Eggplants Are Wonderful Things

Baba Ganouj (Eggplant Dip)
1 globe eggplant or 2-3 Japanese eggplant (This is what I use)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbsp roasted tahini (sesame paste, I find it in the Jewish food section in a sealed can)
1-2 garlic cloves (more or less depending on taste preference)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of one lemon - about 2 1/2 tablespoons
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Cut your eggplant in half, poke the skin with a fork a couple of times through the skin. Oil the eggplant and place it cut side down on a tinfoil lined sheet. Bake at 400o for about 25 minutes for the smaller eggplant or about 40 for the large. Remove and let sit for about 15 min. 

While you wait for the eggplant to cool, add garlic and parsley to the food processor or mince it by had very small creaming the garlic with the knife. Add the tahini, cumin, salt and pepper to the garlic and parsley mixture. 

Scoop the eggplant carefully from the skin and spoon it into the food processor. Discard skins and then pulse the eggplant with all the spices and tahini, adding the lemon and olive oil in to make it smooth and creamy. Spoon out your eggplant dip into a pretty bowl and top with plastic wrap smooshed down onto the mixture so it doesn't create a skin. Chill in the fridge if you like it cold. Me personally, I like it at room temp with an extra drizzle of olive oil a sprinkling of cumin or cayenne. I love to serve this with kalamata olives, picholine olives, pine nuts, bell pepper, snap peas, cauliflower, apricots, cucumber and pita bread/gf bread. 

 

Eggplant Lasagna
1 large eggplant, sliced in 8 slices 
or
2 Japanese eggplants, cut lengthwise into thin strips (You can get about 3 from each one)
1/2 cup wilted spinach
1/2 cup cooked chopped mushrooms
Salt and Pepper
4 Large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup pesto (store bought it fine, but I have a great recipe HERE)
2 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs or GF blend like Ian's panko
6 tbsp lite olive oil
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 cup prepared marinara sauce ( I love bertolli)

Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and 4 tablespoons pesto. Pour the bread crumbs onto a large plate. Dip each eggplant slice into the egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumbs. 

 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees ;. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the eggplant until golden, 2 minutes on each side, using the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer the eggplant to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. 

 
Chop mushroom and add both spinach and mushroom to a saute plan and cook together till softened. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, chopped mushroom, spinach and 3 tablespoons pecorino-romano; season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon of the remaining pesto on each eggplant slice and top with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Roll up each slice. Place rolls in a baking pan that has tomato sauce on the bottom. Bake until the eggplant is tender when pierced with a toothpick, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat remaining sauce to a simmer if you want. Serve with an arugula salad or some sauteed broccolini. 

Summer Salads

I'm really into grilled style salads. Anything that can be prepared and cooked easily and without much mess or heating up the kitchen is a win win for me. I adapted this recipe from the Randall Beans website. I chose to use canned northern white beans because it was easier for me. This salad has a great grilled and fresh flavor all in one. You'll love it, try it this weekend.

Grilled Ribeye with Northern White Beans & Potatoes
4 rib-eye steaks, sliced thin *use whatever tender steak you want
1 tsp steak seasoning mix          
    combine and store in sealed container
       1/4 cup Paprika
       1/4 cup Kosher Salt
       1/4 cup Sugar
       1/4 cup Cumin
       1/4 cup Granulated Garlic
       1/4 cup Chili Powder
       2 tablespoons Mustard Powder
       2 tablespoons Ground Black Pepper
       1-2 tablespoons Cayenne Pepper          
2 lbs baby yellow potatoes
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
1/4 tsp course salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 tbsp butter/ I used hemp butter
2 cans northern white beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dried dill
1 5-oz package spring greens mix
2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper


Light the grill and let it heat up while you prepare the meal.
Season the rib-eye steaks with seasoning and set aside.
Make a foil packet to hold the potatoes and onions. Toss them with the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper and butter. Pour into the foil packet and seal. Grill for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, make a foil packet for the great northern beans. Toss beans with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the dill. Pour into the foil packet and seal.
Grill the steaks for 8 minutes when the potatoes are close to being ready. Put the beans on the grill for the last 3 minutes of cooking. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips.
Grab a large bowl and toss in the spring greens. Add the potatoes and onions, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, salt and black pepper and stir, incorporating the dressing onto all parts of the potatoes and greens. Add the grilled great northern beans and stir lightly as to not mash the beans.
Plate the salad and top with the steak strips and serve.




Sick of the traditional heavy mayo based potato salad? Here is a lighter and flavorful option.

2 lbs small potatoes (purple, red, fingerling, and/or baby dutch)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 lb green beans, stems removed and cut in 1 inch pieces
1 bunch garlic scapes (about 8-10 scapes), stems removed and cut in 1 inch pieces
7 ounces of tuna in oil (or two 4 oz cans)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/4 cup pitted or unpitted nicoise olives
5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile halve or quarter potatoes. Salt the water and add the potatoes. Boil 20-30 minutes or until tender. Drain.
While potatoes cool, make the vinaigrette. Whisk together vinegar, oil, mustard, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Pour about half the vinaigrette over warm potatoes and toss to combine. Chill potatoes.
Bring another large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, green beans, and garlic scapes. Boil for about 5 minutes until just barely tender. Drain and chill.
In a large bow, combine cooked potatoes, green beans, garlic scapes, tuna, tomatoes, scallion, parsely, and Nicoise olives. Dress with remaining vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
Serve with hard boiled egg slices.
- See more at: http://impeckableeats.com/2014/09/salad-nicoise-twist/#sthash.NxVCuv8L.dpuf

