Eggplant

I am not a fan of eggplant however my mom really likes it so I like to use it in recipes from time to time.  I had some left over eggplant and made both of these recipes that use it.  The first one is a side dish of eggplant and tomatoes.

Roasted Eggplant and TomatoesServe with a green salad and crusty rolls.

Servings: 6

• 1 - 1 3/4 pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large plum tomatoes, cored, quartered lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place eggplant and tomatoes on rimmed baking sheet; toss with oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons oregano, salt, and pepper. Roast until eggplant is tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Transfer eggplant and tomatoes to platter. Sprinkle with feta and 2 teaspoons oregano and serve.

 

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place eggplant and tomatoes on rimmed baking sheet; toss with oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons oregano, salt, and pepper. Roast until eggplant is tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Transfer eggplant and tomatoes to platter. Sprinkle with feta and 2 teaspoons oregano and serve.

Charred Ratatouille & Grilled Chicken

Servings: 6

• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

• 1 medium Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise

• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

• 1 red onion, peeled, cut into wedges

• 2 medium tomatoes, halved crosswise

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)

• 1/3 cup basil (chiffonade)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar *

Prepare grill (medium-high heat). Place vegetables in large bowl and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Grill vegetables until tender and slightly charred, about 4 minutes for peppers and 7 minutes for remaining vegetables. Transfer to cutting board. Place chicken breasts in same large bowl. Turn to coat with any remaining oil in bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Grill chicken, covered, until cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Let stand 5 minutes.

Coarsely chop vegetables and transfer to another large bowl. Add basil and vinegar and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Slice chicken into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve with ratatouille.

COOKS NOTE: For you traditionalists, go ahead and use the balsamic vinegar.

 

~Bry

Lasagna Roll-ups

Spinach and Cheese Roll-ups
Speed up this recipe by using purchased marinara sauce. Servings: 4

• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 - 14.5 ounce can diced canned tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Dash of salt
• Dash of black pepper
• 8 dried lasagna noodles
• 1 - 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 3/4 cup fat-free or reduced fat ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil
• 1 slightly beaten egg white
In a medium saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot oil until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Carefully stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until sauce is desired consistency, stirring occasionally.
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well.
For filling, drain thawed spinach well, pressing out excess liquid. In a medium bowl stir together ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and bail. Add spinach and egg white, stirring to combine.
To assemble, evenly spread about 1/4 cup filling on each noodle Roll up from one end. Place two rolls, seam side down into each of four individual casseroles. Top each serving with sauce.
Bake casseroles, covered, in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes or until heated through.

I love this dish, I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and I skip the first half of the recipe and use canned tomato sauce instead of making it.

Bry

My Favorite Bean Dip

There are a lot of bean dips and a lot of different ways to make them.  My favorite I stole many ideas and recipes from many friends and mixed them together to make my favorite.

I love the Tostadas Bean and Cheese premade dip.  I mix it with a can of re fried beans otherwise the flavor is highly over whelming (and if you don't like spicy it calms the spicy flavor down).  I spread the bean mixture in the bottom of a glass casserole dish.  Then I mix a package of cream cheese with taco seasoning and spread that over the beans, (make sure the cream cheese is soft so it spreads nicely).  Then I put a layer of salsa, enough to cover the dish and add flavor but if you add to much it is to runny and overpowering.  I then add shredded cheese.  If you like tomatoes, olives, guacamole, etc etc feel free to add them.  I then bake the dish for about 30 minutes, or until melted and hot, at around 350.

