oven baked spinach and goat cheese stuffed pork chops

I love anything that’s dipped in bread crumbs and fried. It’s my weakness. So, lately I’ve been trying to slow down on the pan frying, and increase the oven baked deliciousness that is so much healthier for you. This dish is creamy, juicy, and very filling, and definitely one of my new favorite ways to make pork! I served this dish with some homemade spaghetti with pesto (you can find my pesto recipe here)!

Ingredients

2 boneless pork chops
bread crumbs
small log of goat cheese (I used homemade, will be posting the recipe soon!)
a few handfuls of spinach
a clove of garlic
a shallot
a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise
parmesan

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mince a shallot and a clove of garlic. Brown in a pan and add your spinach. Once the spinach is wilted, and dark green remove from the heat. At this point you can either use the full leaves, or throw the spinach, shallots, and garlic into the food processor to get a nice fine chop.
Slice your pork chop through the center, aka butterfly it, and pound it out so it is nice and thin. Spread your spinach mixture and sprinkle with goat cheese. Roll up the pork chop and tie it with some butchers string. Spread a little bit of mayo over the top and sprinkle with bread crumbs and some parmesan. Bake on a cooling rack, on top of a cookie sheet. This will allow the air to reach all around the pork and will keep it from getting soggy. Bake until it reached 170 degrees, about 30-40 minutes. Serve with your favorite side and enjoy!

warm quinoa bowl with greens and mixed veggies

Lunch is the meal I struggle with the most. Usually during lunch time, I’m at work or school and the easiest option is running to starbucks or au bon pain, or any similar option. In the mornings I’m not usually functioning enough to make myself something to bring along, so this week, I prepared a little something that I can grab and go with. This recipe is really just a base idea for something you can customize with whatever your favorite veggies are, or what ever you need to use up in your fridge!

Ingredients

1 lb of ground turkey (I use 93% lean)
1/2 lb italian sausage (I use sweet links and take them out of their casing because they are usually cheaper than the preground sausage)
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
1 onion
1 large clove of garlic or 2 small
your choice of greens and veggies (I used baby spinach, brussel sprouts, italian peppers, and leeks)

Instructions

Brown your ground turkey and sausage in a large pan with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper. I also threw in a little bit of chili powder, paprika, basil, oregano, and parsley. While the meat is browning, follow the cooking instructions for your quinoa. When the meat is fully cooked, remove it from the pan, and add your onion, garlic, leeks, and peppers with some more olive oil. Once these have started to soften add your brussel sprouts and spinach. Add the crushed tomatoes and ground beef and mix it all together. When the quinoa is finished cooking, add that to the meat and veggie mixture. Once everything is mixed together, you can use this as stuffing in stuffed peppers or stuffed squash, or you can just eat it plain. I also like to add a slice of fresh mozzarella on top as an extra treat, and melt it for a couple minutes under the broiler. Serve and enjoy!

oven baked spinach and kale felafel

I love my veggies but sometimes eating them can be a chore. I wanted to whip up a fun new way to eat my greens today, so I modified the traditional felafel to to include spinach and kale in addition to the traditional chick peas! Also, here are some fun facts about the health benefits of the ingredients in this dish;

Kale
Kale is low in calories, has zero fat, and a ton of fiber. It is full of antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and K- these vitamins help your skin, you vision, your metabolism and you hydration… vitamin K is even thought to be a cancer fighter! It’s high in iron and calcium, is great for your liver, and is a perfect veggie for detoxing your body! 

Spinach
Similarly to kale, spinach contains many antioxidants and vitamins that are great for you liver, skin, and overall bodily function. It also contains beta-carotene which has been shown to prevent asthma.

Chick Peas/ Garbanzo Beans
A great source of protein, these beans also contain tons of fiber, iron, and manganese; a mineral that helps with energy production and antioxidant defenses. Chickpeas are also thought to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and because they contain folate and magnesium, they are thought to strengthen blood vessels and possibly lower the risk of heart attack.

