Friday, April 22, 2011

Baked Eggplant Parm

I found this recipe while cleaning up my cooking magazines. This was an advertisement for Newman's Pasta Sauce. I used my favorite spicy sauce from Trader Joes. Brian loved this dish. It was really easy to make and a much healthier version because you bake the eggplant, not fry it.

1/4 cup milk (I used fat free)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups panko
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1 large eggplant cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices(I left the peel on)
cooking spray
olive oil
1 24 oz jar of pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Whisk milk and eggs in a bowl.

Combine panko and next five ingredients in a shallow dish. Dip eggplant slices into egg mixture then dip in panko. Arrange slices on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 10-15 on each side. Drizzle with olive oil if getting too dry.

Decrease temperature to 375. Spoon pasta sauce in a 11 x 7 baking dish. Layer half eggplant slices over sauce top with more sauce and cheese. Layer more eggplant, sauce and cheese. Baked for 20 minutes.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Chili

This was a very easy meal that you can make ahead. Highly recommend it!

Serving 2 (double for left overs or more people)

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 small chopped onion
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 oz tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans
pepper to taste
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp (or to taste) cayenne
1/4 tsp garlic powder

In a cast iron pot or large pot, brown the beef. Combine all indgredients and let simmer for 1 hr on the stove.
Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Rachel Ray's Super Sloppy Joes

I'm back! Took a little time off due to pregnancy. Those hormones made me not want to cook a thing. I tried this recipe out on my dinner party girls and they really liked it. Easy meal to make. I found it a tad bit sweet, so next time will cut back on the sugar and add some red pepper flakes for heat.

Super Sloppy Joes
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 super sloppy sandwiches
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal Seasoning
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 crusty rolls, split, toasted, and lightly buttered

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and meat to the pan. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto toasted, buttered bun bottoms and cover with bun tops.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Ginger Crock Pot Roast

How I love Pot Roast Crock Pot recipies.

2 cans of gingerale - not diet
20oz Ketchup
1 pkg Lipton's Onion soup mix
3-4 lb Roast
Salt and pepper

Mix gingerale, ketchup and soup mix. Salt and pepper roast. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:

2 leeks - cut in half and sliced (you can get them already cleaned at TJ's)
2 tablespoons butter
1 lb new potatoes quartered
6 cups of chicken stock/broth
1 head of broccoli or handful of asparagus cut into big chunks
Thyme, red chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste



Saute leeks and butter for about 8 minutes or until soft. Season with thyme, salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste. Add chicken stock and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook for 12 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Add green veggie (if not using green veggie use more potatoes) and cook for another minute or so.

Hand blend or put in blender. Taste and season with more salt/pepper if needed.

Enjoy with crunchy breach.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Israeli Couscous and Shrimp

Thank you Laura for making this the other night at Dinner Party, it was so yummy --- I had to make it at home.

This is a 10 minute meal that I served with steamed zucchini. So simple to make, but tastes very complex.

1/2 package of Israeli Couscous (I got the Israeli couscous blend in a bag from Trader Joes)
1/2 package of frozen cooked, cleaned and tail off medium shrimp (also Trader Joes)
1 can chicken stock
1 tbl butter

Make couscous according to package and thaw shrimp. With 4 minutes left on the couscous, heat the shrimp in a skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add shrimp to cooked couscous and serve with a vegetable.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Grilled Chicken Taco Pizza

Derived from recipe courtesy of Aaron Mccargo, Jr. for Food Network Magazine

Yum with a capital Y!

Approx 4-5 tbl of packaged Taco Seasoning (I bought the big container from Costco because we love tacos)

For the Pizzas:
1/4 cup canola oil, plus more for brushing
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 16-ounce tube pizza dough (I got mine from Trader Joes)
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (Trader Joes)

Salsa
Sour Cream
1 Avocado diced
1 lime juiced
Cilantro

Directions

Mix 2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning and the canola oil in a shallow bowl. Pound the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4 inch thick. Add the chicken to the bowl, turning to coat, and marinate 30 minutes.

Preheat a grill to medium high. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Let cool, then cut into bite-size pieces.

Divide the dough into 3 pieces. Roll out each on a floured surface into an 8-inch round. (I just used my hands to flatten out the dough) Brush with canola oil, sprinkle with taco seasoning and grill until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes per side; remove from the grill.

Sprinkle the cheese on the crusts and top with the chicken. Return the pizzas to the grill,and cook until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the avocado, lime juice. Top the pizzas with the avocado mixture, salsa, sour cream and cilantro.