"Egg-cellent" Eggplant Parmesan

This is a wonderful, easy, healthy, and CHEAP meal. No meat instantly saves you anywhere from 5-10 bucks! I originally pulled this recipe off of www.eatingwell.com. If you are afraid of eggplant, try this dish. You'll love it, and won't even know you're eating eggplant! The flavor is very dominated by the italian seasonings and sauce!

Ingredients:

2 medium sized eggplants

3 egg whites plus 3 T water mixed together until frothy

1 cup bread crumbs (I used whole wheat, but you don't have to!)

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup slivered basil leaves
2.5 cups tomato sauce
(I used a Classico Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce that was on clearance for $1.50)
3/4 cups shredded part skim mozzarella (NOT FAT FREE- that stuff won't melt!)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and coat 2 baking sheets, and one baking dish with cooking spray
2. Chop the ends off of your eggplant and then slice into 1/4 inch thick peices
3. Have your station set up:

- Small bowl with egg-wash mixture (3 egg whites and 3 T water)
- Medium bowl or plate with bread crumb mixture (1 cup bread crumbs, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, salt and pepper)
- Baking Sheets Nearby (I needed 2) to avoid making a mess

Dip each slice in the egg-wash. Then lightly coat in bread mixture. Place onto baking sheet. Repeat until all slices are ready to go!

Here is what they look like before going into the oven

 

You'll want to bake them for 15 minutes, then remove and flip each slice, then bake 15 more minutes.

Meanwhile, add your fresh basil to your sauce (you could use dried basil, or just omit it altogether, but I don't recommend it!)

 

Next, while they are baking, and don't forget to flip them, coat the bottom of your baking dish/pan/casserole dish with 1/2 cup of the sauce.

When eggplant are ready, place half of the slices on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 1 cup of the sauce. Then 1/2 of the mozzarella. Layer the remaining eggplant, top with remaining sauce, and top with the remaining mozzarella and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

Pop it all back in the oven to bake for another 15-20 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly.

Plate up, serve, and enjoy :)

This would go well with pasta and or a salad and maybe even some fresh bread. We just had leftover salad from Valentine's dinner. I think I'll make pasta when we have the leftovers!

Nick said it was a keeper. And please understand: it is rare that Nick says that about a meatless meal. He also isn't a huge fan of eggplant from past experiences, but he had 2 servings of these guys! I'M JUST SAYING! Take a chance on them!

Romantic Dinner for 2! PART FOUR: Angel Peanut Butter Parfaits

So, this was our favorite course of the evening. We really could have JUST eaten this for dinner, and been just fine. Maybe not the healthiest choice, but surely the tastiest!

And here is the recipe you get for voting for your favorite sweet: Anything chocolate and peanut butter!

I pulled this off of jif.com. I highly recommend visiting their site if you are a peanut butter lover. They have recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, and dessert! Anyways, easy dessert. Here we go!

Ingredients:

1 angel food cake (I bought mine at Kroger)

1 package (6 serving size) INSTANT sugar-free vanilla pudding and pie mix (JELLO brand)

1 package (6 serving size) INSTANT sugar-free chocolate pudding and pie mix (JELLO brand)

5 cups of Skim Milk

1/2 cup Reduced-Fat Jif Creamy Peanut Butter

Cool Whip (Optional)

Strawberries or any fruit for topping and garnish (Optional)

 

That's all you need . Here's how you make it:

Dice Angel-Food Cake into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large bowl

In a blender or food processor, combine vanilla pudding mix, 2.5 cups of milk, and peanut butter. Blend until smooth. Pour over cake and fold gently to coat the cake.

 

Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

In a medium bowl, combine chocolate pudding mix and 2.5 cups of milk. Whisk about 2 minutes until well combined. Cover and put in the refrigerator at least one hour. (I didn't take a picture because I think you can all make instant pudding without me showing you how!)

When ready to serve, layer the peanut butter cake, then the chocolate pudding. Repeat until you get to the top of your serving cup. Top with Whipped Cream and Sliced Strawberry

 

These were TO-DIE-FOR. Wow. So, so good. You could make this into a small trifle if you wanted to serve it that way. But individual parfaits are the way to go on this one! I promise.

Enjoy :)

OH! And here was our "Table-scape" that I set up for the dinner.

 

You can't tell from this picture because I needed light, but it was all candle-light when we ate :) Such a fun date night!

Romantic Dinner for 2! PART THREE: Homemade Ricotta Cheese, Pine Nut, and Spinach Stuffed Ravioli

These guys were my pride and joy of the evening. I have wanted to make my own ravioli for SO SO long now! I saved them for Valentine's Day! I have never been happier with something I've made than with these guys! I cheated and used Won Ton Wrappers instead of true pasta dough, but, it still counts, right? See what you think!