CuminCumin is one of my favorite spices, not only for the taste, but for all of its great health benefits! Each teaspoon contains 22% of your daily Iron intake, it has been used for centuries as a bacteria blocker on certain foods, and a study showed it can help fight bacteria in wounds in humans.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive oil has been known to lower risks of heart attacks and stroke. It is high in monounsaturated fat which can help lower cholesterol and control insulin production. It is also full of antioxidant polyphenol which helps protect your cells from damage- certain polyphenols have also been said to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas
a few handfuls each of kale and spinach
2-3 tablespoons of flour (i used barley flour but you can use whatever you have laying around the house!)
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of parsley
a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
half a red onion
two cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add your chickpeas (drained and rinsed!), spinach, and kale to your food processor. Give this a few pulses and then add your spices, onion, garlic, and lemon juice, and continue to mix until everything is combined- it won’t be perfectly smooth and that’s ok. Also, depending on how much spinach and kale you use, you may have to add more flour to help thicken your mixture up a bit more. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spoon a bit of your mixture onto it. I just dropped my mix and let it do its thing, but feel free to shape them into patties. Once they are laid out on the cookie sheet and put them in the oven. I wasn’t exactly timing mine, but I think it took about 20 minutes- when they are done, they will be starting to turn a nice golden brown and will be pretty firm to the touch.

To serve, I chopped up some mini heirloom tomatoes and made a bit of greek yogurt spread to go with the felafel, and threw everything onto a whole wheat pita. For the yogurt spread I added a handful of fresh basil to about a quarter of a cup of plain greek yogurt, some salt, pepper, and olive oil, as well as some garlic powder, and blended it until smooth. I also topped with crumbled goat cheese because, well, goat cheese makes everything better!

sunday dinner

Milk Poached Chicken with Fennel on Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta

I eat a lot of chicken. And I feel like I always make it the same way- as chicken cutlets or in stir fry. I decided to experiment and play with my chicken this week after reading about a few different techniques to get the most tender and delicious chicken around. When I was deciding what to serve it with, I wanted something besides pasta or bread, so I made polenta for the first time and mixed in my favorite cheese. I was a little scared to see if it would actually turn out, but after a lot of vigorous stirring and sweating over the stove, I had a creamy pot of goodness. Check out the recipes below!

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
Either a whole chicken or a few chicken breasts with rib meat
olive oil
salt + pepper
1 bulb of fennel
1 shallot
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
a few cups of milk
a few sprigs of thyme
a cinnamon stick
whole star anise
lemon zest

For the Polenta:
1 cup of cornmeal or polenta
4 cups of milk
goat cheese
parmesan rinds
salt + pepper

Instructions

Brown your chicken on all sides- it doesn’t have to cook the chicken significantly, it just has to turn it a nice golden brown. As you’re browning the chicken, start sauteing your shallots, garlic, and fennel in the bottom of a dutch oven (I diced my shallots, crushed my garlic, and sliced my fennel thinly). Once your chicken is done browning, add it to the dutch oven, and pour a few cups of milk over the top of the chicken- you can use part milk and part water as well if you do not have enough milk. Add your spices and lemon zest and bring to a boil. Cooking times will change depending on what type of chicken meat you go with- I used chicken breast and it was finished in 20-30 minutes. If you are using a whole chicken, you can finish by baking off in the oven. 

While your chicken is poaching, bring four cups of water to a boil. Begin to stir the water to create a whirlpool effect, and slowly add one cup of cornmeal/polenta, stirring vigorously. Once the polenta is combined with the water and you don’t see it separate when you stop stirring, you can take a break. Let it bubble for a few minutes, then stir for a few minutes- it’s almost like risotto! You’ll want to cook the polenta until it is very thick- about 25-30 minutes. Once it is thick, add as much or as little goat cheese as you’d like, a parmesan rind or fresh grated parmesan, and salt and pepper. Stir all of this in well, and let the polenta rest for a few minutes before serving.

To go along with this dish, I also sauteed up some spinach and mushrooms. When serving, I scooped the polenta into a bowl, added a layer of spinach, and topped with the chicken and some fennel.

breakfast is key!

It’s amazing what a difference thirty minutes can make in the morning. Personally, I’ve never been an early riser, and breakfast generally means a cup of coffee. If you want the best start to your day though, breakfast is key. It jump starts your metabolism and literally turns your body on. I just finished reading The Body Book by Cameron Diaz, and she did a great job explaining why this meal was so important. Your body needs its nutrients to work properly, and if you try to start your day without giving your body fuel, you’ll just lag until your next meal and will probably end up overeating when you finally do sit down for lunch!

