taetopia

Apple, Sauerkraut, Cheddar & Ham Quesadillas

Week 1, Day 5 of My Eating Well Challenge. I was able to sneak in a fifth recipe this week. I had some sauerkraut left over from the vegetarian reubens the day before, and ham from the ham and cheese stuffed chicken breasts. I thought this recipe sounded intriguing. OK, maybe not intriguing; honestly I thought it downright bizarre at first. But when you stop to think about it, similar ingredients are found in a choucroute garnie, so what could be bad?

As it turns out, these are spectacular. The tortilla is crispy, the cheese is gooey, the ham is smokey, and the apple and sauerkraut are tart and sweet. I added the ham per EatingWell’s recommended variation, but it could certainly be omitted if not on hand or for a vegetarian option. We had them for lunch, but cut into quarters or eighths, these would be great as a hearty hors d’oeuvre for a small party.

Apple, Sauerkraut, Cheddar & Ham Quesadillas
From The Essential EatingWell Cookbook

1 cup sauerkraut, rinsed
1/2 cup water
2 9-to-10-inch (burrito-size) flour tortillas
1 1/3 cups grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1 small Granny Smith or other tart, juicy apple, peeled and very thinly sliced
3 tablespoons ham, diced small

1. Put sauerkraut and water in a medium nonreactive skillet. Gently heat just until the liquid has evaporated but not so much that the sauerkraut begins to stick to the pan. Remove from the heat.

2. Gradually heat a large cast-iron over medium heat. Put one tortilla in the pan and immediately sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese over half of it. Quickly arrange about half the apple slices over the cheese, then top with half the sauerkraut, spreading it evenly, and half the ham. Sprinkle with another 1/3 cup cheese.

3. Fold the tortilla over the filled half and press gently on it with a spatula to seal. Heat the quesadilla until the bottom is golden, about 2 minutes, then carefully flip and lightly brown the other side. Slide the quesadilla onto a cutting board and cut it into halves or quarters. Prepare the second one in the same fashion.

Vegetarian Reuben

Week 1, Day 4 of My Eating Well Challenge. Weekend lunches in our home are usually sandwiches. Grilled sandwiches are even better. The classic reuben is piled high with corned beef, melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing (or Thousand Island) on rye. It’s certainly one of my favorites.

The preface to this recipe states that you “won’t even miss the corned beef.” I scoffed when I read that. I’ve made plenty of vegetarian look-a-like recipes that make similar declarations. While these recipes can be good, and some great, the meat is usually such a definitive component of the dish that one can’t help but notice its absence.

What a shock to find that I really didn’t miss the corned beef! This sandwich has all the flavors and textures of a classic reuben. Of course one can tell there is no corned beef, but the pronounced taste of the filling, dressing, and cheese left us happily satisfied.

The only issue I have is with the recipe is the name. I believe the recipe is much closer to Thousand Island than Russian dressing. Either way, it’s delicious.

Vegetarian Reubens Assembled

Vegetarian Reubens with Russian Dressing

From The Essential EatingWell Cookbook
View the recipe and nutritional information at EatingWell.com.

This exceptional sandwich originated at Penny Cluse Cafe in Burlington, Vermont. The spinach, mushroom and onion filling is so satisfying, you won’t even miss the corned beef.

Russian Dressing

2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 teaspoons chopped capers
1 teaspoon chopped pickle, or relish

Sandwiches

3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
5 cups baby spinach
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 slices rye bread
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese, such as Jarlsberg Lite or Alpine Lace (2 ounces)
1/2 cup sauerkraut

1. Prepare Russian dressing: Whisk mayonnaise and ketchup in a small bowl until smooth. Stir in capers and pickle (or relish).

2. To prepare sandwiches: Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms; cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 4 minutes. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until it has wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

3. Coat the pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and return to medium heat. Add the bread; divide cheese equally among the slices. Divide sauerkraut between 2 slices and divide the spinach mixture between the other 2 slices; cook until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer sandwich halves to a cutting board. Divide the dressing between the spinach halves. Carefully place the sauerkraut halves on top. Cut sandwiches in half and serve.

Vegetarian Reuben

Ham & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

Week 1, Day 2 of My Eating Well Challenge. On my way home to cook dinner, I was wondering why I chose this recipe. It’s not as if it’s anything very remarkable. Stuffing chicken breasts is something one learns the first week of culinary school, or about once-a-week on the Food Network or PBS cooking shows. Maybe it was because it  had ham and cheese. Maybe because I wanted to see what EatingWell.com would do to make this frequently fat-laden dish not so fat-laden. In any event, I’m glad I made it, since it tastes indulgent and makes a great presentation.

One wouldn’t think that sauteing a breaded chicken breast in just a teaspoon of oil in a nonstick pan, and then finishing it in the oven, would create such a beautiful crispy crust, but it does, and the chicken stays juicy. There’s not much cheese filling (the photo on their website, which I only saw after I had made the dish, is a little misleading), but the flavor of the ham and mustard is so intense, it tastes like just the right amount.

The only issue I had, as with the previous day’s recipe, was salt. If you wish to leave it out for dietary reasons, that’s fine. However, I’d suggest putting at least a half teaspoon to a teaspoon of salt into your breadcrumbs. For the crumbs I used three slices of whole wheat sandwich bread pulsed in the food processor with the salt. Next time I might take the opportunity to add some dried herbs, a bit of garlic powder, or paprika to the crumbs.

Ham & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
From The Essential EatingWell Cookbook
View the recipe and nutritional info. at EatingWell.com.
Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup grated Swiss, Monterey Jack or part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped ham
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (1-1 1/4 pounds total)
1 egg white
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Use a baking sheet with sides and lightly coat it with cooking spray.

2. Mix cheese, ham, mustard and pepper in a small bowl.

3. Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up the breast and place one-fourth of the filling in the center. Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling.

4. Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow glass dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in egg white, then dredge in breadcrumbs. (Discard leftovers.)

5. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 20 minutes.