Chicken Bundles, Turkey Tetrazini

Dinners This Week:
I have been in a cooking mood this week:

Monday: Asian Chicken Soup with soba noodles, sno peas, broccoli, and napa cabbage. It was ok, I'd probably find a good tom ka gai recipe and make it instead, with extra veggies.

Tuesday: Chicken bundles stuffed with feta, olive tapenade, and roasted red peppers. I served them with whole wheat pasta tossed with olive oil, fresh parmesan, garlic, and ricotta cheese with coarse ground salt and pepper. Awesome! The chicken bundles were prepared ahead and frozen, making them incredibly easy.
Ingredients
Serving: Serves 8
8 Ounces feta cheese, crumbled (2 Cups)
1/2 Cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed, patted dry, and coarsely chopped
1/2 Cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped (I used an olive tapenade I had in the fridge)
3 large scallions, thinly sliced (1 Cup)
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
16 (about 4 pounds total) chicken cutlets
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 Cups tomato sauce, (optional)
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine feta, peppers, olives, scallions, and oregano. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Place cutlets on a flat surface, smooth side down. Spoon 2 tablespoons of feta mixture in center of each cutlet; fold up short sides over cheese, then long sides, making a packet. On baking sheet, arrange stuffed cutlets, seam side down (they should not touch); freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Wrap each in plastic; place in a resealable freezer bag; label, and date. Freeze up to 2 months.
To bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees;. Line two large baking sheets with parchment. Unwrap frozen cutlets, and arrange, seam side down, on baking sheets; season with salt and pepper. Bake until chicken is opaque throughout, about 30 minutes. Serve 2 cutlets per person, topped, if desired, with tomato sauce. To bake without freezing: Decrease baking time by about 10 minutes.

Wednesday: Wild Turkey Tetrazini with wild harvested mushrooms, whole wheat noodles, and organic peas. This was EXCELLENT, definately not low fat, but a great treat-- very French. The recipe made 2 dishes worth-- one for today, one for the freezer. Here's the recipe:

Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 Tablespoons butter
1 Pound white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced inch thick (I used 1/2 # white, 1/2 # wild mushrooms, harvested from the local woods)
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
3 Cups milk
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 Cup dry white wine
3 Cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 Teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 Pound linguine, broken in half
1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups) (I used leftover turkey from Jake's hunt last fall)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed and drained
Directions
Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (for pasta). In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over high heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
Make sauce: In same saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and add 2 cups Parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions for al dente; drain and return to pot. Add sauce, chicken, peas, and mushrooms. Toss well to combine. Divide between two shallow 2-quart baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Freeze (see below) or bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Thursday: slacker night. I could hardly drag my butt out of the doldrums to make a meal (and I wasn't terribly hungry after scarfing down a 1/2 dozen chocolates). I made canned split pea soup with homemade whole wheat croutons (seasoned with olive oil, thyme, and freshly cracked pepper) Overall, not a bad meal.

Friday: Eggplant Bolognese with zucchini and whole wheat garlic bread, and a salad. I think I may be over doing the pasta dishes this week, but we'll all survive. Maybe I'll make a lovely tiramisu for dessert...