Tag: kale

Main Dishes, Pork, Quinoa, Recipes, Sides, Vegetables

Pork Chops with Quinoa, Kale, and Blood Orange

Sarah

I’ll be totally honest: before this spring, I had never tasted a blood orange. Of course I’d heard them hyped up online and in food mags, but for some reason had never had them in real life. Crazy, huh? So I picked up some during the same shopping trip where I found some majorly discounted pork chops nearing their expiration date [no problemo, just throw them in the freezer]. I came home and this dinner promptly appeared on our plates. Cool, huh?

Pork Chops with Quinoa, Kale, and Blood Orange | The Pajama Chef

Well, it wasn’t QUITE that simple. I had to mix some things up and do a little work, but other than that, this dinner was a cinch to throw together. And quite tasty too. So after we devoured it, I quickly wrote down what I did so I could share it here with you!

Pork Chops with Quinoa, Kale, and Blood Orange | The Pajama Chef

I’m not sure what the best part of this dinner was: the sweet, garlicky, vinegary pork chop? The tender sauteed kale? The nutty ‘n citrusy quinoa? I don’t know, but what I do know was that each bite was just so darn good! And it’s pretty fabulous that this dinner comes together in about 30 minutes. You gotta try it! If you don’t get around to til after blood orange season has passed, then try it with regular navel oranges, or grapefruit, or even clementines. The more I think about it, the citrusy freshness was definitely my favorite part. Enjoy! 🙂

Pork Chops with Quinoa, Kale, and Blood Orange [a The Pajama Chef original]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 pork chops
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 blood orange: zest all of it, juice half of it, and slice the other half of it
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 bunch kale, washed, dried, stems removed, and chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • salt
  • garlic powder

Directions:

Place pork chops in a shallow bowl. Whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, red pepper, and half the blood orange zest. Pour over pork chops and marinate for 10 minutes as you start preparations for the quinoa and walnuts.

Prepare quinoa according to package directions–but instead of just using 1 cup water, use juice of 1/2 the orange and make up the difference with water. Also add the remaining half of the blood orange zest.

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a small skillet set over medium heat. Cook for 7-8 minutes until fragrant, stirring occasionally. When toasted, chop walnuts.

Now, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops and marinade to the pan and saute for 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through. [Don’t forget to watch the walnuts!] Remove pork chops from pan to a plate; cover to keep warm.

Add kale to hot skillet, stir to coat with pan juices. Saute until kale is tender, and season with pepper, salt, and garlic powder as desired.

Serve pork chops on top of kale and quinoa, dressing with pan juices, chopped walnuts, and blood orange slices.

Time: 30 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups

Pumpkin, Kale, & Black Bean Stew

Sarah

I’ve definitely been slacking on the pumpkin front this fall. I’ve made several batches of my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip muffins…. a few breakfasts of pumpkin pie baked oatmeal… and a few other treats that I’ll share about soon. But all in all, I’m not sure what my deal is: I still love pumpkin and still have been using it in recipes, but I just haven’t been blogging about it. How weird!

Well, that’s going to change. This week. Right now, in fact.

Pumpkin, Kale, & Black Bean Stew | The Pajama Chef

A couple weeks ago, I didn’t feel like the dinner I had planned on my weekly menu plan [this happens semi-often…], so I just started pulling things out of the fridge and pantry and put together this quick Pumpkin, Kale, & Black Bean Stew. I wasn’t sure if it would be blog-worthy, but once I took a bite, I was smitten!

Pumpkin, Kale, & Black Bean Stew | The Pajama Chef

This thick stew’s pumpkin base is the perfect canvas for flavorful, healthy black beans, stewed tomatoes, and kale. For non-pumpkin lovers, the pumpkin flavor simply serves as a base for hearty ingredients. But for pumpkin lovers, just a pinch of pumpkin pie spice[!!!] is the secret ingredient to lasting pumpkin love! And boy, do I love pumpkin. This stew comes together in a flash, and is so flavorful that it doesn’t need any typical soup toppings [cheese, sour cream, etc.]. However, to make it a little more indulgent, I stirred in a bit of half and half at the very end. Great decision! And an even better decision on my part [and yours!] would be to make this stew again asap. It is that good. 🙂 Enjoy!!

Pumpkin, Kale, & Black Bean Stew
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 1/2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 [15 ounce] can stewed tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 leaves kale, chopped [about 2 loosely packed cups]
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
  • 2 tablespoons half and half

Directions:

In a stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and season with black pepper. Saute for about 5-6 minutes or until soft and translucent. Next, add chicken broth, pumpkin, black beans, tomatoes, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until combined, then cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Lastly, add kale and sage, and cook for another minute or two. Stir in half and half and serve immediately.

