Chicken Saltimbocca with Sauteed Mushrooms and Israeli Couscous

Nick picked this recipe out of our Giada de Laurentiis cookbook, and I ended up making it.  While preparation is detailed/tricky, this is a great meal to wow guests or really surprise a special someone.  We had leftovers, too.  Yummm.





Chicken Saltimbocca

Here's what I used:

3 chicken cutlets, pounded to evenly flatten
6 slices prosciutto
1 16 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Parmesan/Mozzarella mix
1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth (or 2 cups water & 2 cubes bullion)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
S&P

2 cups button mushrooms
1 cup uncooked israeli couscous
garlic salt

Here's what we did:

Nick pounded the chicken breasts flat with a mallet on the cutting board until they were about 1/4" thick.  Then he seasoned both sides of each cutlet lightly with S&P.  He also microwaved the frozen spinach in a bowl with a little water for 2 minutes, until thawed, and then drained off the excess water.  Then he drizzled 1 tsp of olive oil and lightly seasoned spinach with S&P.

Then he had leave to get his hair cut...

So I picked up where he left off.  Laying slices of prosciutto across each chicken breast, then a few heaping spoons of spinach, and finally a generous 1/3 of the cheese.  Once all ingredients were on the chicken breast, I rolled them together, and used my cooking rubber bands to hold the rolled chicken together.  I needed two across the width, and one across the length to hold them together.  You can also use toothpicks, but we didn't have any...and the bands are super easy.

Next I added the remaining olive oil to a large nonstick skillet and set it on a med-high flame.  Once the oil was hot, I added my chicken rolls and allowed them to lightly brown on all sides, for about 2-3 minutes total.  Then I added in the lemon juice and chicken stock, turned down to a simmer, covered, for another 8 minutes, turning once midway through.

Meanwhile, in another pot, I sauteed some button mushrooms with 1 tsp of olive oil and garlic salt, and also added the remaining spinach.  I set 1 cup of water and garlic salt to boil in a small saucepan, and cooked my israeli couscous as well.

Once the chicken was cooked through, I removed the cooking bands, and plated each chicken roll with the couscous and spinach and mushrooms.  It was delish.  Give it a try!

Yogurt Marinated Lamb Kebabs w/ Roasted Peppers and Whole Wheat Couscous

Yumm. Something grilled in the middle of winter. I feel like I'm cheating some sort of natural law by enjoying "grilled" food in January. I found this recipe in my South Beach Cookbook. Definitely easy, healthy and satisfying.

Yogurt Marinated Lamb Kebabs with Roasted Peppers and Couscous

Here's what I used:

1 lb cubed lamb loin
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
S&P
4-6 wooden skewers

2 green bell peppers, seeded, cubed 1" pieces
1 onion, cubed 1" pieces

1 cup Whole Wheat Couscous
1 1/4 cup water
pinch salt
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
(a squeeze of lemon juice)

Cuisinart Indoor grill (but you can use a ridged frying pan too)

Here's what I did:

First I prepared my marinade by combining the yogurt, garlic, and seasoning in a mixing bowl, and added my lamb. I allowed this to sit until ready to grill, but recipe recommends 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, I seeded and cubed my green peppers, and chopped the onion. I also soaked my wooden skewers in water for several minutes, so that they didn't burn on the indoor grill. Then I brushed my indoor grill with olive oil and set the dial to med-high.

Once my veggies were cut, I added them and 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl, and coated thoroughly. Then I skewered my vegetables on several skewers and set them on the grill. These took about 15-20 minutes to slightly soften, but still maintain some crunch.

When the veggies were getting close to being done, at about the 15 minute mark, I skewered my lamb and added that to the grill as well, turning once after 4 minutes - for a total of 8 minutes cook time.

While the kebabs were cooking, I added the water, olive oil and seasoning to a saucepan, and once boiling, added my couscous, and removed from heat. I fluffed with a fork after about 5 minutes and added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (maybe 1/2 tsp).

By the time the lamb was cooked, so were the veggies and the couscous. I plated the skewers overtop the couscous. At this point, we tasted the meat and added a touch more salt to taste.

Greek Couscous

So this is an original recipe that I have made several times. I love the classic caprese salad, and I love greek salad. I also love renditions of recipes where warm ingredients, like brown rice, or in this case, couscous, are added to the fresh veggies and cheeses to make a warm salad. So in deference to those recipes, I thought up a greek couscous salad that can be served warm or cold. I prefer warm because it breaks down the cheese a little bit and makes it nice and luxurious to eat. Yes, I said luxurious. About a salad.

Greek Couscous (or Whole wheat couscous with feta, basil and tomato)

Here's what I used:

2 cups uncooked whole wheat couscous
2 1/2 cups water (or as directed by couscous instructions)
1 crate (~1 1/2 cups) quartered cherry tomatoes
1 package (~4 oz) low fat feta cheese (or mozzarella!)
1 package (~10 large leaves) fresh basil
2 tsp garlic powder
S&P
4-5 tbsp good olive oil

Here's what I did:

Brought water to a boil with a little salt, and half the garlic powder. Once boiling, quickly stirred in couscous, and removed from heat. Covered, and allowed to sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepared the vegetables. Quartered all of the cherry tomatoes, and stacked and rolled all the basil leaves into a cigar-shape, and then cut width-wise to "julienne" them into thin ribbons.

Once the couscous was done, transferred to a large mixing bowl and drizzled with olive oil. Added in the tomatoes, basil and feta, and stirred to incorporate all ingredients. Added 1 tsp salt, pepper to taste and remaining garlic powder.

I served this alongside a simple grilled chicken. Sydney also loved this, so she now has some waiting for her in her lunch bag. This is a great recipe to make a large batch of, and then save some to eat throughout the week. Its healthy, quick and packs a lot of flavor for very little effort.