Eggplant Parmesan Casserole

My dad is a great cook.  He doesn't cook very often, but he is pretty creative when he does.  So the other day when I was down there, I needed some new recipes and he gave me a few of his favorites.  Here is one of them.  He printed this off the internet somewhere, but I'm not sure from where.

Ingredients
1 lb ziti or rigatoni pasta
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 medium eggplant *cut into 1 inch pieces
14 oz. crushed tomatoes
8 oz. diced tomatoes
1 t salt
1 c. plain dried bread crumbs
1 t. dried parsley
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 in pieces

1.  Cook pasta as directed on box.
2.  Prepare eggplant sauce: In deep 12 inch skillet, heat 1/2 T oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook until tender and golden.  Add eggplant; cover skillet and cook 10-12 mins until eggplant softens slightly, stirring frequently.  Stir in crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes with their juice and 1/4 t. salt; simmer, uncovered, 5 mins or until mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.
3.  Preheat oven to 375.  In medium bowl, with fork, mix bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, and remaining oil and salt.
4.  Drain pasta.  Return pasta to sauce pot, stir in eggplant to coat.  Add mozzarella and toss to combine.  Put in ungreased 9x13 dish and spread evenly; top with breadcrumb mixture.  Bake, uncovered, 30 mins or just top browns and sauce bubbles.  Let stand 10 mins before serving.

*Can double this recipe and freeze the extra dish.  (Freeze before baking)

Green Bean Casserole

This isn't necessarily the healthiest way to serve green beans, but it is pretty delicious.  I used canned green beans, but I will probably try fresh ones next time.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

2 T butter

2 T all-purpose flour

1 t salt

1 t sugar

1/4 c. onion (I omitted)

1 c. sour cream

3 (14.5 oz) cans French style green beans, drained

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. crumbled ritz  crakcers

1 T. butter, melted

Original recipe makes 10 servings


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans, and stir to coat.
2. Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Butternut Squash Risotto

I could have sworn I already did this recipe, but I can't find it, so here goes.  This is definitely worth keeping.  (Though I made it for my mother-in-law and she gave me some pointers on what I could do better next time.  I didn't think there was anything wrong with it to begin with...)

Butternut Squash Risotto (found here)

1 medium butternut squash peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces-let me just say this is harder than it looks. These bad boys are not easy to peel.  In the end Callen came and did it for me).

2 chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 an onion chopped (gross)

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 cup Arborio Rice (I didn't know what this was, but apparently it is a specific kind of rice especially for risotto.  Found by normal rice at the grocery store).

3 cups Chicken Broth (I made this back in Brooklyn's soy-free days so I used water from the boiled chicken.  Now that we can eat soy, it will probably have a little more flavor next time I make it)

Parmesan Cheese

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt

Fresh Basil

To start with, peel and chop your butternut squash into 1 inch cubes.  Then melt 1 Tbsp. of butter in a pan and add your squash.  Sprinkle with salt and let it cook.  Cover it with a lid so it can steam while you work on the chicken.

Cut your chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes.  Cook your chicken on the stove top with 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil and a sprinkle with garlic salt.  When it’s finished cooking, set aside.

Saute the onion in 1 Tbsp. of butter for about 5 minutes.  (Or just leave it out).  Then add the garlic and Arborio rice and saute for another 3-5 minutes until your garlic and onions are cooked and your rice is starting to turn golden.

Then add 1 cup of broth and stir constantly over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed.  Then add another 1/2 a cup.  Continue to add the broth a 1/2 a cup at a time until it is all absorbed into the rice.  It should seem creamy when it’s finished.

Once the rice is done, add the butternut squash (it should be steamed and maybe even a little golden brown) and your chicken and mix it all together.  Then top with parmesan cheese.  Add salt and pepper as needed.

4.8 stars!  Great!

Broccoli and Cheese Quinoa

I finally broke down and bought some Quinoa.  I had a heck of a time finding it at the grocery store.  Even now I can't remember where I found it.  I kinda stumbled upon it while looking for something else and even though it was pretty expensive, I have decided that this recipe alone makes it TOTALLY worth the price.  Both Callen and I were blown away by this amazing dish and if it were up to me, I'd make it every week.  Seriously, make it right now.

Broccoli and Cheese Quinoa

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked broccoli
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Bring the quinoa and broccoli to boil in the chicken broth.  Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20 mins, until the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat, add the cheese and stir.