Time: 30 minutes.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups

Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup

Sarah

I’m not sure what the deal is, but I’ve become pretty much obsessed with soup over the past two years. Before that, I couldn’t really handle it [except for tomato and potato], but now? Sign me just about anytime, anywhere. That’s why I don’t mind so much when we have spring cold spells, like we’ve had here in Indiana lately. I mean, it’s the end of April and it’s 50 degrees out and rainy. No fun… except that it just gives me one more excuse to make soup.

lemon orzo chicken soupAnd this is my new favorite spring soup! It’s tangy yet creamy, filling yet light.  It’s super simple to make, even with the long list of ingredients. Don’t let the inclusion of eggs in a soup scare you–they add a delightful rich, velvety layer of flavor. I used dried herbs and orzo–but use fresh herbs or another small pasta if you want. I can’t wait to make this in the summertime when my balcony herbs are flourishing! They’re still little baby nubs right now. 🙂

Don’t you just want a bowlful now? I sure do!

Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup [from Good Life Eats]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, divided
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup white wine
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 3 carrots, sliced into thin rounds
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup orzo pasta, uncooked
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 2 – 3 large handfuls of fresh babyspinach, chopped [or combination of spinach and kale]

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with black pepper, then add to hot pan. Pour in 2 tablespoons lemon juice; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each dried parsley and thyme. Turn to coat, then cook completely.

Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Pour in white wine, chicken broth, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil.

Whisk together egg yolks and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. In a slow, trickling stream, carefully pour in 1 cup of hot broth [from pot] to egg mixture, whisking while pouring. Transfer the mixture back to the pot. Add orzo and chicken.

Reduce heat to medium low, partially cover, and cook until pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Before serving, add 1 teaspoon each of parsley, thyme, and sage, then stir in spinach/kale.
Time: 45 minutes.
Yield: 6-8 servings.
Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Turkey, Spinach, and Kale Stuffed Shells

Sarah

So, once upon a time almost three years ago, I made spinach-filled manicotti. Ben loved it, I hated it. It tasted like spinach cottage cheese to me. That’s because my mom’s lasagna [which I oddly enough, haven’t ever blogged about even though it’s amazing] uses cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and I thought that substitution would work in other dishes. Turns out I was wrong. Blech! Ever since that day, I’ve been wary of spinach in baked pasta dishes. I know it’s not the spinach’s fault, and I love it in other things, but in pasta now? No thanks.

When I heard through the Secret Recipe Club that Jey at The Jey of Cooking was raising money for the American Heart Association in honor of her mom’s heart transplant by asking bloggers to make a heart-healthy dish, I realized this was the perfect opportunity to get back into the spinach pasta game.

And get back into it, I did.

See that? I call it Turkey, Spinach, and Kale Stuffed Shells. From the outside, it looks like your typical cheesy, saucy stuffed shells. Delicious, right? Needs no explanation, you assume. Wrong! On the inside, you’ll find a creamy sauce made with lots of greens like spinach and kale, a bit of hearty meat, your typical Italian seasonings, and enough to ricotta and parmesan cheese to enjoy but not be weighted down by. Extra creaminess comes from fat free Greek yogurt. Perfecto!

So why is this recipe heart healthy? Well, for one, it uses ground turkey instead of ground beef [lower in fat and calories]–and the amount of meat is reduced to be more of a “condiment” or flavoring than the focus. The focus of these shells is the greens. Kale is one of the healthiest greens around, thanks to its vitamins and minerals, as well as its ability to lower cholesterol when eaten cooked. Pretty neat. Spinach isn’t bad for you either, and this recipe does not taste bad… unlike my previous attempt… so I’m in, and hope you’ll be too! I know you’ll love this cheesy, veggie filled, hearty take on traditional stuffed shells. Please head over to Jey’s blog to read more about what she’s doing to honor her mom and check out the recipe roundup on March 30th!

Turkey, Spinach, and Kale Stuffed Shells
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounce package jumbo pasta shells [approximately 36 shells]
  • 1/2 pound ground turkey
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups fresh kale, packed tightly
  • 2 cups fresh spinach, packed tightly
  • 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • dash ground nutmeg
  • 1 25 ounce jar marinara sauce [I used Muir Glen Cabernet Marinara]
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese [I used a pizza blend cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, provolone, romano) because I had it, but mozzarella or any Italian blend would work fine.]
  • freshly ground lemon pepper

Directions:

Begin by boiling a large pot of salted water for the shells. Once boiling, add shells and cook to al dente. Then drain, rinse with cold water, and spread out on a baking sheet to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Then, brown ground turkey in a skillet. Add garlic to pan to saute when turkey is almost done cooking. Drain any excess fat and set aside.

