Turkey Roulade

 

Stuffed Turkey Roulade

 

1- turkey breast bone removed

2 Italian sausage links (turkey or pork) skin removed

1 - onion small dice

2 ribs celery small diced

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 TBS garlic powder

2 TBS italian seasoning

1 TBS rubbed sage

 

Brown sausage onion celery garlic, Italian seasoning, sage until wilted. Add bread crumbs and stock and let cool.

 

first step is to butterfly a turkey breast and pound thin and salt the inside.

 

 

 

Then lay stuffing leaving 1 inch around edges

Roll up and tie making sure the ties are 1 inch apart like above. And season with salt and pepper and Italian herbs

 

brown all sides in a hot pan in olive oil then place in a 400 degree oven until internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Take of oven and let rest for 10 minutes

 

slice and enjoy with your favorite sides!

Healthy Kale Chips

 

Healthy Kale Chips

Have you ever had store bought kale chips? I'm not a fan! However, after making them at home I love them and I make a big batch at least once a week. I challenge you to try them once to see if you like them!

1- large bunch kale stems removed and torn into bite size pieces (make sure they are dry)
1/4 C coconut oil melted
1/4 C flaxseed powder
1/4 C nutritional yeast ( you can get at Raison Rack)
2 TBS onion powder
2 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS kosher salt
1 TBS Cajun seasoning

Preheat oven to 225F. In a large mixing bowl place all ingredients except kale and mix well. In a separate mixing bowl put kale and slowly add the seasoning mix and message onto leaves until fully coated then spread onto a baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 90 minutes. After 60 minutes toss and turn and bake for the additional 30 minutes until leaves are dry and crispy like a chip. Let cool and enjoy!

Chicken butternut squash risotto with crispy chicken skin

Ingredients

2 bone on chicken breast with skin
1 butternut squash peeled and cubed
2 med onions (1 quartered, 1 diced)
2 C aborrio rice
5 asparagus stalks blanched and chopped
1 C white wine
1 C grated parmesan
5-6 C roasted chicken stock heated
1 clove garlic crushed and chopped
Salt n pepper
Garlic seasoning
Olive oil

Oil chicken and garlic seasoning and salt n pepper. Roast at 400 degrees, once cooked thru cool and shred. Do the same with the squash and quartered onion and cool

In a large saute pan sweat the chopped onion in oil. Add garlic cook for another minute. Add rice and toast in pan for about a minute. Deglase with white wine and let evaporate. Add in heated chicken stock 1/3 at a time letting it absorb before adding the next 1/3. Repeat until mostly absorbed. Add parmesan shredded chicken. Asparagus and butternut squash and heat thru. Add a little more stock if needed and salt and pepper to taste.

Smoked Gouda stuffed Chicken with Lime Honey Apple Slaw

Smoked Gouda Stuffed Chicken with Lime Honey Apple Slaw

 

 Ingredient List

4 - medium chicken breast

4 - 1oz slices of smoked Gouda or your favorite cheese
garlic powder
Cajun seasoning (or omit if you don't like spicy)
Italian herb seasoning
salt & pepper

for the apple slaw
2 granny smith apple (Julienne)
1/2 head savoy cabbage (shredded with a knife)
thinly shaved red onion (best done on a mandolin)

for the slaw dressing
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon honey
Salt & Pepper to taste

First make the slaw, very easy and quick, make the slaw dressing by combining all ingredients in a bowl except the oil. slowly drizzle in the oil while stirring with a wire whisk until mixed in and season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside

If you have a mandolin, core the apple and cut in half. Julienne on  the madoline or use a knife. and this is what it will look like.

chill until ready to plate

Next for the chicken:
you will want to to cut a pocket in the chicken to make room for the cheese as pictured below but make sure not to cut all the way through the flesh. It's easiest to put one hand on the chicken and then insert the knife starting at the top of the breast. insert 3/4 into the breast along the side of the breast and then lightly cut to the other side...

this will leave a pocket that is about 4 inches into the meat by 1.5"

Next cut the cheese about 1/4" thick and 1"x3" long and wide and insert a piece into each breast

 

make sure the cheese is not sticking out but totally enclosed in the meat. Next season each breast by  drizzling with a little olive oil and dusting with the garlic powder, Italian herbs, salt & pepper and Cajun seasoning.

In a medium high non stick skillet, add 2 Tbs of olive oil and add the breast to brown on both sides, do in batches if needed so not to crowd the pan. Brown on both sides and place on a foil lined cookie sheet and place in a 375 oven. Its best to use an oven thermometer and bake until you reach 165 degrees. take out and cover with a sheet of foil and let rest for 5 minutes. 

Now for the plating - any sides work so for a week night I went very easy.  Bob Evans already made sour cream and chive mashed potatoes and a bag of already cut broccoli steamed in the microwave.. I added extra fresh cut chives for a garnish.  and the sauce is just some of the pan drippings over the chicken for a bit more flavor!

