5 Arugula Recipes - Bitter Peppery Heaven

 Arugula and other greens I used to make an arugula pesto (recipe below)

I love arugula. That peppery bitter green really is one of my favorites. I planted it way back in February in my little greenhouse. It grew like crazy. But now it is starting to bolt. It gets really hot in that greenhouse and I have been trying to think of my favorite ways to eat the stuff.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes and ideas.

Today with the arugula and other greenhouse greens I made this really tasty salad

Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Arugula Salad
This was for one but it can be made for as many as you want.

First you need some Jamaican Jerk Chicken. I made extra for dinner the night before knowing full well it was going to knock my sandals off in a salad.

Easiest Jamaican Jerk Chicken Ever
1 bottle of Jamaican Style Jerk marinade.
I used this stuff -- loved it.

Chicken tender pieces. I did about 15 and used about 3/4 of the bottle.

Put chicken tenders in a bag with enough marinade to cover.
Marinate for at least an hour.
Remove from bag and grill on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes per side.
Brush with extra marinade from the bottle as you grill. Remove from grill when juices run clear and the tenders are no longer pink.

Salad
1/2 cup arugula
1/2 cup green lettuce (not iceberg)
1/2 cup other green like spinach or baby
2 Jamaican Jerk Chicken Tenders (see recipe above)
1/4 cup cooked peas.
1 oz of Swiss cheese
Raspberry vinaigrette

Toss it and eat it.

One of my absolutely favorite breakfasts right now comes from this tasty foodblogger. I change it up some times by leaving out the bread. I like to pretend it is healthier for me this way.

Avocado, Fried Egg, Arugula, Sandwich
My favorite part of this may just be the Cholula on the top. Love that stuff.
Here is the original recipe from
JOYLICIOUS

Here is how I eat it for breakfasts and lunches with double layers of arugula.

I am kind of a pesto freak. I want to try every flavor of pesto out there. So of course I made some arugula pesto. It was amazing in place of chive pesto in my Chicken Thighs Stuffed With Pesto and Prosciutto

Arugula Pesto

 
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 C walnuts ( or roasted almonds)
1 Cup packed flat leaf parsley and spinach
2 Cups packed Arugula
1/3 C olive oil, plus 1 T
1/8 C fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 Cup shredded Parmesan cheese
cracked pepper

Add garlic, walnuts, parsley and spinach and arugula to a food processor. Process until fully chopped. Add lemon juice and olive oil and process until a paste forms. Pulse a few times with Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.

You can freeze this in icecube trays for later use if you are not using it right away.

A few more ideas I am dying to try.
Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza -- I have had this at a local restaurant and I so want to make homemade version.

Caprese Grilled Cheese With Arugula Pesto -- She has a different version of arugula pesto here and the sandwich looks so amazing. Go check it out.

What is your favorite arugula recipe?

Eggplant Caponata Sandwiches

Recipe Trial:

I have never made a caponata. So this recipe has been on my radar for a while. I have to say I am kind of in love with it. I am a big eggplant fan (and would dedicate space in my garden to this plump purple veggie if my husband and I were not the only ones eating it) and in this recipe it is just perfect. I love the way eggplant soaks up flavors and makes them better.

This recipe was even tastier the next day. Don't you just wish all leftovers were like that? I spooned it onto some hearty Italian bread, sprinkled it with some feta cheese and warmed it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. A perfect open faced sandwich. I almost retrieved the rest of the eggplant from the refrigerator so I could saute up some more caponata for the next day.

I altered this recipe a little from a recipe I found in Food and Wine. 
They added fresh avocado to theirs and I opted out (OK I didn't have any left. I have been eating avocados all week.) But I did add the feta which added that sharp tang and the Italian bread which soaked up all the tastiness. Mmm it was lip smacking.


Did I say I was in love with this recipe?

Recipe 

1. 1 to 2 tablespoons brined capers, drained
2. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3. One 1-pound eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch dice
4. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
5. 1 celery rib, finely chopped
6. 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
7. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8. 2 teaspoons sugar
9. 1 teaspoon pine nut
10. Salt and freshly ground pepper 
11. 1/4 Cup of feta cheese
12. Italian Bread 

1. In a small bowl, cover the capers with water and let soak for 15 minutes; drain. Add peeled and cubed eggplant to a colander sprinkle with salt and let sit in a sink or over a bowl for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes rinse and drain eggplant.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the eggplant and cook over moderately high heat until the bottom browns, 5 minutes. Stir and cook until browned all over, 10 minutes longer. Transfer the eggplant to a bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the onion and celery to the skillet. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the tomato, cover and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. In a saucepan, simmer the vinegar and sugar to dissolve the sugar. Add the pine nuts and capers and cook for 1 minute.
5. Return the eggplant to the skillet. Stir in the vinegar mixture and cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Pile caponata on bread and add a few crumbles of feta to each open faced sandwich. Warm in microwave for 15 seconds if caponata has already cooled.

Grilled Sourdough Pizza Melt

Let's talk pepperoni. Pepperoni is versatile and practical. It can be stored for at least 4 months on the shelf (if you buy the shelf pepperoni), in the refrigerator or longer in the freezer. It is relatively inexpensive and it is well-loved on pizzas everywhere. It is therefore a fun addition to your food storage.

So, in case you are wondering what a pizza melt has in common with the theme of this blog it is that I always keep pepperoni on hand. And when you are eating out of your food storage or pantry it offers a comforting change of pace. You can add it to so many things. Although we are going to discuss canning meat in the next couple months ( I got a new and huge pressure canner) today I am urging you to add a little simplicity and variety to your store of meat. After all, we don't always want to eat tuna fish and canned chicken.

This Pizza Melt is a different way to grill up some pizza heaven. If you are a bread baker you can always whip up some of your own sourdough bread. I cheated and bought the daily discount bread from the bakery. $1.45 for a loaf of heavy bakery bread is a steal and I would be lying if I told you I always bake my own bread.

The Pizza Melt

butter or margarine
a pack of pepperoni slices.
shredded cheese ( stock up on shredded cheese when it is on sale and throw it in the freezer.)
1/2 cup of pizza sauce.
sourdough bread slices
olives -- optional

Heat a grill on the stove to medium. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Coat one slice with pizza sauce, layer with cheese, pepperoni and olives. Top with remaining slice of bread and grill until golden. Turn and repeat.

Easy!

Salsa Tuna Sandwich --Open Faced

Featured Pantry/Food Storage: Salsa, Tuna Fish

This recipe was so simple to make I am almost embarrassed to post it. But, I know there are others like me with whole cases of tuna fish in their pantries. And frankly, I get tired of the same old tuna sandwich. Plus, I wanted something more low fat. If you are in the same tuna rut as me, this sandwich is just the tuna ticket and I am proud to say it is 80 percent pantry/food storage friendly. Don't you dare check my math. I married an accountant so I didn't have to do math all the time.

Here's an idea for your next tuna sandwich.

1 can of tuna fish (not oil packed)

1/4 cup of salsa

1 slice whole grain bread (even better if it is homemade)

3 leaves of spinach

mozzarella slices

Combine salsa and tuna fish. Layer bread with spinach, tuna mixture and mozzarella.

Easy, flavorful, pantry friendly and yummy.