So, I decided to take on this challenge and throw myself out of bed at 7am instead of 7:30. First I drank a huge glass of water- your body becomes dehydrated during sleep so replenishing is key! Almost immediately I felt more awake and motivated to actually make breakfast. After a quick gander in the fridge, I grabbed some eggs, spinach, and cream- that counts for protein, protein, and more protein! Instead of just a regular omelet, I wanted something a little fluffier and different so I whipped up this fusion of a quiche and a fritatta… This kept me full all morning and into the afternoon at work!

penne with brown butter, spinach, tomatoes, and broccoli

ingredients:

1/2 box of penne
1/4 c. olive oil
zest and juice of one lemon
3 or 4 heirloom tomatoes
one small head of broccoli
a few handfuls of spinach
half a stick of butter
a handful of pine nuts
salt and pepper

this recipe is a take on one of giada di laurentiis’ recipes which consists of penne with brown butter, arugula, and tomatoes. i took what i had in the fridge and made my version! i started out by boiling half a box of penne for 8 minutes (al dente), and toasting a handful of pine nuts for about 5 minutes. then i mixed up a little dressing, consisting of 1/4 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil and the zest and juice of one lemon. whisk this together with some salt and pepper and set aside. when the pasta is about half way done, brown half a stick of butter- once it is melted down completely it will only take a few more minutes until it is the right ‘caramel’ color. also steam cook some broccoli to throw in with the pasta. once the pasta is done cooking throw it in with the browned butter, a few handfuls of spinach, chopped heirloom tomatoes, and your steamed broccoli. once the spinach is wilted down, add the dressing and toasted pine nuts. serve up and enjoy!

pesto crusted salmon on a bed of quinoa and spinach, with a side of roasted potatoes and mushrooms

 

this week i decided to be adventurous and try something new- salmon. although i’ve eaten it before, i had never cooked it by myself and thought, ‘it’s time…’. I browsed through a ton of recipes regarding salmon and they all seemed too complicated and over powering so i did some inventing of my own. this is what i came up with!

Ingredients:
-Pesto (basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, parsley- optional)
-Salmon (filets of steaks will work for this!)
-A bag of small rainbow potatoes
-Sliced mushrooms
-Fresh Spinach
-Quinoa or Mixed Grains

Step One:
Mix up your pesto- for this you don’t need a ton, so grab a few good handfulls of basil, two or three clove of garlic, a few tablespoons of olive oil, a handful of pine nuts, salt and pepper, and if you have any, a bit of fresh parsley. Blend this up so everything is mixed into a paste like consistency. 

Step Two:
Prepare your potatoes and mushrooms- make sure they are rinsed! The potatoes can be roasted whole or cut in half. I coated the potatoes and mushrooms in a couple spoonfuls of the pesto and a bit more olive oil. Throw this in the oven at about 400 degrees.

Step Three:
Prepare your grain- quinoa takes about twenty minutes so you’ll want to get it up to a simmer and cooking while the potatoes are cooking.

Step Four:
The salmon- I coated this in the pesto and a few slices of lemon and grapefruit. I made a little foil pouch/packet to cook it in for the oven and threw it in with the roasting potatoes. Salmon cooking time varies so i checked mine after about eight minutes and then let it cook for another five to eight minutes until it was light pink and flaky all the way through. 

Step Five:
While everything else is cooking, you’re going to want to sauté your spinach. this goes pretty quick so thats why i saved it for last! once all the leaves were wilted down i put some garlic salt and pepper on it for flavor.

i was lucky and managed to time everything just about right so it was done at about the same  time. i served the salmon on the bed of spinach and quinoa, with the potatoes and mushrooms on the side. i also topped the salmon with some avocado slices!

a filling breakfast!

i started my new job this week, and unfortunately i don’t get a break during my four hour shift. so, to make sure i don’t get hungry while i’m working, i made sure i had a very filling, long lasting breakfast!

yesterday, i made myself a spinach and gruyere omelet with quick home fries! omelets are great because you can use up a bunch of stuff from your fridge and they’re so easy. first, i sauteed my spinach with some butter, salt, and pepper in a pan until it was wilted and dark green. then i poured 2 or 3 eggs right over the spinach and let it cook most of the way. to finish it off i added my cheese (gruyere and some ricotta) and put a lid over it to melt the cheese and cook the rest of the egg. after a couple minutes, i folded the egg over and, voila! a perfectly delicious omelet. and because i can’t just half do anything, while preparing the omelet, i had thrown some chopped potatoes in a pan with some butter, onion, rosemary, salt, pepper, and a touch of cayenne pepper. this was such a good breakfast and it lasted me all day at work.

