Dual Recipe Post - Stuffed Swiss Chard Rolls & Mozzarella Sticks

The following two recipes are great for entertaining or for a weekday dinner.  Both recipes are perfect to make for Meatless Mondays or they can be adapted for the meatlovers by adding some ground meat to your marinara sauce.  I thought they fit well together in the same post since they are both Italian style dishes that incorporate marinara sauce; in fact they would probably pair well to serve together!  I hope everyone enjoys these recipes as much as I do!

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Brown Rice and Lentil Stuffed Swiss Chard Rolls
I adopted this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis (chef and Food Network host).  I have made this dish twice (once meatless and once with ground turkey in the marinara sauce) and both times it got rave reviews.  I follow the original recipe pretty closely, tweaking and adding a few things here and there.  Below is the recipe I have adapted and use, but you can find Giada's original recipe HERE.

Ingredients

EVOO, for greasing the baking dish

2 Bundles of Swiss chard leaves
2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
1 packed cup baby arugula leaves, chopped

8 oz. goat cheese, at room temperature
1 cup cooked green lentils
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil for the filling
Kosher salt, black pepper & cayenne pepper for seasoning (to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
One 26-ounce jar organic marinara sauce (or homemade preferably :)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (or a mix of Italian cheeses - my personal favorite!)
2 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Oil a 9.5 by 13.5 inch glass baking dish. Set aside.

Remove the thick stem from the center of each chard leaf. Cut each leaf in half lengthwise. I cut all the leaves and use the biggest halves (approx. 16-18 halves).  Store the remainder of the leaves in a ziploc bag or an airtight container and saute or use later in the week.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the chard leaves and cook for 10 seconds. Remove the leaves with tongs and rinse with cold water. Drain on paper towels and set aside. (I did this the first time I made this recipe and didn't the second time...I couldn't tell a difference between when I did it and when I didn't).

For the filling: In a medium bowl, mix together the brown rice, arugula, goat cheese, lentils, olive oil, salt, black pepper & cayenne to taste and garlic. 

**NOTES: When making the brown rice and lentils I cook them in vegetable broth for extra flavor and then let cool completely before mixing.  Also, be sure to let the goat cheese sit out and get to room temperature to make it easier to mix.  You will end up having quite a bit of leftover filling.  It tastes great cold added to a salad or used to make lettuce wraps.  I have also heated it up and added a fried egg on top for a delicious breakfast treat :) 

Spoon 1/3 cup of the filling onto the end of each chard leaf and roll up like a jellyroll.

 Cover the bottom of the already greased pan with a little less than half of the marinara sauce. Arrange the rolls, seam-side down, in a single layer on top of the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until the cheese begins to brown, about 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve.
**I like to serve this dish with a classic bruschetta or some crusty bread and a great glass of red wine...yum! :)

 

 

 

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Homemade Mozzarella Sticks

Making mozzarella sticks from scratch is so easy and so delicious I will never buy them frozen again!

I made my own breadcrumbs using some unused hamburger & hotdog buns and the ends of some sprouted bread I had laying around.  Just cut up the bread into smaller pieces, throw them in a food processor or blender until chopped up finely.  Spread the chopped up bread crumbs on a baking sheet and put in a 250 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, let cool, store in an airtight container and your done!

**For this recipe I combined my homemade breadcrumbs with oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and garlic to make them more Italian style.

Ingredients

 

2 cups of Italian style breadcrumbs (homemade or store bought)

3-4 eggs, beaten

1 medium-large mozzarella ball

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 liter olive oil or vegetable oil

Marinara sauce for dipping (homemade or organic store bought) 

Directions

 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

 

 

Mix the breadcrumbs and the Parmesan cheese (leave a little extra for garnishing) in a mixing bowl.  In a separate mixing bowl whisk the eggs until thoroughly beaten.  Cut the mozzarella into approx. twelve, 1/2 inch sticks.

 

Dip and coat the cheese sticks into the egg wash, allowing the excess egg to drip off and then coat in the bread crumb mixture.  Place the coated mozzarella onto the baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the cheese sticks.  Repeat this process coating each mozzarella stick in the egg was and breadcrumbs for a second time.

Cover the baking sheet with the double coated mozzarella sticks with another piece of parchment paper and put in the freezer for 2 hours or until frozen (you can freeze them for up to about 2 days).

