Not my typical Tuesday night dinner

My typical Tuesday night dinner would usually include a weight watchers meal (yuck), a veggie burger on a 1-point sandwich thin (not so bad, but repetitive), or something else boring and mediocre. Tonight however, was a different story. Not boring at all, actually. This more desirable and healthy meal was inspired by ingredients left over from Sunday dinner. These included chicken breast, arugula (left over from BLT pasta salad), and a half of lemon. When life hands you chicken, arugula, and lemons, make chicken cutlets over a bed of arugula, dressed with citrus vinaigrette, and quinoa with roasted balsamic asparagus (already had these on hand as well). Can you tell I didn't go to the gym tonight? Its amazing how much extra time it takes to go to the gym. Anyway...I invited Joe to eat dinner with me, as I always do, but he decided to stick with his typical boring Tuesday night dinner of microwaved frozen vegetable medley and cold turkey kielbasa. I told him he would be jealous, and of course he was. I did end up sharing, and I'm sure he will finish the leftovers. One thing I could KICK myself for is not paying attention to exactly how long I cooked the chicken cutlets. My chicken cooking abilities are sometimes fall below average because I am not fond of cutting into chicken and finding a pink center. This chicken however, was perfectly cooked, so moist and tender. I lightly sauteed it in extra virgin olive oil and finished it in the oven at 400 F, but only can estimate how long it cooked.  (Recipes below)

Chicken Cutlets with Arugula and Citrus Vinaigrette

and again...

Quinoa with Roasted Balsamic Asparagus

Chicken Cutlet

Makes 2 Servings

1 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded thin to about 1/4 inch 

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs with addition of salt and pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Drizzle olive oil into non-stick pan and heat over medium/high heat. Coat  chicken egg wash and let the excess drip off and then coat in seasoned bread crumbs. Place chicken into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, allow enough time for chicken to become golden brown. Transfer chicken to an oven-safe dish or keep in pan if oven safe and place in oven for about 10 minutes or until no longer pink and juices run clear. (These are all estimates, as I wasn't really paying attention to time like I should have been) Remove chicken from oven and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice chicken and serve with Arugula dressed with Citrus Vinaigrette.

Citrus Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons EVOO

1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange juice

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

salt and pepper to taste

To serve, drizzle desired amount of a bed of arugula. Place slice chicken cutlets over arugula and drizzle with more vinaigrette.

Quinoa with Roasted Balsamic Asparagus

Quinoa (you will have left overs)

3 cups water

1 1/2 cups dried quinoa

pinch of salt 

Place water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and then the quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Let cook for about 15-20 minutes or until water in completely absorbed and quinoa is tender. 

Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus

EVOO

Balsamic Vinegar

salt and pepper

Chop tough end off the asparagus. Cut asparagus into bite size pieces and place in a roasted pan. Drizzle with olive oil and a generous amount of vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and roast until desired tenderness. Toss with or serve over quinoa. 

Had I had other veggies, such as scallions and grape tomatoes (roasted grape tomatoes would be awesome), I would have added them to the quinoa. This would be delicious!