Pound It Out

I’ve been promising to make something “meaty” for weeks and I have not kept my promise. So, please accept my apologies. I even told a New Braunfels customer (hello, Kathy!) well more than a month ago that we would post our recipe for breaded cutlets. And I haven’t kept my word on that either.

For all of you people I ignore (or lose) when I write about something healthy or another (gasp) vegetarian dish, today is your day. If you’re a protein lover, eating Paleo or just someone who needs a quick and easy meal to put together when you come home from work and are (almost) too tired to cook, perhaps you’ll give this a try rather than order take-out, drive through a drive-thru or even opt for home delivery.

This is a super simple way to have a healthy meal at home and one that will especially please the meat lovers in the family. In fact, this is David’s go-to-dinner when all I want is a salad or a plate of roasted veggies.

You’ll need a strong arm, a meat pounding mallet a a sincere desire to relieve your frustrations. This is actually the fun part.

You’ll also need boneless, skinless chicken breast, boneless pork chop or even thin pieces of sirloin or round steak, some fresh greens—I think arugula is best for this dish—and a chunk of Parmesan cheese for grating. In less than 20 minutes, dinner is ready.

My guess is that this dish will become a frequent visitor at your dinner table, too.

Buen provecho!

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Breaded Cutlet with Arugula

I am betting this breaded cutlet (chicken, pork or beef) will be your new favorite "go-to-dinner" as well. It's simple to make, healthy, quick and delicious. The versatility of this dish is incredible. You could dress it up and serve it with a side of mashed potatoes and a vegetable of choice. And even top it with a mushroom gravy.

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Author The Cowgirl Gourmet's husband

Ingredients

• 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast, pork chop or cutlet
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour brown rice flour or Panko bread crumbs
• Extra virgin olive oil butter or Earth Balance
• 1 bunch of fresh arugula or spring mix this would serve 2-3 people
• 2 lemons for cooking and plating
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Lay a single piece of meat on a large sheet of plastic wrap and then place another piece of plastic wrap on top. Be sure to provide ample surface area because the meat will spread when pounded.
2. Using a mallet, pound the meat. You can take out your frustrations during this process, though do not beat the meat too hard or else you might break the counter. Carefully pound the meat into a thin piece. Set aside and continue pounding each piece of meat until you are done.
   

3. Place the 1/2 cup flour or Panko breadcrumbs on a plate (we use a paper plate) and add a little salt and pepper. Stir to mix thoroughly. Dredge each piece of meat on both sides in the flour/breadcrumb mixture and set aside.

4. In a medium to large skillet, heat over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, butter and/or Earth Balance and once it's hot, add a prepared cutlet to the skillet. If the skillet will allow, add another cutlet but do not overcrowd the pan or else you will steam the meat rather than fry it.

   
5. When the meat is browned, flip it. This should take 2-3 minutes because the meat is so thin. Now squirt a little lemon juice over the meat and add a little more oil, butter or Smart Balance.
6. When cooked, set aside and continue cooking the other cutlets. If cooking several cutlets, you may want to place the already cooked ones on a baking sheet and put it in a 250 degree oven while you cook the rest of them.

7. When ready to plate, top each cutlet with a generous serving of arugula or spring mix. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and then squeeze some more lemon on top. Sprinkle with a little salt, freshly ground black pepper and plenty of grated Parmesan cheese.

   
8. Serve immediately.