Garlic-Roasted Potatoes

2 pounds mixed fingerling potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine or stock
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 clove garlic, finely minced 

 
Buttermilk Dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (I used thick fage)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 lbs small potatoes (purple, red, fingerling, and/or baby dutch)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 lb green beans, stems removed and cut in 1 inch pieces
1 bunch garlic scapes (about 8-10 scapes), stems removed and cut in 1 inch pieces
7 ounces of tuna in oil (or two 4 oz cans)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/4 cup pitted or unpitted nicoise olives
5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile halve or quarter potatoes. Salt the water and add the potatoes. Boil 20-30 minutes or until tender. Drain.
While potatoes cool, make the vinaigrette. Whisk together vinegar, oil, mustard, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Pour about half the vinaigrette over warm potatoes and toss to combine. Chill potatoes.
Bring another large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, green beans, and garlic scapes. Boil for about 5 minutes until just barely tender. Drain and chill.
In a large bow, combine cooked potatoes, green beans, garlic scapes, tuna, tomatoes, scallion, parsely, and Nicoise olives. Dress with remaining vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
Serve with hard boiled egg slices.
- See more at: http://impeckableeats.com/2014/09/salad-nicoise-twist/#sthash.NxVCuv8L.dpuf

I like to start my fingerling potatoes in an oven proof heavy bottom pan on the stove. If you don't want the hassle, place potatoes mixed with oil and seasoning, stock onto a baking sheet and bake at 400o until golden...usually about 20 minutes. 
If you choose to use the stoptop to oven method, heat oil and drop your seasoned -garlic potatoes in the hot pan with the cut side down and roast for about 10 minutes no moving the potatoes. Once you've peeked on them and they're browned, roll them over, shake the pan, add garlic and stock and then transfer to the oven for 10 more minutes. Make sure you don't burn the garlic. 

Combine all dressing ingredients and then pour over your hot potatoes and serve. 

 
I don't know about you, but I'm a pretty big fan of marinated mushrooms. They are earthy and add such a yummy bite to any bbq outing or picnic. 

Mushroom Salad
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 pounds white mushrooms, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 to 2 large shallots, sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 generous Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until skillet is dry and mushrooms are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
To the pan, add the shallot, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Cook until liquid reduces by half, about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 6 tablespoons oil, Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Add the mushroom mixture to this bowl and stir to combine. Let cool completely. Stir in parsley.
Cover mushrooms and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Mushrooms can be refrigerated up to 3 days.


Tori Avey had this great purple cabbage recipe on her blog today. I'm going to make it this weekend. Yum!

Purple Cabbage Salad
1 head of red cabbage (about 2 lbs), shredded
2 red apples (I recommend fuji), sliced thin or chopped small
6 dates, chopped
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, torn into small pieces
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
3/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
 
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl whisk together the olive oil, mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, honey and salt until well combined.
Toss the salad ingredients together with the dressing until the salad is evenly covered and ingredients are well mixed. Add the dressing to taste-- you may not need all of it depending on personal preference. Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, if desired. Serve.

Tasty Asian

Peanut Crunch Salad
6 ounces spaghetti (I used a gluten free brown rice pasta)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup carrots, julienne
1/2 cup frozen and thawed edamame
1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (gluten free tamari)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 lime squeezed 
1 tsp-1 1/2 tsp honey/agave
2 tablespoons green onions, sliced
Slice up some crunchy cucumbers and add crushed peanuts, and sriracha for a little spice

Boil pasta until al-dente. Meanwhile in a large skillet heat oil and add cabbage and carrots.
Saute for 3-4 minutes until tender.
Toss in edamame and garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
In a separate container, combine peanut butter, sesame oil, honey, green onions, and lime. Stir in peanut butter, soy sauce and sesame oil.
Add in cooked noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds, extra green onions and crushed peanuts if desired. You can add a little sriracha if you want a kick. Serve with grilled chicken or sliced skirt steak.
Serve immediately.



Purple Cabbage and Carrot
1 small purple cabbage, thinly sliced
2 large carrots, shredded

For the dressing:
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce (tamari is gf)
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup mixture parsley and cilantro, coarsely chopped

Shred cabbage and carrot and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Let it sit for a few minutes and then drain the liquid. 

Mix the dressing components and then dress the cabbage mixture. Keep cold.



Asian Chicken Skewers with Mustard Dipping Sauce
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
cilantro for garnish, minced
about 12-15 medium sized bamboo skewers (soak the skewers for about 20 minutes before grilling so that they don't burn)

Marinate your chicken for a couple of hours and skewer the strips of chicken. Grill on medium/high until browned and cooked through. Garnish with cilantro.

Mustard Dipping Sauce

2 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Hot Chinese Mustard 

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Honey

 

Asian Coconut Candies
5 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water

Mix the sugar and water together. Heat and bring to the boil.
Boil the water off to a thick sugar syrup.
Add the shredded coconut, lower the heat and stir until all the liquid has gone.
Let them cool a little, taking two teaspoons take out ball shaped lumps on the mixture and let them cool on a drying try.