Enjoy!  Not only delicious, but TOTALLY easy to make.  So easy, even Jess can make it.  :)  Haha, since you're my only reader, I can say stuff like that.

Coleslaw

This is per Callen's request.  He was a huge fan of the coleslaw.
http://susikochenundbacken.blogspot.com/2010/04/better-than-restaurant-coleslaw.html

Here it is, in all its glory.

Better Than Restaurant Coleslaw
(adapted from All Recipes)

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package coleslaw mix (I had a head of cabbage and some carrots that I grated with a cheese grater)
1/3 cup red onion, finely minced (omitted)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
(Because of the mayo, this is a not a soy free side dish.  I'm not sure what to do at this point to make mayo soy-free.  I just didn't give any to B).
Preparation:
In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne, milk, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, and lemon juice; whisk until smooth. Pour mixture over the coleslaw; stir well and chill for at least 1 hour. (I think I only let it chill for about 1/2 hour.  Bad preparation).

Mango Chicken Skewers

We are loving our grill.  In fact, I learned how to use it this week and make some mango chicken skewers.  It was perfect.  I had mango and green peppers in my basket this week.  It was like it was meant to be.  And can I just say, they were A.MAZE.ING.  I normally don't like cooked fruit, so I was worried about the mangoes, but they were perfect.  The whole situation was perfect.  These will definitely be a new favorite around here.  (And this is a soy-free recipe that Brooklyn could also eat!)

I found the recipe here.

Mango Chicken Skewers

Ingredients

• 6 Tbs. olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice (I think I used 2-3 limes)
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 ripe but firm mangoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Bell peppers, optional

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the spices, and lime juice. Immerse the chicken and mangoes in the mixture and marinate for 2-4 hours, covered, in the refrigerator. (I only marinated for about 1 hour cuz I didn't prepare enough ahead.  And I didn't do the mangoes cuz I didnt want them to get soggy).
2. Prepare a hot grill, line the grill with a strip of foil on one end to prevent the bottom of the skewers from burning. (I didn't do this either, I just loaded the sticks almost clear to the end with food).
3. Take the skewers and alternately place pieces of chicken, mango and peppers. (Brooklyn loved doing this part).
4. Arrange the skewers evenly on the grill. Turn them once while cooking and cook until cooked through and nicely charred. 6-10 minutes. Remove from grill and serve immediately.

5 stars.  Easily.

Spaghetti Sauce

A soy free spaghetti sauce!  And it's so good!  Recipe from here.

Slow cooker spaghetti sauce

1 lb ground beef (I used turkey)

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional-I didn't use)

2 tablespoons butter

Brown ground turkey in skillet over medium high heat until meat is cooked through. Drain excess fat off of beef and discard. Combine cooked ground beef and remaining ingredients (EXCLUDING the butter) together in crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Just before serving, remove bay leaves and stir in the butter.  Serve over pasta. Yield: 6-8 servings

Delicious!  5 stars.  And we used it tonight, almost 5 nights after I made it, and the flavors have marinated so well together, it's almost better now than it was super fresh!

Cooked Carrots

Both Callen and I LOVED these.  And Brooklyn ate one or two, so that is also a success in my book.  Worth making again.

1 pound carrots (I used some purple, yellow, and orange ones from my bountiful basket).
Boil the carrots until fork soft.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt 1/4 c. butter (the original recipe called for margarine, but that has soy and we are a soyfree family) and 1/3 c. brown sugar.

Once the carrots are soft, drain and toss in the butter/brown sugar.

And enjoy!

5 stars.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Bell Peppers

Once again, getting creative with my vegetables.  Tonight's dinner involved bell peppers.  And I was a little anxious since I normally do not enjoy sliced deli meat.  This one turned out excellently, and only had like 100 calories per pepper!  That's a keeper.

This recipe comes from Quick n' Easy Recipes.  (Which currently has an ad of an EXTREMELY unattractive man on it.  haha).  And quick n' easy it was!  And the site has some awesome photos of the food (I swear I will take some pictures soon, at least of the finished project.  I really love seeing the pictures because it helps me to see if I am doing it right or not.  Since more often than not, I am doing it wrong).

So here's the deal.

