. Pour breadcrumbs into a second small shallow bowl. Dip cutlets, one at a time, into chutney mixture. Then pat breadcrumbs onto one side of the cutlet. Place on cookie sheet and scoop 1-2 tablespoons of the arugula filling onto one side of the cutlet. Fold top portion of cutlet onto filling and secure with a toothpick. Repeat for remaining cutlets.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until turkey is done and juices run clear. Garnish with dried cranberry pieces and goat cheese crumbles.

I love the beautiful contrast of the fresh arugula and the dried cranberries.

Scoop filling on the bottom end of each cutlet so that you can easily fold over the top portion.

Fold over cutlet and secure with a toothpick.

Oozing with fresh arugula, cranberries, and cheese!

Filed under: arugula, cheese, cranberry, Fall, Main Dish, mozzarella | 10 Comments »

Rosemary Chicken with White Beans

Posted on November 10, 2009 by kitchenbelle

This meal is the definition of an easy and quick weeknight meal. The tomatoes make this almost like a chunky soup/stew. In fact, I wish we had some fresh bread on hand because this is a perfect dish for dunking! I served this with a simple arugula salad. We really enjoyed this dinner and I look forward to enjoying it again for lunch!

Notes:

For the chicken, I used Perdue thinly sliced chicken breast. I love how they are nice and lean and cook so quickly!
For the stewed tomatoes, I like to use Contadina Diced Tomatoes. They are perfect for quick weeknight meals! For this recipe I used the “roasted garlic” variety.
You can always use fresh herbs in place of dried herbs. In fact, I suggest you use fresh herbs as often as possible. However, sometimes you find yourself in a pinch and it’s necessary to rely on your stash of dried herbs. (Like when you have a hungry husband and you can’t get to the farmer’s market or the grocery store!) Whenever you substitute dry for fresh always use one teaspoon of dry for every one tablespoon of fresh that the recipe calls for.

Rosemary Chicken with White Beans:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary (if you have fresh, use fresh!)
~1/2 teaspoon salt
~1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds of boneless chicken breast, sliced thin 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
2 (15 ounce) cans navy beans (or any other white bean like cannellini), drained
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine rosemary, salt, and pepper and sprinkle over both sides of chicken. Place chicken in pan and cook until brown, turning once. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to cook chicken in batches. Make sure there is enough space in the pan so that each peace of chicken touches the bottom of the pan.) Once all chicken pieces are brown set aside on a plate. Deglaze pan by adding tomatoes (with juices) to pan. Use a spatula to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken. Add the beans; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in olives.

Adapted from MyRecipes.com.

Filed under: beans, cannellini beans, chicken, Main Dish, olives, tomato | 1 Comment »

Pumpkin Seed Pesto and Squash Sauce over Fresh Pasta

Posted on October 18, 2009 by kitchenbelle

oct

My colleague takes part in a community garden in Jamaica Plain where she grows all sorts of herbs and vegetables. I believe we are closing in on the basil season here in the northeast because yesterday she very generously offered to give me a gigantic amount of basil from her garden. And I mean a gigantic amount–I think she gave me nearly an entire bush! I have been wanting to make pesto for a while now, but I don’t have my own basil plant and I would have to buy about 25 of those plastic snap containers (you know how basil is sold in grocery stores?) to get a half cup of pesto. A free bush of basil is almost exciting as dark chocolate Reese’s peanut butter cups! I couldn’t wait to make pesto!

However, basil is so summery to me. I wanted to put an autumn spin on our dinner. It immediately clicked on how I could do it: Use PUMPKIN SEEDS instead of PINE NUTS! Perfect. I also wanted to incorporate some squash and fresh pasta. Using these ideas and ingredients I sequestered myself in the kitchen and I pretended to be on Top Chef. (I am really enjoying that show lately–I love all of the discussion about “notes” and “building flavor.”)

The result was awesome. This was one of those meals that while I was eating it I got super excited and giddy! It was so delicious. Not just delicious but so much more delicious than I ever expected. (Don’t you love when that happens?) And it was easy and didn’t take very long to make. My favorite part was the contrast of the mild creamy squash sauce with the sharp garlicky saltiness of the pesto. They really worked well together. The fresh chewy pasta was a major asset as well–it really jived with the creamy squash sauce. The risk of using all of these ingredients, which could have been overkill, really paid off. And this made for a pretty fall plate. The green of the spinach pasta with the orange sauce on top was very cool.

Although I tried to keep track of my methods and ingredients, I didn’t measure everything. If you want to try to replicate this feel free to email me. That said, it was pretty easy and I don’t think you could go wrong with such a delicious cast of flavor characters.

Pumpkin Seed Pesto and Squash over Fresh Pasta:

1 pound fresh spinach pasta (If you are feeling ambitious, make your own! I bought some from Whole Foods for $4.99)

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

several bunches of fresh basil
3 cloves garlic
~3/4 cup fresh shredded parmesan reggiano cheese
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
~ 3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Squash Sauce

2 cups squash (you can use canned or fresh)
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup chicken broth (use vegetable broth instead and this dish is vegetarian)
1.5 teaspoons nutmeg
a handful of fresh shredded parmesan reggiano cheese

Boil water for pasta. Be sure to add salt to the water.

Make the pesto

Toast pumpkin seeds in a large pan over medium heat.

In a food processor chop basil, garlic, cheese, and all but two tablespoons of the pumpkin seeds. While food processor is running, pour olive oil into food processor in a steady stream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Make squash sauce

In the same pan in which you toasted the pumpkin seeds, cook squash, milk, and chicken broth and stir together until smooth and creamy. Add nutmeg and cheese. Continue to stir until heated through and cheese has melted.

Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until done and drain. Immediately add pasta to pan containing squash sauce and toss to coat pasta.

Portion pasta into individual bowls. Scoop about two tablespoons of pesto on top of each serving. Garnish with reserved pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately.

Filed under: basil, cheese, Fall, Main Dish, pasta, pumpkin, squash, VEGETARIAN | 9 Comments »

Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese

Posted on October 2, 2009 by kitchenbelle

oct

It has been a difficult week in the land of Kitchenbelle. While enjoying the weekend at BlogHer Food ’09 in beautiful San Francisco (at the fabulous cocktail party hosted by The Mushroom Channel, to be exact) I learned of the unexpected death of a dear friend of ours. He was a regular visitor to this blog and each time we were together he inquired about it. Also, he was quite the prankster and his silly comments on this blog (one claimed “I made this meal [tuna noodle casserole] the other night and it was wonderful. Me and my cat await your next masterpiece. Meow!”) will be sorely missed. He will be sorely missed and my words here will not do him justice.

Though I try to keep Kitchenbelle.com a place of cheer, happiness, and inspiration I couldn’t not mention this loss. I am sure you would have sensed it anyway. For me food is something I can control and something I can look forward to. So I guess it is natural that in times of despair, I find myself baking and cooking more often. The methods and rhythms soothe me. The smells provide comfort. Sitting across the table from my husband over a warm home-cooked and nutritious meal, on a dark cool night, especially during my favorite season of the year, ground me. They give me hope and encourage me to be thankful.

My husband has had an especially difficult few days prompting me to want to do nothing more than to take care of him. The best way I know how to do that is to shower him with love and dinner. It is a feeble attempt at easing the pain, but it is what I know.

Our friend was buried yesterday, one of the first beautiful breezy sunny autumn days in the northeast. I found myself thinking of those verses from Ecclesiastes (I remember being struck by them while studying the Old Testament during ninth grade humanities class) that the Yardbirds spun into that popular song: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven…a time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to dance…a time to get, a time to lose…” Autumn is already a nostalgic season.

After all was said and done we took a ride to a pumpkin stand and purchased some gourds and a pumpkin for our stoop. In hopes of capturing the season as well as offering some respite from a heartbreaking day, I decided to make squash for dinner. I adjusted this recipe quite a bit and I have noted those changes below.

Changes and Notes:

*Original recipe called for sage. My grocery store was out of sage so I used chives. Sage with squash is a more traditional flavor combination, however, the chives were just fine.

*Original recipe called for blue cheese. I don’t eat blue cheese so I substituted goat cheese. Delicious. I love goat cheese.

*Original recipe was vegetarian. I wanted to add some bulk so I added grilled chicken breasts.

*This is a simple and nutritious (also low calorie, I think) weeknight dinner that could be easily un-healthified (as in, bumped up a notch for company) with the addition of some heavy cream and cheddar. Email me if you would like to discuss how this could be achieved.

Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese:

5 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
1 (1 1/2-ounce) bread
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cups onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
3 chicken breasts, grilled and torn into pieces
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 cup crumbled goats cheese (or 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Steam squash until tender, about 10 minutes.

Place bread in a food processor, and pulse until coarse crumbs measure 1/2 cup. Transfer to a small bowl and add 2 teaspoons oil, and toss with a fork to combine.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; saute 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add butternut squash, chicken (if using), chicken broth, chopped herb, salt, and black pepper to bowl, and toss gently to combine. Spoon squash mixture into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. Sprinkle crumbled cheese evenly over squash mixture, and sprinkle evenly with breadcrumb mixture. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and crumbs are golden brown.

Adapted from MyRecipes.com.

Filed under: cheese, chicken, chives, Fall, Main Dish, Side, squash | 4 Comments »

Sunflower Zucchini Pie

Posted on September 22, 2009 by kitchenbelle

In honor of my new collaboration with Eggland’s Best, I thought it would be fun to make an egg recipe for dinner! I found this recipe on Eggland’s Best website. It was created for Eggland’s Best by The Meal Makeover Moms. I wanted to use up some zucchini and this recipe did the trick. It was very easy to pull together and it filled the kitchen with a delicious cheesy aroma as it baked. I like the addition of sunflower seeds; as promised, they added a pleasant crunch and are loaded with vitamin E. (Don’t forget to toast them! This can be done quickly in a skillet on the stovetop.)

For the first time ever I used something called “Whole Grain Brown Ready Rice.” Though I usually try to steer away from convenience foods, in a weak moment I purchased this product, and I must say, for its purpose in this recipe it worked really well.

Serve slices of this pie with a fresh green salad and you have yourself a delicious and nutritious weeknight meal! (Leftovers are also great!)

Sunflower Zucchini Pie:

1 tablespoon olive oil or a few squirts of cooking spray

1 medium zucchini, shredded

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

a few dashes of dried oregano

a few dashes of dried parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 large Eggland’s Best eggs

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

2/3 cup reduced-fat Cheddar Cheese, shredded

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds, toasted

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Heat the oil (or a few squirts of cooking spray) in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shredded zucchini, seasonings, and garlic and cook until the zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet saute sliced zucchini about 5 minutes until softened.

In a large bowl place the eggs, cooked rice, cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, sunflower seeds, salt, and the shredded zucchini mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie plate, top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and zucchini slices and a few sprinkles of cheddar cheese (optional). Bake until golden brown– about 30 to 35 minutes.

Note: The above photo was taken post-baking and the below photo was taken prior to baking .