Swiss Chard and Chicken Enchiladas

Before I dive into the recipe, a little about Swiss Chard. It is pretty similar to spinach when cooked. When you are looking for recipes, any recipe that calls for spinach (cooked or wilted) you can substitute chard for the spinach. Depending on your source, it may be called Swiss Chard or just plain chard. I am not exactly sure what the difference is. I have heard some people say it has to do with the color of the stem (white vs. red), but I also have heard the multi-colored Bright Lights or Rainbow Chard referred to Swiss chard as well. When planning menus and searching recipes, just keep in mind there is a lot of flexibility.

As far as enchiladas go, this is a very easy recipe, especially if your chicken (or turkey) is already cooked and if you use store brought enchilada sauce (which I did this time, I know, total slacker!). I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken and couldn't tell any difference. This is also a recipe that is geared to chard (instead of some of my spinach turned chard recipes) and it uses both the stems and the leaves. It was just the kids and I tonight for supper so Curtis missed out. M loved it. I was worried she would find the sauce to spicy, but she didn't. I also made some cranberry salsa for on top and some rice on the side. J didn't eat much, but I am not sure if it was the meal or just him. Enough said, here is the recipe.

1 lb chard, rinsed and well drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
2 c cooked chicken or turkey
1 t cumin
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
2 c grated cheddar cheese

8 flour tortillas
15-oz can enchilada sauce or 2 c of your own homemade enchilada sauce
1/2 grated cheddar cheese

Cut the stems from the chard leaves and chop. Keep them separate from the leaves (which you should also chop). In a large skillet, saute the garlic in oil over medium heat stirring until it is fragrant. Add the chard steams and 1/4 c water and cook, covered for 5 minutes. Add the leaves and cook, covered for an additional 3 -5 minutes or until the leaves are tender. Drain the chard. Return to medium-low heat and add the chicken (turkey) and cumin and heat until warm. Stir in 2 c cheddar cheese and cilantro. Put 1/4 - 1/3 c chicken/chard mixture inside each tortilla and roll up (to soften tortillas, microwave for a few seconds). Top with enchilada sauce and the 1/2 c additional grated cheddar cheese. Bake in preheated 350 for 15- 20 minutes or until heated through.

Sesame Beef Stir-Fry (again)

I got a late start on supper tonight due to a little accident (no big deal, no stitches for anyone required), but this supper lent itself better to be started late than others. The beef just got to marinate longer. Again, we loved this meal. This time around M ate a couple of servings as well. For the recipe, click here. Something I did slightly different this time was that I added the bok choy stems with the bell peppers and the leaves at the very end (as the recipe suggests). You can't go wrong with this meal.

In the CSA box today

I'll just cut to the chase today. I was thrilled about our box and think I have plans for everything already! :)

large bag of arugula
a bunch of kale
one red bell pepper
bok choy
2 grapefruit
4 oranges
a few radishes
a few turnips
one kohlrabi
cilantro

Mmmm.....off hand, I think I am going to stay with the menu for the week. At some point I want to use the radishes, turnips, and kohlrabi for braised root vegetables. I think I may make some of the arugula into a salad. The red bell pepper has already been used in tonight's supper and we'll have no problem making the oranges and grapefruit disappear (nor the cilantro-yippee!!). It will be easy to go through this week's box in a hurry without even trying to.

Spinach Souffle

This is a classic my mom discovered for us when M was born. This is one of my go to dishes when I have lots of spinach I don't know what to do with. In the cookbook my mom found, this is listed as a side dish or appetizer, often served cold or at room temperature. We like it as main dish straight out of the oven.

To make this, wash and stem 1 1/2 lbs fresh spinach (I used only a pound and it worked just fine with that amount). Steam the spinach until it is just tender and wilted. Drain, squeezing out extra liquid. Meanwhile (you can start this when the spinach is steaming or you are waiting for the water to boil), thoroughly beat 6 eggs. Combine that with 1/4 c bread crumbs, 1 1/2 c cheddar cheese, 1/2 lb feta cheese, 1/2 lb cottage cheese (or you can use a pound of either or any combination to equal 1 lb of soft cheeses), 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese, and 2 T olive oil. When you are ready, stir in the cooked spinach. Oil a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Dust the bottom of the pan with 1/4 c bread crumbs. Spread the spinach mixture evenly in the pan. Sprinkle the top with 1/2 c grated cheddar. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the top is golden and firm to touch.

This recipe makes a lot, but the leftovers were great. Curtis worked late tonight, so just the kids and I ate it. Both M and J liked it enough that they had two servings and did not bother to pick the spinach out (small victories!). We finished the meal with apple slices. I topped my piece(s) with chipotle Tabasco sauce. I am looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Menu for the Week

I am dropping the grocery list. I am not sure exactly how helpful it is since I may have things in my pantry that you don't have (or in my refrigerator). If you miss it and want it to return, let me know and I can arrange for that.

Menus get to stay though. The fact that I spent most of today being cold (because I didn't want to wear a jacket for some reason. Stubborn me!) inspired the soup for dinner tonight. Other than that, the meals are based upon a lot of greens that we got last week in our CSA box.

