Week Four: Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca, Pork Ramen, and Steaks

This week was very financially sound because all the meat used in these recipes came from my freezer. Oh yeah. Happened to have some chicken breast cutlets, a pork tenderloin that came in a pack of two (the first of which I used for my Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sautéed Apples from Week Three), and we had a couple large steaks leftover from awhile ago. Freezing meat, soup, etc. is such a great way to save and plan ahead for future meals; you just have to remember to transfer them from freezer to refrigerator in a timely fashion so they are thawed when you are ready to cook. I set reminders on my phone for such occasions. Because I'm forgetful sometimes.

Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca

with Sautéed Broccoli

First of all. What on earth is saltimbocca? Apparently, saltimbocca is a dish (popular in southern Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Greece) made of veal topped with prosciutto and sage. But in this case, I made chicken saltimbocca; chicken wrapped in prosciutto and sage. And this is funny...saltimbocca (or saltinbocca) is Italian for "jumps in the mouth." And after eating this dish, I can confirm that it really does jump into your mouth. So good.

Find the recipe here: Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca. And this is, yet again, another dish from the November 2012 issue of Cooking Light. I'm telling you, they have some good stuff; fast, but really tasty weeknight meals.

Serve your chicken saltimbocca with sautéed broccoli, broccoli rabe, or green beans.

This was my first time cooking with prosciutto, and it is mighty delicious. Kind of salty, so maybe eat in moderation, but it adds such amazing flavor to your usual, plain chicken. Not to mention the hint of sage and fresh lemon. Mmmm.

Pork Ramen

As I write this, I realize that I forgot to add soy sauce to my ramen! Ahhh! I knew I had forgotten something. Never the less, this ramen was very delicious. Just don't forget to stir in the soy sauce towards the end of cooking. Lesson learned.

This was a Pinterest find. (Of course.) I'm addicted. And I don't even have an account. It's worse than having an account. I'm like a non-member, underground scavenger of Pinterest recipes and goodness.

Find the recipe here: Pork Ramen Soup. The neat thing about this dish, is you could re-work it a lot of different ways with various meats, vegetables, etc. I used my leftover pork tenderloin and the array of fresh veggies recommended for use in this recipe. I just love ramen noodles; always have. Using just the noodles and tossing out the seasoning packets gives you the opportunity to adjust the seasoning yourself. I added some crushed red pepper flakes also. This is one of those dishes that is even better the next day.

Steaks

and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Shallots

Well, I wanted to use these steaks I had on hand, so Zack and I decided to just keep it simple and do steak with some vegetables. I wanted to do something a little lighter and healthier than potatoes, so I turned to Power Foods. If you've been reading here for awhile, you may remember some of my earlier recipes came from this amazing cookbook.

Find the recipe for the roasted brussels sprouts here: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Shallots. I love brussels sprouts, and let's be honest, they just look like the epitome of health. I mean, really. They are a cluster of green leaves. It's like eating a bunch of baby cabbages. They're kind of weird, I guess. It did take me awhile to acquire the taste for them. But I love them now. And of course, pear and shallots are delightful. So this was a winner.

Cooking the steaks was very interesting in our apartment kitchen. Zack kind of headed up the cooking, while I ran frantically around the apartment, opening doors and windows, and fanning the smoke detector with a kitchen towel. We pan seared them on high heat first, then transferred to a hot oven for the rest of cooking. It was a sight to see, to say the least. Hope we didn't disturb the neighbors.

I haven't had steak in awhile, and well, it was tasty. And this brussels sprouts dish would be a perfect Thanksgiving side. Loved it.

Well, we're heading off to Portland tomorrow after work, so I'm posting this week's post a little early. Enjoy and cheers (this one's for you, Zack). :)