Butternut Squash and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese

It's not every day that I hear "I think this is my new favorite salad" from the hubby, trust me when I say that means this is a VERY good salad! And I'm with him, it's also my new fave.

I came across "butternut spirals" at the grocery store, they are like the zucchini noodles that are suddenly everywhere (click here for a recipe) only made out of butternut squash. I made the recipe on the back of the package and didn't change a thing except I added more arugula and used cherry tomatoes - and I will be making it all the time now! Yum.

10.7 ounces butternut spirals (I think shredded, grated, or chopped in small pieces would also work)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 oz. crumbled goat cheese
2 cups baby arugula
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 diced roma tomato

Heat skillet over medium-high, add oil and butternut spirals and toss for 3-4 minutes until al dente (don't cook too long or they'll get mushy). Remove from heat, toss with arugula, pine nuts and tomato. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with goat cheese and enjoy with your favorite vinaigrette (optional. note I drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled on some white wine vinegar).

we had it as a side to grilled pork tenderloin. 

Sarge just waiting for something to leap out of the bowl and onto the floor :)

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken

This chicken is such an easy, healthy, quick, delish dish - I haven't made it in a while but am now remembering how much we like it! I'm bringing this recipe back to the front for sure.

• 6 boneless chicken breast halves (2 lbs total)
• 1 1/4 lbs roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup finely slivered arugula
• 3 T. capers
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 1/4 t. cayenne
• salt to taste

-Pound chicken till flat and uniform thickness. Beat egg with 1 T. water in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish combine cornmeal, parmesan, and spices. Dip the chicken in the egg, then cornmeal mixture coating completely. Grill (or bake) until done.

-Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, arugula, capers, lemon and olive oil in a bowl.

-Serve the chicken with the tomato mixture on top.

Makes 6 servings. Each serving: 298 calories, 6.5g fat, 40g protein

don't have a meat mallet? I just put the chicken in a large
ziplock bag and pound it with a small frying pan!

dip first in egg...

then in cornmeal mixture. 

Notes: I should have halved the chicken but left them giant, took quite a while to get them cooked thru - also I couldn't pound them down very well. It's much easier and quicker with thinner chicken!

I used red pepper flakes instead of cayenne, and used a whole bag of arugula for the two of us instead of 1 cup for 6 servings like the recipe states. It's just arugula, go for it :). Oh, and I added some fresh mushrooms I had on hand just cuz.

The capers are really salty (in fact I usually rinse them before using), if you omit them make sure to season the arugula/tomato mixture.

This recipe originated in a Sunset magazine - when I tried to look it up online to get a date I only find mention of it in 1996! See, told ya I've been making it for a while now!

White Beans in Marinara Sauce and Arugula Salad with Fresh Mushrooms

I got the idea for this dish when we went to Greece a couple years ago and had giant beans in a tomato sauce, and loved loved loved them. I found a couple recipes in cookbooks but then just sort of made this version up and it's stuck - I make them all the time.

sometimes I add a handful of halved cherry tomatoes 

 I don't know where to get giant beans here - for real, there are huge giant white beans out there! Get them if you find them - so I use canned white beans, usually Great Northern or White Cannelini and sometimes a mixture of both. Rinse them really well, put into a small roasting dish, and mix in some jarred marinara sauce (or any spaghetti sauce would be fine I think) - bake at 350 for anywhere between 30 - 45 minutes (you can't really overbake, they just cook down more the longer you bake them. If they seem dry I add a little hot water or olive oil to loosen them up a bit). Season with salt and pepper, and crumble feta cheese over the top for the last few minutes in the oven.

They are good by themselves, or as a side dish to grilled or roasted meat and chicken. I occasionally add halved cherry tomatoes and/or additional italian seasoning - it's a very adaptable dish. But white beans, marinara, and feta alone is just delish...I hope you'll try them!

This time we had them with grilled marinated pork tenderloin and a super easy salad of arugula and fresh mushrooms tossed with a little olive oil, lemon juice, coarse salt, and parmesan.

salad ingredients