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped (And I mean FINELY)
1/2 pound baby spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
8 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Flour for dusting
1 (12-ounce) package won ton wrappers
1 egg, beaten with 1/2 tablespoon cold water
2 tablespoons butter

For any of you who are unfamiliar with shallots, they look like this. VERY similar to onions. I ordered mine from myproduceguy.com. They deliver FRESH produce to your door! Very exciting. They gave us a dozen red roses for free just for ordering around Valentine's Day!

Here we go, hang on tight!

First, you want to saute your shallots in a large skillet in oil for about a minute over medium heat. Then, start adding your spinach in batches and let it wilt.

Unwilted:

 

Good to go:

  

Once all spinach is wilted, remove from heat and put into a medium-sized bowl. Allow it to cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate it for 20 minutes.

Once cooled and ready, remove from refrigerator and place in a sieve. Squeeze all excess liquid out of the spinach leaves. If you don't have a sieve, then just take balls of it in your hands and squeeze out the liquid that way. Once dry, chop up the spinach, place it back into the bowl and mix with ricotta cheese, 6 T of pine nuts, 2 T Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Ta da! You have your ravioli filling. I wish you could smell this right now!

 

At this point, you want to lightly flour your counter, and lightly flour 2 baking sheets. Have your egg-wash mixture ready to go and a pastry brush (or clean paint brush) nearby.

Take your Won Ton Wrappers and lay about 6 out on your surface. Paint the edges with egg wash

 

Take a small spoon and scoop a drop of filling into the center of each wrapper

 

Take 6 new wrappers, and place them right over top. Seal the edges (Leaving no air bubbles inside) and place on your baking sheet Repeat until all wrappers are used up.

 

I had about a tray and a half, with lots of leftover filling. At this point, cover them with a damp towel and refrigerate until ready to cook. You can also freeze them at this stage, and then cook them right out of the freezer if you want to. 

I saved my leftover filling. I plan on stuffing it into some chicken next week. Check back to see how it goes :) 

About 2 hours later, I was ready to cook. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add raviolis. Stir GENTLY to keep them from sticking to each other. It would be okay to do them in batches if necessary.

Meanwhile, bring butter to a frothy simmer over low heat in a large skillet. As ravioli finish boiling, drop them into the butter. Once they are all in the skillet, add the remaining Parmesan and Pine Nuts. I added some salt and pepper here as well.

 

I heated up some plain pasta sauce to serve over top (and underneath) 

 

Sprinkle with some grated Parmean, serve, and enjoy. These were SO delicious!

Romantic Dinner for 2! PART TWO: Roasted Butternut Squash Chipotle Bisque

So, our second course of the evening was a squash soup that I had made before. We both liked it, so I took the safe way out instead of trying something new! It's a little involved, but nothing fancy or tricky that you can't handle .. do I ever give you stuff you can't handle?

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash

2 T Olive Oil

1/2 cup celery chopped

1/2 cup carrot chopped

1-1/2 cup onion chopped (one medium-large onion)

4 cups chicken stock

3 cloves garlic minced

2 tsp chipotle pepper seeded and minced

Pinch of tyme

Pinch of sage

Directions:

Slice your squash in half lengthwise, reserving seeds, and discarding pulp (like a pumpkin) - and place flesh side down in a greased baking dish. Pierce all over with a fork:

 

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until VERY fork-tender. It should come out soft and very orange:

 

While the squash is cooling, begin sauteing your onion, carrot, and celery in the oil

 

I let these cook about 5-7 minutes until soft (Not brown!) Then add your garlic and cook about 1 more minute. Then, add your broth and start scooping the flesh of the squash into the pot as well. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 mintues. Meanwhile, begin to toast your squash seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until dry and crunchy. Add salt and set aside.

 

It will be chunky, and that's okay! FOR NOW! Add in your thyme and sage. I also added some salt and pepper. Once it has finished simmering for 30 minutes, get out a blender or food processor and start pureeing the soup in batches. Once all of it is pureed, pour back into your pot and keep warm.

 

At this point, stir in your 2 teaspoons of chipotle pepper for a little kick. Ladle into bowls, top with toasted seeds, and serve! Last time I made this, I stirred some chipotle pepper sauce into a half cup of sour cream and served a dallop of that on top along with the toasted seeds.

However you top it off, just enjoy it :) Its a good, warm, winter soup. Its healthy, but not at the cost of taste!

Romantic Dinner for 2! PART ONE: White Bean and Feta Salad

This was an extremely easy salad that I threw together. I had 2 bags of dried white beans in my pantry and wanted to use them up. All you would need is about 1/2 can of white beans (I used Cannellini Beans). You don't have to arrange the salad the way I did, but for a romantic looking dish, try it out!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of canned white beans, drained and rinsed (or cook your own dry beans)

6 oz of mixed spring greens

1.5 T Olive Oil

1 T Balsamic Vinegar (Plus some for drizzling)

1/4 t Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 ounces Feta Cheese (I used black peppercorn feta)

1 T Sliced fresh Basil

Whisk the oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper together

 

Place greens in a large bowl and pour dressing over them. Toss WELL. Get the dressing all over the salad! Then, divide among 2 plates (we had leftover salad, it could have made 4 small salads). I sliced about 7 tomatoes in half and edged the plate in them. I placed the sliced basil in the center of the plate, and then put the salad in the center of the ring. I drizzled some balsamic over the tomatoes, then topped the greens with the beans and feta.