This all took about 40 minutes to make and isn't hard at all. If you have questions ask with a comment

To plate:

put the mash in the 1 o'clock position and the broccoli in the 12 o'clock position. cut the chicken breast in half  on the byas and stack on each other like below and top with the slaw.

Short Ribs - Winters end celebration!

Today we are expecting the last snow of the winter (hopefully)! So, in celebration that spring will arrive a week late I decided to do braised short ribs for a nice Sunday night comfort food dinner! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do fixing it!

What you will need:

1 pack of 4 nice thick short ribs
1 qt container of beef broth
1 btl of good red wine, (somthing you would drink) preferably a Cabernet Note: never buy cooking wine in the ilse. salty and disgusting. I like J Lohr seven oaks cabernet, You will use half the bottle and drink the rest while cooking of course!
2 medium onions quartered
2 large carrots chopped
1 stalk of celery large chop
1 large head of garlic
1 sm can of tomato paste
2 Tbs Italian herbs dried
1 bundle of fresh thyme

You can use an enamelled pot like the ones in the pictures or use a good stainless steel pot that will fit in the oven and is oven safe.

Heat your pot to medium high and add 2 tbl of olive oil. while that is heating up salt and pepper your ribs and I also sprinkled some garlic powder on the ribs too. Brown each side of the ribs until nice and brown.

Remove the ribs from the pot and place if onions, carrots, celery and herbs and season with salt and pepper . Cut the head of garlic in half and add to the pot and cook while stiring about 3 to 5 minutes.

Next add the 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste and stir until it coats all the veggies.

Next deglaze the pot with about half the bottle of red wine and pour yourself a glass. You deserve it at this point!

Cook down for about 2 minutes then place the ribs back to the pot rib side up and the juices that have accumulated from resting.

Now pour the beef stock over the ribs and fill until you reach just below the rib on top.

Cover and bring back to a slow simmer, then place in the oven at 325 degrees and braise for 4 hours!

this is what you will see when you take it out of the oven

skim some of the sauce and strain through a small seive then put in a small sauce pan to reduce. Add 2 Tbs of butter and reduce to make a nice sauce.

this will be slightly thick but not gravy consistancy

I plated this with a Broccoflower mash - recipe to follow.

Satisfying and comforting!

Its really an easy recipe to follow. and it makes it easy for clean up! If you don't want a cauloflower mash just use a simple mashed potato like Bob Evans or make your own. 

Sunday Herb Roasted Chicken

 

Sunday Herb Roasted Chicken

Yes, we love slow oven roasted chicken and I do it several ways and over 2013 you will see several ways to cook it. As for today it was a simple herb crusted whole chicken. Here are the ingredients that you will need.

1 - 4 to 5lb Organic hormone/antibiotic free chicken
1 - fresh poultry herb bunch (rosemary, thyme, sage)
2 TBSP of unsalted butter (melted in microwave for 35 seconds)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp each granulated garlic and granulated onion

 



Chop herbs to give you about 2 Tbsp worth and add it to the melted butter. Add the granulated garlic and onion and salt to the melted butter and place in the freezer for 5 minutes. You should be left with a still saucy butter mix but almost gel consistancy.

Run the handle of a wooden spoon under the skin of the chicken to seperate the skin from the meat.

Then take the butter mixture and run underneathe the skin and over the skin. This will make a nice herb crust on the outside and the meat with absorb a lot of flavor from the mix as well. Salt the cavity well and truss the bird with kitchen string for even cooking. use an oven thermometer and place in between the thigh and breast.
 

 Preheat the oven to 450 degrees then place the bird in a roaster pan with a cut up large onion and 1 cup of chicken stock. I also took a part of the onion and and some stems of rosemary, thyme and sage and stuffed the cavity of the bird.

Roast the bird at 450 for 30 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350. Roast until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees for the thigh and about 175 for the breast. Pull the bird and let sit on the counter with a foil tent for 15 to 20 minutes. This will make the bird nice and juicy. Carve and enjoy!

I baked a sweet potato added a 1/2 TBSP unsalted butter and 1/2 tbsp of maple agave syrup a pinch of salt and pepper and mashed it up with no skin. We split it and had about 3 oz of mash each. Which is about a 1/2 cup. we also took 1 piece of bacon from breakfast chopped it up and added it as a garnish to the sweet potato. only 22 calories added.
Total calories for the dish with 5oz of chicken was only 370 calories, with a glass of red wine it was 492. added a small salad for another 150 and you have a great flavorful and filling meal which leaves room for a little snack later! We are using the left overs for white bean chicken chili for tomorrow.

Eating right doesn't have to be bland food or nasty frozen dinners. You can do this yourself and make wonderful flavorful dishes. Yes I use butter, cream, salt and plenty of fresh produce etc and you can have incredible tasting dishing that are restaurant worthy! Try it out you will like it.

Chef Dave's Table: Healthy start equipment

Chef Dave's Table: Healthy start equipment