~Bry

Red Pepper Frittata

Ingerdients:

• 1/2 cup water
•  1/3 cup uncooked couscous
•  1 tbsp water
•  3/4 tsp salt
•  1/4 tsp black pepper
•  4 large egg whites
•  3 large eggs
•  2 cups red bell pepper strips
•  1 cup of thinly sliced onions
•  2 garlic gloves minced
•  1/3 cup shredded cheese

Directions

•  Preheat oven to 350°
• Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil in a small sauce-pan; gradually stir in couscous.  Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork
• Combine 1 tbsp of water, salt, black pepper and eggs in a bowl; stir with whisk
• heat a 10 inch oven proof nonstick skillet  over medium-high heat; spay.  Add bell pepper, onion and garlic; saute for 5 minutes.  Stir in couscous and eggs; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until almost set.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until set.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

We didn't have an oven proof skillet so I cooked it in a regular skillet and transferred the egg mixture into a pie pan and then baked it in the oven.  This recipe serves 4 people.  Each slice contains 200 calories and 15 grams of protein!   This dish would also take good with broccoli or other veggies or meats that you like. 

~Bry

Green Beans, Zucchini, Pasta and Chicken! Oh My!

Tonight I have 3 recipes I am going to post.  I love when the vegetables in peoples gardens turn ripe!  We had fresh green beans and zucchini tonight, both home grown! YUM!  The first recipe I made with fresh zucchini.

 Baked Zucchini Spears
 3 medium zucchini sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks
1 large egg white
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoon grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt, Fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425°.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve a prepared pizza sauce for dipping. (We ate them plain)

The second side dish I got to use fresh green beans from a family friends garden.  I found a lightly flavored garlic recipe with almonds in it. 
Garlic Green Beans with Almonds
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and microwaved for 4 minutes
2 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 - 1/4 cup water or chicken broth
Coarse sea salt, to taste
Pepper (to taste)
In a large pan over medium high heat, heat oil adding almonds and toss till for 1 minute add garlic to lightly brown add beans and water or broth cover for 5 minutes on low heat.
Season with salt and pepper.

I also found a garlic, lemon angel hair pasta dish.  I really enjoyed this dish and am deffinately adding it to my favorites.  It has a nice blend of lemon and garlic flavors. Lemon Garlic Angel Hair Pasta
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
As water is coming to a boil, place olive oil and garlic in a non stick sauté pan and cook over medium heat just until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and pour in wine. Return to heat and cook on high heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until reduced by half. Stir in lemon juice and tomato and remove from heat.
Place pasta in the boiling water and cook to desired doneness, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Angel hair doesn't take long. Drain the pasta and put it into a warm serving bowl. Add the wine, garlic and tomato. Add the basil, Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Toss and serve immediately.

For the meat eaters in my family I cooked up some chicken.  To add a bit of flavor i poured some lemon juice on it before cooking it and then some in the pan while it cooked.   

 

I also heated up a loaf of warm sourdough to eat with the meal :)

~Bry

Eggs :)

Eggs are not only delicious but also good for your health.  Being a vegetarian can make finding proteins a bit more difficult, so eggs are a great way to get some.  On average eggs have about 6 grams of protein.  Although a large egg contains around 212 milligrams of cholesterol, studies show it does not effect a majority of people negatively (if worried about the cholesterol count in eggs try egg whites or mixing whites with an egg).  Eggs have many known health benefits, including, eye sight health, breast health (studies show women who eat at least 6 eggs a week lowered their risk of getting breast cancer by 44%).  Eggs also promote healthy hair and nail growth, and contains vitamin d (something a majority if oregonians don't get enough of).

There are so many ways to fix eggs.  From milk to water, sour cream to pancake batter, people have their own way if adding fluff and creamy richness to their eggs.  I personally love a nice dollop of sour cream im me eggs.  There are also so many ingredients you can put in eggs to add flavor.   A personal couple favorites of mine include, feta cheese with fresh basil (if desired add roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, and/or onions).  I also enjoy eggs with sour cream and green onions.  I recently was introduced to adding black beans to eggs, which turned out to taste pretty yummy.  The picture included is an egg taco I made for my mom the other day, which included: sour cream, green onions, green peppers, onion, tomatoes, salsa, black beans and taco meat.
~Bry