In a food processor, combine kale, spinach, ricotta, and greek yogurt and process until greens are chopped very finely. You may have to do this in two batches, or add more greens as you go depending on the size of your food processor.

Remove greens mixture to a mixing bowl, then add cooked turkey, parmesan cheese, black pepper, basil, oregano, and red pepper. Stir together until incorporated.

Spoon a small amount of marinara sauce [~ 1/2 cup] on bottom of a large baking dish*. Then fill each shell with about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of kale/turkey mixture and place in baking dish. Repeat until all shells are filled, then cover with remaining marinara sauce. You want the shells to be covered, but not drowning in sauce. Top with shredded cheese and lemon pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is brown and bubbly.

Time: 45 minutes [15 minutes active]
Yield: 8 servings.
Notes: *Regarding the baking dishes: I used a 9×13 pan and two individual size serving dishes, but you could use two square baking dishes [eat one and freeze/give away the other] or just use a larger dish [11×15]. Or just halve the recipe to begin with!

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Kale Frittata for Two

Sarah

So, we left town for vacation on a Thursday. Since Wednesday is our CSA Day, not only did I have the task of packing and cleaning out the fridge that evening before we left, [because nothing is worse than coming home to half a rotten, mushy cucumber…ask me how I know] but I also had to figure out what to do with a pound of potatoes, three bell peppers, a bag of kale, two heads of garlic, and three sweet onions from that day’s CSA pick-up. Whew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it again. But it was necessary… I already gave up a week of my CSA while we were gone [a friend got to enjoy it]; I didn’t want to miss out on another week, too. I am happy to report that I was able to deliver on this very important task. Read on to see how.

In order to guarantee success, I did what any good blogger/blog reader would do–take to the interwebs! After perusing posts I had saved in my Google Reader, I came across a lovely little recipe that was sure to satisfy our packing-induced hunger and our abundant amount of produce.

Introducing… Kale Frittata for Two! This little gem can be prepared in about twenty minutes and is packed full of veggie goodness, but a healthy dose of cheese makes everyone happy–even those who aren’t the biggest bell pepper fans, like a certain husband ‘o mine. We loved that each bite contained a variety of textures and tastes–from cheese and eggs to veggies and herbs, each bite was flavorful and simply delicious to behold! And a bonus–since it’s sized “for two,” you won’t even have any leftovers! Well, on second thought–that’s not exactly a bonus if you want leftovers, so adjust comment in your mind accordingly. 🙂

In my book, the no-leftovers was a great thing and was a huge help in finishing all the produce. For the record, here’s what I did with everything:

  • pound of potatoes–roasted about half in the oven for dinner, saved the rest in the pantry
  • three bell peppers–used one in the frittata, flash froze the rest for future meals
  • bag of kale–used 1/3 in the frittata and made a marinated kale salad with the rest
  • two heads of garlic–used some in the frittata and refrigerated the rest
  • three sweet onions–refrigerated

I’d call that a victory, especially when you look at all the pretty colors on our plate… since color = nutrients, I’d say we passed the test for our last homecooked pre-vacation meal with flying colors!

And in case you’re worried about making a frittata, like I was… you’ve have no reason to be nervous. They really aren’t as complicated as you think. This was my first time making a frittata and so I wasn’t exactly sure to what to expect, but Megan’s directions were super clear and concise to guide me through the process. This is definitely a recipe that I’ll be making again and again, perhaps next time with different variations–spinach, tomato, and feta, anyone? Enjoy!

What’s the most creative pre-vacation-use-up-the-fridge meal you’ve made? Creative does NOT have to equal artsy-fabulous like mine. I must say, I was quite impressed with this meal… usually our finish-the-fridge meals are crazy random concoctions like yogurt with soup and the odd carrot or two.

Kale Frittata for Two [adapted from What Megan’s Making]
printable version

Ingredients:
  • olive oil
  • about 1 cup chopped kale leaves, washed and stems removed
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4-1 cup shredded cheese [I used a combination of cheddar and colby jack]
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon water
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a small oven safe skillet on medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and garlic to skillet and saute until just softened. Add the kale and cook until it begins to wilt [it may be helpful to cover the pan to help the process].
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a small bowl and stir in pepper and tarragon. Mix in water and 2/3 cup cheese. Add eggs to the pan, using a spatula to evenly distribute the vegetables. Allow to cook for a couple minutes, until the bottom of the frittata starts to set, then use a thin spatula to lift the edge of the frittata. This allows the uncooked egg to transfer to the below to cook. When eggs are almost set, top with remaining cheese and place in the oven to cook for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Cool briefly before cutting, then serve warm.