also this weekend i made oatmeal chocolate chip pancakes. i got the idea originally from Nuts and Bolts, but ended up changing up the recipe a little bit. the main reason i did that was because i didn’t have a lot of the ingredients from that recipe, so i made a basic pancake batter i found on martha stewarts website, found here. i just eyeballed the oatmeal and chocolate chip amounts, mixed, and served! they were also very yummy, and a nice sweet treat to start the day. the oatmeal makes them much more filling than regular pancakes which was pretty cool!

i hope everyone had a great weekend!

spinach and feta pie

my first few days in the blogging community have been great so far! i’ve been exposed to so many people who love the same things i do, and in that process i stumbled upon this recipe for spinach and feta pie on rosa’s yummy yums blog!

Whole Wheat Spinach and Feta Pie
Recipe by Rosa Mayland, October 2012.

Serves 4-6/makes a 24cm pie.

Ingredients For The “Whole Wheat Shortcrust Pastry”:
380g Whole wheat flour
1 2/3 Tsps Fine sea salt
100g Lard, cold & cut into small cubes
90g Unsalted butter, cold & cut into small cubes
Enough water to blend (~90-100ml)
1 Beaten egg, for glazing the top of the pie
Ingredients For The “Filling”:
1 Tbs Olive oil
3 Medium onions, chopped finely
4 Cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 1/2 Tsp Dried dill
600g Frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and chopped finely
3 Eggs (~63g)
250g Ricotta
250g Feta, finely chopped
50g Mature Gruyère,  cut into small cubes
Pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

Method For The “Shortcrust Pastry”:
1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl/bassin.
2. Add the lard and butter. Rub between the fingers until the mixture is flaky.
3. Pour in the water, gradually, while continuously cutting and stirring with a knife (stop adding water when the dough is stiff – it should not be sticky or wet). Gather up into a soft ball and place it in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Method For The “Filling”:
4. In a hot frying pan/skillet, add the oil and chopped onion. Fry until translucid.
5. Add the garlic and dill. Cook for another minute.
6. Add the spinach and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
7. Put the mixture in a big bowl and let cool completely.
8. Incorporate the eggs, ricotta, feta and Gruyère to the spinach mixture.
9. Salt and pepper to taste.
Method For “Assembling The Pie”:
10. Heat the oven to 200°C (400° F).
11. Roll out 2/3 of the pastry and line the base of a 24cm (9 1/2 inches) pie plate.
12. Fill with the spinach mixture and brush the edges of the pastry with water.
13. Roll out the remaining dough (1/3) and cover the pie.
14. Press the edges of the pastry to seal and trim off the excess.
15. With the remaining pastry, decorate the pie top as desired (leaves, flowers, et…).
16. Prick the top of the pastry case to allow steam to escape and glaze the top with the beaten egg
17. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden.
18. Serve.

when i was making this recipe i did improvise a little bit; i used regular bleached flour and shortening for the pastry instead of whole wheat flour and lard because i didn’t have either on hand! i also added fingerling potatoes (the cute purple and red ones!) to the filling because i didn’t have enough spinach! i’ve never made homemade pie crust before this and although in the end it tasted delicious, it looked far from pretty when i was trying to roll it out. so i ended up rolling the dough back into a ball and pressing it into my pie plate by hand and rolling the left over dough the best i could for the top. it ended up looking very rustic for lack of a better word! i also had a side of leftover corned beef hash from st. patricks day which is a recipe of my fathers that i will share with you all soon!

dinner parties

Most days I just cook for myself, so I’ll take any excuse to entertain! I made a delicious meal for myself, my roommate, our neighbor, and his new roommate. To dress up our little welcoming dinner, we moved our tiny kitchen table into the living room, pulled out the leaves, and turned on the mood lighting! I also added a table cloth and fresh flowers with our every day plates to change it up a bit. Some tea lights were the finishing touches, and all my guests needed to bring we’re their appetites! The menu consisted of a small pork tenderloin, leek and saffron risotto, sautéed spinach, and for dessert a flourless chocolate torte. I will post recipes throughout the week so you can throw your own simple dinner party!