Monday: Sausage and Kale Soup (or Mel's Minestrone)
Tuesday: Spinach Souffle
Wednesday: Sesame Beef Stir Fry (using bok choy) and rice
Thursday: Chicken and Chard Enchiladas
Friday: Kids are eating pizza and we are eating out! (not pizza)
Saturday: Waiting to see what's in our box and the weather....

Sausage Kale Soup (or Mel's Minestrone)

I spent way to much time searching through cookbooks and the internet for the perfect minestrone recipe. My requirements weren't too rough: 1)It contains link sausage 2)It has kale 3)I don't have to buy things like zucchini--however carrots and potatoes were ok to need to buy. 4)It also has pasta and cannellini (white) beans. Aaaahh...the joys of trying to cook while pregnant....very definite ideas of what I need to eat tonight emerge quickly. Amazingly enough, in my searching, I couldn't find a recipe that fit my demands (I hate it when that happens). It did dawn on me that maybe what I was looking for wasn't really minestrone soup at all, but I thought it should be called that.

Saute 1/2 chopped onion and one link (about 3 oz) of mild Italian sausage in a soup pot until sausage is browned. Add 2 chopped carrots and saute briefly before adding 1 c tomato juice and 4 - 5 cups chicken/turkey broth. If you have the rind (the hard part you can't eat) off of Parmesan cheese, throw that in now too. Simmer for 20 minutes (or longer). Add 2 c (one 15-oz can) cannellini beans and continue to simmer. About 10 minutes before serving, add a bunch of chopped kale and 1/4 - 1/3 c small pasta (like small shells or orzo). Remove the parmesan rind and serve hot.

I used my turkey broth from my skinny turkey. It was all the seasoning the soup needed! The flavor was incredible. Assuming you aren't using broth made from a chicken/turkey stuffed with sage and rosemary aromatics, you will want to season it a little---possibly a sage leaf or two thrown in and a rosemary sprig when you add the liquid or a different route completely--the classic oregano/basil/thyme seasonings would work great too.

The family loved it. As it is to be expected now, on the first bowl J ate everything but the kale. For the second bowl he picked out the sausage first and then ate some of the beans/pasta/carrots. M ate two bowls as well---excluding the kale from both. With so little sausage, it was quite exciting for both kids to find some sausage in their bowls. I found I didn't need a lot of sausage to get a lot of flavor. Curtis and I also had a couple of bowls and I was sad to relinquish the leftovers to his lunch tomorrow.

An Anorexic Turkey that Gets Around....

(thanks to Justin for that apt description) is what best described the heritage turkey we tried brining and roasting this year. Needless to say, I was somewhat disappointed in the results. I used the brine and aromatics recipe that I used last year for our free range organic broadbreasted white turkey. The flavor was great---there just wasn't much meat.

Before I get too far, let me explain exactly what a heritage turkey is. Turkeys were everywhere when the first British settlers arrived in the early 1600's. (This could be why Ben Franklin wanted our national bird to be the turkey). However, now only five breeds of turkeys exist that existed in the 1600's. These birds are the heritage turkeys. A couple of criteria generally define the marking of these as heritage turkeys---the big one is that they have to mate. This may sound strange, but very few turkeys mate all by themselves....the poultry industry artificially inseminates turkeys and so turkeys have become very poor at mating and consequently reproduction. (For a hilarious read about trying to teach turkeys to mate, check out the chapter on turkey love from Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle). Heritage and organic turkeys tend to have less white meat because traditional Butterballs are pumped full of stuff to make more breast meat (thus, making it more difficult for them to even walk, which is why any free range poultry will have less breast meat).

Last year I tried a free range organic turkey and decided to experiment with a heritage this year because I was so pleased with the free range organic turkey. I had to pre-order the turkey and this was the first year the farm had raised and sold heritage turkeys. When we picked up the turkey at the farm, I learned that they were small...my 6 pound turkey was on the large side of what was available. I think the bird was just too small for there to be good meat. If I do go with a heritage bird, I think I may try ordering from a different farmer who has more experience with heritage turkeys and ask some more questions.

I ended up throwing the turkey carcass into a pot and boiling down until I was left was some very flavorful broth that I can't wait to use. I wish I would have taken a picture of the sad looking turkey, in the rush to get food on the table before the kids lost it from hunger the idea to take a picture was lost.

Brine for turkey (makes enough for a 14 - 16 lb turkey):
1 c kosher salt
1/2 c light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 T black peppercorns
1/2 T allspice berries
1/2 T pickled ginger
1 gallon iced water

Bring all the brine ingredients except the ice water to a boil in a large stockpot. Stir to dissolve solids and remove from heat, cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight. On the day of cooking, combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket (a Home Depot construction bucket works great). Place thawed turkey breast side down in the brine, cover, and set in cool area (refrigerator or outside if it's cold enough) for 6 hours, turning turkey over once halfway through brining.

Aromatics
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 c water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 sage leaves
Canola oil

Preheat oven to 500. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon, and cup of cold water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 5 minutes. Remove turkey from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine. Add steeped aromatics plus rosemary and sage to the cavity of the turkey. Coat turkey liberally with oil. Roast on lowest rack in oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350, and roast until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. (a 15 lb free range turkey will take about 1 1/2 hours). Let stand 15 minutes before carving.