Another dinner shot down in flames

[pegkerr]

Tonight, I tried two new recipes from my January issue of Cooking Light. It was only with great self-restraint that I kept myself from attacking the plates of the other members of my family, after devouring my own portion. I, of course, was the only one who felt like this. Everyone else curled their lip and would barely touch what was in front of them.

Spinach and Kale Turnovers

In addition to being tasty, kale is a good source of lutein, benefitting eye health, and vitamins A and C. Serve as a side dish with steak or roast chicken, or enjoy two turnovers as a meatless entrée. They are great made ahead and brown-bagged; reheat in a microwave or toaster oven.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 cups chopped kale (about 1 small bunch)
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 (11.3-ounce) can refrigerated dinner roll dough (such as Pillsbury)
Cooking spray
2 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 10 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add kale and spinach; sauté 8 minutes or until kale is tender. Stir in pepper, salt, and nutmeg. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in feta.

Separate dough into 8 pieces. Roll each dough piece into a 5-inch circle. Spoon about 1/3 cup kale mixture on half of each circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over kale mixture until edges almost meet. Bring bottom edge of dough over top edge; crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim.

Place turnovers on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat turnovers with cooking spray; sprinkle each turnover with about 1 teaspoon Parmesan. Bake at 375° for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving; serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 turnover)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 184(27% from fat); FAT 5.5g (sat 2g,mono 1.6g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 8.1g; CHOLESTEROL 7mg; CALCIUM 110mg; SODIUM 516mg; FIBER 2.7g; IRON 2.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.4g

I made this one, hoping to find SOME way to convince the members of my family to eat kale. I was, of course, too blindly optimistic. Kale? No. Not kale. NEVEH! They all snubbed it ("Fiona: Maybe if you got rid of all the kale and left just the feta cheese. . ." Uh, no. That would sort of defeat the whole point.).

I am perfectly happy to take the leftovers in my lunches the next several days.

Only technical problem with this one was that the seams on the turnovers Would. Not. Seal. No matter what I tried.

Barley Risotto with Roasted Winter Vegetables

Barley makes a tasty stand-in for rice in this hearty, fiber-rich risotto. All you need to complete the meal is a salad and glass of white wine.

2 cups diced parsnip
2 cups chopped cauliflower florets
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 1/4 cups uncooked pearl barley
2/3 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine parsnip, cauliflower, bell pepper, 2 teaspoons olive oil, black pepper, and salt on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray, and toss well to coat. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring after 10 minutes.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Add 3 cups broth and barley; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and barley is al dente. Add the remaining 1 cup broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next. Stir in parsnip mixture and 1/3 cup cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup cheese, pecans, and parsley.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup risotto, about 1 tablespoon cheese, about 1 tablespoon nuts, and 1 teaspoon parsley)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 325(30% from fat); FAT 11g (sat 2.8g,mono 5.4g,poly 2.1g); PROTEIN 12.2g; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 197mg; SODIUM 566mg; FIBER 10.3g; IRON 2.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 47.3g

I WOLFED this one down. OMG, SO GOOD! Seriously, this was utterly delicious to me.

Rob: "If you replaced all the cauliflower with corn and all the parsnips with chicken, maybe it might be okay.

Fiona was "meh."

Delia, my "vegetarian" non-carnivore, refused it. Because of the, er, vegetables.

Again, I get to revel in the leftovers.

Comments

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about trying the barley risotto! What is the texture like?

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

It was a risotto, al dente. Not crunchy, soft, but not mushy. Mmmmm.

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I'll have to try that next week. (This week's menu is thoroughly planned.)

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Let me know what you think of it. I just loved it.