Roasted squash, red pepper and goat cheese add a delightful punch to this salad.  An important key to the salad is not to overcook the lentils. It is equally good served warm or at room temperature and makes an excellent accompaniment to grilled or roasted chicken.  It is also delicious stuffed into roasted delicatta squash boats for a vegetarian entrée.

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Ingredients:
1 C lentils, picked over and rinsed
5 C water
3 C low sodium chicken stock
2 T garlic, peeled and halved
1 bay leaf
1 large    butternut squash, peeled and chopped
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped *see Pinon’s facebook page and website for recipe
½ C goat cheese, crumbled
½ C hazelnuts, peeled, toasted and chopped
¼ C high quality extra virgin olive oil
3 T cider vinegar
1 shallot, minced fine
1 clove    garlic, minced
1 t sugar
1 T Dijon mustard
1 bunch    parsley, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place lentils along with water, stock, garlic, and bay leaf in a large saucepan.  Bring to boil over high heat.  Adjust heat to medium, cover and simmer 15-18 minutes or until lentils are tender but still hold their shape.  Take care not to overcook or lentils will be mushy.
Drain lentils well.  Remove bay leaf and garlic.  Set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare squash.  Carefully peel and cut flesh into ¾” dice.  Place squash on parchment or foil lined baking sheet.  Add olive oil, salt and pepper.   Toss to combine.  Roast the squash in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until squash is tender and browned.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Combine vinaigrette ingredients in large salad bowl.  Add drained lentils and roasted squash.  Add red pepper, hazelnuts, and parsley.  Toss well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.
Serves 6-8

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1 BUNCH SCALLION, WHITE AND PALE GREEN PART, CHOPPED FINE
1 T GARLIC, MINCED
1 t OLIVE OIL OR OLIVE OIL PAN SPRAY
2 C FLOUR
1 T BAKING POWDER
2 t SALT
1 C GRATED CHEDDAR CHEESE (OR OTHER CHEESE OF YOUR CHOICE)
3 T FRESH PARSLEY, MINCED
2 t COARSE GROUND BLACK PEPPER
3 EGGS
3 T OLIVE OIL
½ C SKIM MILK

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with pan spray and flour.
Saute scallion and garlic in 1T olive oil until just tender.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and chopped parsley in large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add eggs and 3T olive oil. Stir ¾ C shredded Cheddar into batter and transfer to prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and almost cooked through. Top with remaining cheese and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing.

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Nothing is quite as comforting as a bowl of chicken soup. This recipe provides the comfort, but also a healthy flavor punch of wild rice, mushrooms and chicken. I use the smallest amount of bacon and half and half to increase the silkiness & hearty flavor. The addition of Greek yogurt adds a slight tartness that compliments the richness of the bacon and half and half.

Ingredients:
2 slices Thick sliced bacon
1/2# white button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 leeks, white and light green parts, well washed and sliced thin
½ C carrots, diced
½ C celery, diced
2t fresh thyme, minced (or substitute 1t dried)
¼ C flour
2 T Madeira (optional)
5C low sodium chicken broth
2C wild rice, cooked
2C cooked chicken breast, shredded
½ C half and half
¼ C Greek yogurt
¼ C fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Prepare the wild rice according to the package directions. Set aside.
Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Add sliced mushrooms and leeks to pot and sauté over medium low heat until mushrooms have released their liquid and have softened, 8-10 minutes. Add carrots and celery to pot and increase heat to medium.
Cook until vegetables have softened slightly but have not browned. (Take care not to brown vegetables or your soup will have an unpleasant color)

Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add Madeira, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add broth, cooked chicken, thyme and cooked rice. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until soup has thickened slightly and vegetables are tender.

Mix half and half, and yogurt together in a small bowl. Add to soup and stir to combine. Add reserved bacon. Simmer to heat through. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.