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. Thinly Sliced Roast Beef

8 Slices Provolone Cheese

2 Large Green Bell Peppers

1 Medium Sweet Onion (obviously, I would never use)

6 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms

2 Tbs. Butter

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 Tbs. Garlic – Minced

Salt and Pepper – to taste

DIRECTIONS

Slice mushrooms.  
Saute over medium heat with butter, olive oil, minced garlic and a little salt and pepper.  Saute until onions and mushroom are nice and caramelized.  About 25-30 minutes.  (I didn't do nearly this long, maybe 15-20 mins and they looked like they were getting burned.)

Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove ribs and seeds.

Preheat oven to 400*

Slice roast beef into thin strips and add to the onion/mushroom mixture.  Allow to cook 5-10 minutes

Line the inside of each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese. 

Fill each pepper with meat mixture until they are nearly overflowing.

Top each pepper with another slice of provolone cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown. 

Done and done.  4.5 stars.  Sometimes I think I like the taste of roasted peppers better.  Maybe next time I'll fire roast them first.

Mushroom Caps

I am honestly trying to expand my horizons in terms of vegetables that I enjoy.  And I can officially say that mushrooms can be added to that list.  I had these first at my December Book Club Christmas dinner.  I was reluctant to try them, but the host had slaved over all day to make us an amazing dinner, so I figured I should AT LEAST try them.  And they were amazing.  I've made them twice since then.  And they are SUPER easy.

This is a Rachael Ray recipe.  Normally I read something by her and it has some RIDICULOUS ingredients, so I normally just skip on by.  But this one looked totally doable.  Check this out.

Chicken stuffing mix
Mushrooms
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese

Make chicken stuffing according to the box.
Remove the stems from the mushrooms.  I googled this and found a super easy youtube video explaining how to do it.  (I also learned that you should not wash mushrooms under water because it absorbs the water.  So you should use a brush and just brush them clean).
Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet.
Stuff the mushrooms with as much stuffing as you can possibly fit.  Seriously, the more the better.
Drizzle the oil over all of them.
Sprinkle the cheese on top.
Bake at 375 for 20 mins.
And enjoy.
4.8 stars.  (Sometimes the mushiness of mushrooms grosses me out.  But the overall taste totally overpowers that mushiness.)

Loaded Potato Rounds

I have a TON of potatoes.  Like maybe 15 potatoes.  For 2 3/4 people (2 adults, a 3 year old and a 6 mo. old), that's a lot of potatoes.  So I've been experimenting with all sorts of potato recipes.  This one is a keeper.  Callen called them nachos.  All the cheese made them stick together after they cooked and he went to get some and apparently the rule is, if they are stuck together, you have to eat them all.  So he got quite a large serving.  (Obviously, I use a lot of cheese).

Anyhow, these are easy enough.  Slice the potatoes into 1/4 in thick rounds, and put them in boiling water for about 3 mins, so they are a little tender.  Take them out and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Sprinkle some already cooked bacon on top of them, then load on the cheddar!  Cook at 375 for about 10-12 minutes.  And obviously, serve them with ranch.  Or sour cream.  But preferably ranch.

4.5 stars

Eggplant Rollatini

I am still obsessed with vegetables.  This week I decided to try an eggplant.  It was delicious!  Although the sun-dried tomatoes were a bit much for me, the rest was perfect.

I found the recipe on Pinterest.  Anyone surprised?

Overall I'd give it a 3.5 stars.  Maybe if I had used smaller tomatoes, it would have been better.

Pesto Eggplant Rollatine

Total Time: about 1 hour

ingredients:

3 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium-sized eggplants (about 3 pounds), peeled, and sliced lengthwise into 3/8-inch thick strips
salt and black pepper
2 cups marinara sauce
2/3 cup prepared basil pesto
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
2/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two rimmed baking sheets.

Combine the oil and garlic in a small bowl. Brush the oil on both sides of the eggplant slices and arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheets. Season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper.

Place the baking sheets side by side in the oven (if possible). Roast for 20-25 minutes, until well browned and very tender, turning once halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees F.
(If your baking sheets don't fit side by side, place one on the middle rack and one on the bottom rack and rotate them a couple of times during roasting.)

Spread about 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread each eggplant slice with a spoonful of pesto and top with a pinch of each kind of cheese, a few spinach leaves and a couple of sun-dried tomatoes. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over the rolls and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and the rolls are heated through. Serve hot.

Makes about 4-5 servings.

