What's For Dinner? Autumnal Arugula-Apple Saute

On Monday night, I cooked a turkey breast roast. With some roasted Brussels Sprouts and pan gravy, it was a fine dinner.

I cubed the rest of the roast, and this week I've been using up the cubes in various ways. The turkey-black bean burrito on a whole-wheat tortilla. The turkey cubes in my antipasti salad at lunch.



Tonight's meal might be my favorite of this week's leftover turkey dishes. An Autumnal Turkey-Apple Sauté in just 15 minutes flat. Good on vitamins, pretty low in the carb department, seasonal, economical and tasty, too.

You can't beat that with a stick, as my pa used to say.



Now, you could used cooked tofu cubes or seitan cubes or pork cubes or chicken cubes or whatever protein you like, but I happened to have turkey on hand.

You could also go all crazy and peel the apple. I didn't. Why? Well, because I'm lazy and because I justify my behavior with the thought of extra fiber and nutrients in the peel. So there. It was just as tasty with the peel on.

Autumnal Arugula-Apple Sauté (Serves two... or one with leftovers)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, halved and sliced thin
1 apple, cut into 3/4" cubes
1/4 cup pecans (unsalted)
1 bunch arugula (or spinach), washed and chopped
1 cup cooked turkey cubes (1") (or whatever protein you like)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
A pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed pot or skillet until it shimmers.
2. Add the onion slices and the apple cubes. Sautée 10 minutes, or until the onions soften and begin to brown a bit. Add the pecans to the pan.
3. Add the arugula or spinach, along with the cooked turkey cubes. Keep it moving in the pan, cooking down the greens, for about 5 minutes.
4. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and serve.

You could serve this with a starchy side dish (couscous?) or a hot buttered roll or something, but I'm going low-carb this week, so no bread for me.

Still, it's a tasty dish... the apples provide sweetness, the pecans are nutty and rich and the turkey fits right in. I also have leftovers for lunch.

I'll do this one again soon, leaving out the protein cubes, and serving it as an autumnal side to a pork chop or something.

I bet this'll also be a good dish to keep on file for the days after Thanksgiving when turkey is in abundance and both ideas and energy to cook are running low.

Bon appetit!