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Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast paillard
8 C kale
½ C feta cheese, crumbled
½ C raisins, divided
½ C  flour combined with 2t salt and 1t black pepper
3 T  olive oil or olive oil pan spray, divided
3 T garlic, minced & divided
2 C dry white wine, or you may use chicken stock
2 T honey
2 t  fresh rosemary, chopped
2 T unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 
1.) Prepare Greens Mixture. It is necessary to remove the tough stems from the kale.  Cut along each side of the stem with a paring knife and remove.  Slice the cut leaves into 1″ strips and wash them thoroughly.  Place washed leaves in a colander and drain well.
2.) In a large sauté pan, heat 1T olive oil (or use olive oil pan spray) over medium high heat.  Add 1T minced garlic and cook until fragrant.  Take care not to brown garlic or it will be bitter.  Add the greens and sauté briefly.  The kale should cook down and turn bright green but still have a little crunch.
3.) Remove from heat and cool slightly.  When cooled, add crumbled feta and ¼ C of the raisins.  Set aside
4.) Place a large piece of plastic film on your work surface.  Place chicken paillards, smooth side down, on plastic.  Cover with a second sheet of plastic film.  Using a mallet, gently pound each breast to a ¼” thick, 4×6″ rectangle.  Take care not to make holes or tears in the meat.  Trim chicken breast to make a uniform shape if needed.
5.) Working with one breast at a time, carefully spread ¼ C prepared filling on half the breast.  Leave a ¼” margin around the edges of the breast.  Sprinkle a TINY amount of the seasoned flour on the bare margin.  Fold the unfilled portion of the chicken breast over the filling and gently pound with the mallet to create a seal.  Once all breasts are prepared, cover with plastic film and refrigerate for 1 hour to set seal and minimize the possibility of leakage while cooking. **Extra cooked greens may be reheated and served as a side dish
6.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove plastic film from chicken and dust lightly with remaining seasoned flour.  Heat oil (or pan spray) in large ovenproof sauté pan over medium high heat.  Lightly brown pockets on both sides.  Remove chicken from pan and add remaining garlic to skillet.  Saute briefly.
7.) Deglaze pan with white wine (or stock), scraping browned bits from the bottom of pan.  Reduce liquid by ¼.  Stir honey into sauce and return browned chicken and all accumulated juices to the pan.  Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and raisins.  Place pan in the oven and bake 16-18 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  Transfer chicken to a serving platter.  Swirl butter into sauce and adjust salt and pepper.

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Ingredients: 
4 cloves  garlic, halved
3 each   red bell peppers, sliced into strips

1 large red onion, sliced into thin rings
4 T Grainy Dijon Mustard
5 C  white wine vinegar
2 C  water
1 C fresh orange juice
1 C sugar
2 T kosher salt
1 T coriander seeds
1 T cloves
3-4 small Thai chili peppers, halved
8 ears     corn, cleaned and cut into ½ ” rounds

Directions:
1.) Spray a large sauté pan with pan spray and sauté the garlic, peppers and onions until they are fragrant and have softened slightly but have not browned.  Set aside.
2.) In a large non-reactive pot combine all remaining ingredients except the prepared corn.  Bring to boil over high heat.  Add the corn and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the vegetables from the skillet and simmer 2 minutes more.
3.) Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.  Pack into plastic containers or jars and refrigerate.  These pickles will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 months.

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Ingredients:
1 C  white balsamic vinegar, available at most grocery stores
1 C  dry vermouth
Juice of 4 oranges
Zest of 2 oranges, cut into strips
8-10 Nectarines, ripe but still firm (or plums), washed, pitted and cut into 8 wedges
2 T  fresh rosemary

Directions: 
1.) In a large non-reactive saucepan, combine vinegar, vermouth, zest, and orange juice.  Bring to boil over high heat.
2.) Remove the pan from the heat and add the nectarines and rosemary.  Allow to cool at room temperature.  Pack into jars or plastic containers, covering with pickling liquid.  Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 days before enjoying.  These pickles will keep under refrigeration for 2 months

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Ingredients:
½ lb dry penne, orecchiette or farfalle pasta
4 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 C chopped zucchini
2 C fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
¼ C 2% milk
2T  Greek yogurt
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
½ C fresh basil, chopped
¼ C fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
1.) Boil pasta in a pot of salted water according to package directions.  When cooked, drain, reserving 1 C pasta cooking liquid.
2.) Meanwhile, cook bacon in large skillet until crisp.  Remove from pan and drain on paper toweling.  Remove all but 1 T drippings from pan.
3.) In the same pan, sauté zucchini and corn until tender.  Add garlic and shallot and sauté 2 minutes more or until garlic is fragrant but not browned.
4.) Combine 2% milk and Greek yogurt and add to sauté pan.  Add cooked pasta.  Stir in bacon, basil and parsley.
5.) Remove from heat.  Crumble goat cheese over pasta and mix gently.  Add reserved pasta water if needed to loosen sauce slightly.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4-6

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