 

So easy! Such a good "Starter" or side dish with any meal! Enjoy :) And look for Parts 2, 3 and 4 of this Valentine's Meal!

Carrot Cakes!

Well, this morning, we woke up to a beautiful snow-covered day. I wish I had taken pictures by the river yesterday, because now its too icy to go get some good shots. Here's the best I could do:

The mail building. HAH. Anyways, I had ordered a pancake pan with some leftover wedding gift cards to Crate and Barrel, and thought it was a perfect morning to make silver dollar pancakes. Look at this guy!

So anyways, I made Carrot Pancakes. You could adapt this recipe to make chocolate chip, blueberry, banana, pumpkin, etc. Here is the BASIC recipe:

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1-1/4 cups milk (I used skim)

2 tablespoons EVOO

1/4 t vanilla

Optionals:

2-3 carrots (plus a pinch of nutmeg and 1/2t cinnamon)

or

2 bananas (plus a 1/2t cinnamon)

or

1 cup blueberries

or

1 cup pumpkin

or

chocolate chips (These can go in any pancake of course!)

So, you'll want to mix together all of the dry ingredients. If you are making carrot pancakes, you will need to peel them, and throw them in a food processor with the nutmeg, cinnamon, and milk and blend until smooth. You don't want chunky pancakes, do you? It will yield a frothy orange mixture.

Add wet ingredients and milk mixture. Stir and combine well. Obviously if you don't have the pancake pan, just heat a griddle or a skillet and ladle the size of pancakes you want. Lucky for me, i had the pan

There they are! Little orange carrot cakes cooking up! I haven't mentioned it yet, but these are very healthy! No added sugar and they are very sweet due to the carrot and vanilla.

It will yield about 18 pancakes if you make them small, probably only 6-8 if you make larger pancakes!

We had plenty for 2 of us, with leftovers. Pour on some syrup, or whatever you put on pancakes. Honey would go well on these, but my husband prefers the sugar-free syrup on his!

Enjoy :) And try a different version of these pancakes! If carrot isn't your thing, you have many options!

Pasta Primavera - A Real One Dish Dinner!

A few confessions before I start the recipe. I searched EVERYWHERE to find a healthy version of this recipe. My mom made THE BEST Pasta Primavera growing up, but- a real good recipe has heavy cream, lots of parmesan cheese, etc. After looking through the basics of the recipe as well as looking at what was in my refrigerator, I came up with this recipe! Second confession, I didn't try too hard to capture good photos because I was SO hungry and just wanted to eat. WE LOVED IT. Having leftovers tomorrow night!

Here's a close up!

A Very Flexible Recipe

1 pound whole wheat linguine (or spinach, or any fun flavor you find!)

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 pound chicken, cubed (optional- this can easily be a vegetarian dish)

 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced

2 small zucchini, sliced and then quartered

2 medium sized carrots, peeled into ribbons (use a vegetable peeler for this)

1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in halves

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup 1% milk

1 T all purpose flour dissolved in 3 T water

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Optional: Fresh Basil, Parsley

You can replace ANY of the vegetables you don't like with broccoli, onion, summer squash, asparagus- any veggie works in here! I promise!

Step One: IF YOU ARE USING CHICKEN!

I diced mine up, sprinkled some salt and italian seasonings on them, and then cooked them in a skillet until they were done, then I let them simmer in about 1 T water and 3ish T Balsamic Vinegar. Meanwhile, get to the veggies!

Have all your vegetables chopped/sliced/peeled etc. so that you can just GO! I used a wok, but if you have a VERY large skillet :) That would work too!

Use a little olive oil or cooking spray to coat your pan. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute until softened. Toss in zucchini and pepper and cook about 3 minutes. 

Add your tomatoes and mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes until soft.

Next, add your flour dissolved in water, and cook about one minute. Add chicken stock, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken up.

You may want to start cooking the linguini at this point.

Next, add in your carrot ribbons and diced up chicken. Mix and allow to cook together.

If using basil and parsley, add it here and let it start to wilt down

Drain your pasta, but BEFORE adding it to the veggies, put the 1/2 cup of cheese in so that the hot noodles melt the cheese immediately. Stir together.

3 Words Left For You: PLATE IT UP!

Sprinkle a little extra parmesan cheese on top of your plate and ENJOY :) It is absolutely delicious. This probably could serve 4-6 people EASY. Or serve 2 and give you a couple leftover lunches/dinners!

SO SO GOOD! Try this as soon as you can. And feel FREE to chose vegetable that YOU like or have in your refrigerator!