Nat's Notes:
1. My eggplants were on the small side, so I got all my rolls into a 2 quart (7x11) baking dish.

adapted from The Roasted Vegetable by Andrea Chesman

Zucchini Bread

This recipe was given to me by Katie Lundquist.  And I seriously can't get enough of it.  She made it for me right after I had Sydney.  And I've been craving it ever since.  I finally decided to make it with the zucchini I got from the farmer's market last week.  And since I don't have MY kitchen, I had to improvise.  I don't have a bread pan, so I used a baking dish.  I don't have an oven, so I used a toaster oven.  I don't have cooking spray, so I spread oil with a paper towel.  I don't have cinnamon, so I just didn't use it.  And it turned out AMAZING.  I cut it into squares instead of slices and it pretty much is just like zucchini cake!  It is that good!

Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour

1 Tb. cinnamon

1 ts. salt

1 ts. baking soda

1/4 ts. baking powder

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 Tb. vanilla

2 cups peeled and grated zucchini

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder together.  Set aside.  Beat eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla.  Slowly mix in dry ingredients.  Blend in grated zucchini and nuts.  Pour into 2 greased and lightly floured 8 x 4 loaf tins.  Bake at 325 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes.

And as you can tell from the picture, they are going fast!  Definitely 5.0 stars!  In fact, 5.5 stars (out of 5!)

Roasted Vegetables

I make a lot of vegetables these days.  Even though South Carolina does not offer Bountiful Baskets, I still make it a point to get fresh vegetables in every dinner.  One of my favorite ways to make greens is so simple...

Coat in olive oil.
Sprinkle on lemon juice.
Sprinkle on parmesan cheese.

Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

My favorite vegetable to do this with is asparagus.  I make this about once a week.  I've also done green beans and broccoli.  Word on the street is that you can also do this with zucchini, squash, probably just about any vegetable.  Delicious!

The asparagus would definitely get a 5.0 stars.  Green beans a 4.0, broccoli a 4.5.  Excited to try some other vegetables!

Turkey Stuffed Anaheim Peppers

Yes, peppers again.  I got 12 Anaheim chile peppers in my basket this week.  Had to do something with them.  And I had to make dinner for a new mom.  (In retrospect, this was not a great choice.  I wasn't aware of how spicy these peppers are.  And spice doesn't always go well with newborns.  Oops).  I found several recipes on Pinterest for these kinds of peppers and finally settled on this one.

Mine definitely did not turn out as pretty as the ones in the recipe, but were mighty tasty, albeit spicy.  I suffered through about half of one of the peppers and then wimped out and ate only the inside of the other half.  I can't take spice to save my life.

Ingredients:

1/3

cup boiling water

2

tablespoons uncooked bulgur (What the heck is this?  I looked it up, tried to find it at the store, gave up after 2 minutes, used brown rice instead).

1/3

cup frozen (thawed) whole kernel corn

1/3

cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

1/2

teaspoon chopped fresh jalapeño pepper (Didn't have this and frankly, didn't want to buy it.  And let's be honest, I was afraid of the spice).

1

teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon marjoram leaves (I used non-fresh).

1/4

teaspoon garlic powder

2

cans (4 ounces each) roasted whole chile peppers or 4 fresh Anaheim chilies, roasted and peeled*  (Roasted and peeled my own.  That took awhile...  Found the directions online somewhere.  Frankly, washed them, then broiled them for about 10 minutes, flipping them every 2-3 minutes.  The skins turned a brownish-black cover and I continued until about 60% of the pepper was scorched.  Then I put them immediately into a gallon sized baggie and let them sweat.  The directions said to leave them for about 10-15 minutes.  I left them about 2 hours because it was my nap time.  Don't judge me, I just had a baby.  When I woke up, I easily peeled the skins off.  They were ready!)

1/4

cup reduced-sodium salsa

1/4

cup plain fat-free yogurt (I didn't use this, it seemed too weird).

• 1Heat oven to 350°. Spray square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches, with cooking spray.
• 2Cook rice. Stir in corn, 1/4 cup of the cheese, the jalapeño pepper, marjoram and garlic powder.
• 
  
• 3Slice chilies along one side; remove ribs and seeds. Drain well. Stuff about 1/4 cup filling into each chile. (I overfilled my chiles and couldn't flip them upside down without a disaster.  I left them facing up and used a toothpick to hold the chiles together.)  Place seam side down in baking dish. Top with salsa and remaining cheese.
• 4Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes or until hot. (Just before serving, spoon yogurt over chilies, if using).

Overall, rating 3.5 stars.  Too spicy for me, the inside was delicious!