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?

Chard Pesto

This recipe is just one more reason to love Swiss chard. Pesto is an obsession with me. One of my favorite pestos for sandwiches is spinach pesto so it didn't take me long to wonder how a Swiss chard pesto would turn out. Of course it is yummy. I know that all you chard growers out there have copious amounts of chard. I know you are thinking how can I use up this overflowing bounty. Pesto my fellow chard growers, PESTO!
And pesto can be frozen in tablespoon portions in an ice cube tray and then placed in a freezer bag for use all year.

First I need to give chard its moment in the sun. If you do not grow this stuff you should. It has a longer growing season than spinach, and is slower to bolt. It can withstand the warm weather. It is bursting with nutrients and it is as versatile as spinach in recipes. In some cases, more so. It is not as tender as spinach but it holds up better to steaming and can be stuffed beautifully. OK enough already, you get the point I love chard. Just don't overdo it in you garden because it will overwhelm you.

This pesto has a lemony tang that I just love smeared onto a piece of heavy bread. Top it with tomatoes and you have the perfect summer sandwich.

Pesto Chard
2 Cups lightly packed chard, torn and ribs removed
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
2 tsp fresh lemon zest.
2 Tb fresh lemon juice or 1/2 lemon
1/4 to 1/3 Cup olive oil
1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/3 Cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese

Process chard, walnuts, lemon zest and lemon juice until paste starts to form. Gradually add oil and blend until creamy.

Stir in parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.

Freeze in ice cube trays for individual portions or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Oregano Pesto

I love pesto in all its flavors. I recently inherited someones extra fresh oregano and I knew I was making pesto. Oregano pesto has a slightly milder taste than straight basil pestos and will make a delightful addition to a taco soup, spaghetti sauce or lonely piece of bread. I slathered some on my baked chicken drumsticks. I made a double batch so I could freeze some. I love having ice cube portions of pesto readily available throughout the rest of the year.
I am having issues with the fact that I did not have access to a food processor and had to use my blender, therefore this batch was a little chunkier than normal, but still delicious.

Recipe
Makes approximately 5 TB
1/2 Cup fresh oregano
1/2 Cup fresh basil
2 Tb parsley
1/4 Cup pistachios
2-4 cloves of garlic
3 tsp fresh lemon juice
3-4 Tb of olive oil
1/4 Cup of grated parmesan or asiago cheese
salt to taste

Rinse herbs and pat dry. Allow to dry off on paper towel. Place 1st five ingredients in food processor and mix until well blended. Slowly add lemon juice and olive oil until paste forms to your desired consistency. Add more olive oil if you prefer a more liquid pesto. Stir in cheese and season with salt.

Place in ice cube trays to freeze into tablespoon size servings. Defrost to use as a spread or add frozen to sauces or soups.

Chicken Pesto Alfredo Fettucine

Every year I serve up this dish for a St. Paddy's day luncheon. But, St. Patrick's day has come and gone and the more I thought about this favorite pasta dish I realized that I almost always have these ingredients on hand and it is therefore an ideal recipe for food storage and pantry eats. I love pesto. I store it in at least three different versions in my home at all times. I make my own every summer from homegrown basil and then I freeze it for the long winter months ahead. I will share my pesto recipe with you this summer when the basil is prolific. I also always keep a jar of pesto in my pantry or refrigerator and then I always have the powdered pesto sauce mix on hand for this pasta creation.

The alfredo part of this dish is also from the powdered sauce mix. I have a handicap when it comes to making alfredo sauce from scratch. It always flops. But I seem to get along better with powdered alfredo sauce mix. Plus these are easy, budget friendly storage alternatives that add a little spring flavor to your pasta repertoire. I usually add chicken to this pasta but it makes a good stand alone dish as well.

1 Pkg powdered creamy alfredo mix
1 Pkg Pesto sauce mix (I like McCormick and Knorr)or 2 TBS fresh pesto
water depends on pkg directions
oil depends on pkg directions
milk depends on pkg directions
1 1/2 C. cooked Chicken, cubed (optional)
1 pkg fettucine

Prepare pesto sauce first and then prepare alfredo mix. Add pesto to alfredo during the last minute of cooking. Toss with chicken and pasta.
So simple and so delicious.