 

 

Once the mozzarella sticks are frozen and you are ready to cook, heat up the olive oil in a cast iron skillet (or heavy duty frying pan).  Heat to about 350 degrees (I drop in an excess piece of frozen breadcrumb that may have fell off the mozzarella sticks to test the oil).  Using tongs, carefully drop the frozen mozzarella sticks in the oil in batches of 3.  If using a shallow pan, turn the mozzarella sticks after about 30 seconds.  It only takes about 1-1 1/2 minutes for them to cook and become golden brown.  Remove from the pan using tongs and place on a paper towel lined place and repeat with the next batch until complete.  Sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese over the hot mozzarella sticks and serve with warmed marinara sauce.

**Remember not to waste all that frying oil!  Pour into an airtight glass container, let cool and store for the next time!

Cast Iron Cooking

I recently received a cast iron skillet as a birthday gift and have fallen in love!  I have wanted one for awhile and now that I have one I'm not sure how I lived without it.  Below I have outlined a few of the many Eco benefits as well as cooking benefits to using cast iron, I show you the cast iron skillet I purchased and have come to love, and lastly I included a recipe for a roasted organic chicken in a cast iron skillet.
What is your favorite thing about your cast iron cookware?  What is your favorite recipe you make using cast iron?  Do you have any good tips for cooking with or cleaning cast iron?  I would love to hear from you about anything cast iron, I am new to this and am eager to learn and cook as much as possible in my new cast iron skillet!
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Cast-Iron Benefits:

• Naturally Non-Stick - Forget the Teflon and other synthetic materials used to make non-stick pans.  Cast iron is the original non-stick without all the harmful and toxic coatings that can leach into your food.
• Durable - If taken care of properly, a piece of cast iron cookware can last you a lifetime plus!  The best part about cast iron cookware is it gets even better with time.  Even old, worn and/or rusted pieces can be brought back to their original beauty with steel wool and just a little muscle.  Be sure to heat and cool your cast iron cookware gradually to ensure a longer life.
• Multiple Uses -  One cast-iron skillet can replace almost all of your other pans.  You can cook practically anything in your cast iron cookware from chicken to cornbread to soups and stews.  Then add that you can cook with cast iron on the stove top, in the oven, on the grill or over an open fire while camping (never in the microwave) and it becomes the most perfect piece of cookware you can get for your money.
• Simple to Clean - You should NEVER use soap on cast iron or put in the dishwasher.  All you need to clean cast iron is hot water and a sponge or stiff brush.  For really stubborn, stuck on food, just use coarse salt and hot water.  Completely dry the cast iron skillet with a towel or place in the oven over low heat, and then apply a light coating of oil with a paper towel and voila, your done! 
• Retains Heat - One of the best features of using cast iron cookware is that it heats up quickly and retains heat very well, therefore they cook food evenly and uses less energy in order to do so.

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Below is a picture of the 12 inch round (approx. 1 1/2 inch deep) cast iron skillet I recently purchased along with an adorable sign that was posted in the store I bought it from.  The cast iron skillet came already seasoned and cost $38.00.  Considering that it is the primary cooking pan I have used since I got it, I would say it has already paid for itself! 

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RECIPE: Roasted Organic Chicken in the Cast Iron Skillet

Tonight I decided to roast an organic chicken in my cast iron skillet.  It turned out juicy with perfectly crispy skin and was just plain delicious...my husband said it was the best roasted chicken I have ever made!  Below is my recipe for Roasted Organic Chicken in the Cast Iron Skillet:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Lightly oil the bottom of the cast iron skillet and place the whole chicken in the pan
• Place small slabs of butter under the skill of the breasts and legs
• Squeeze a medium lemon (cut in half all over the outside of the chicken (save the lemon halves for the cavity) and season with salt, pepper and paprika
• Stuff the cavity with 4 garlic cloves and the 2 lemon halves you used to squeeze over the outside
• Place in the oven and cook for approx. 45 minutes, until the juices run clear or until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees.
• Remove from the cast iron skillet and let rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

**You can also add a nice variety of root vegetables and potatoes to the pan to roast with the chicken.  I served it with a fresh green salad since that is what I had around the house.
**I always roast the innards when roasting a chicken since I personally find them delicious!  I just season them the same as I season the outside of the bird.
**Be sure to save the carcass to make an easy and delicious chicken stock (recipe HERE) with all the leftover scrapings.  And if you do not like to eat the innards like I do, you still roast them with the chicken and then simmer in your stock for added flavor.

 Enjoy!