Oven baked Eggplant Parmesan

I improvised this recipe from Martha Stewart because I wanted to put the Eggplant over pasta, not in a casserole. 

Ingredients

• Olive oil or cooking spray, for baking sheets
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large eggplants, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• store-bought spaghetti sauce
• Fresh sliced shredded mozzarella
• angel hair pasta

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water. 
   In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. 
   While the eggplant is in the oven, cook the pasta per box instructions. After draining pasta, add the store-bought sauce and stir to mix. 
   Turn the eggplant slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. 

Kale Chips

I guess I'm in a snacky mood. I finally made kale chips & I am so happy that I did! They are fantastic.

1 bunch (about 6 ounces) kale

1 tbsp of olive oil
Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with salt. 

Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper (for easy clean up). Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Place baking sheet on a rack to cool.

Then enjoy-- they are SO EASY!

Dark Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

Here is the perfect sweet snack without the guilt. Make this with leftover bananas from the bunch on the counter (before they go bad.) It's a great way to minimize the amount of waste each week. 

makes 2 servings

1 1/2 peeled medium bananas, sliced into coins and frozen until solid
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend bananas in food processor until they are the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Blend in cocoa powder, cream, and vanilla. Transfer to a freezer container and freeze until solid.

Makes me wish we had endless summers.

Honey-Jalapeño Roasted Acorn Squash

This recipe was from Naturally Ella, a blog that focuses on seasonal vegetarian dishes. She separates recipes not only by seasons, but also by vegetable/fruit. She also gives great advice for people wanting to cook vegetarian. Other notable fall recipes include: Butternut Squash Ravioli, Chipotle Butternut Squash, Black beans & goat cheese tostadas, and Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Salad. Very good blog! 

So from our CSA share this week, we were able to use the acorn squash & cilantro in this recipe. The recipe from the blog cooked the acorn squash with rice as a main dish but we decided to lose the extra starch. The acorn squash were smaller in size, so we decide to make it as a side to a delicious, fall potato & carrot soup. 

Ingredients

•               1 acorn squash

•               1 jalapeño pepper

•               2 cloves garlic

•               2 tablespoons olive oil

•               2 tablespoons honey

•               2 tablespoons lime

•               ½ teaspoon salt

•               ½ cup uncooked brown rice (or other grain)

•               cilantro, for topping

Instructions

1.            Preheat oven to 400˚.

2.            Cut acorn squash in half, scoop out insides, and cut each half into four wedges. Place shell side down in the baking pan.

3.            Mince jalapeño and garlic. Whisk with olive oil, honey, lime, and salt. Brush over acorn squash.

4.            Bake squash for 20 minutes and brush extra jalapeño mixture over acorn squash. Bake for another 10-20 minutes until squash is tender and golden brown.

5.            Cover rice with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 30-35 minutes until tender.
Layer roasted squash over rice. Drizzle with juice from the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with cilantro.

CSA Week #3

I get so excited for Saturday when I get to pick up my bin from the CSA (community supported agriculture). This week however, I had to work on Saturday so one of my lovely friends picked it up for me this week. (I still, totally owe you one!) I was pleasantly surprised with the produce this week. 

• butternut squash
• acorn squash (we now have two, one left over from last week)
• eggplant
• carrots
• yellow & white onion
• green bell pepper
• spinach
• cilantro
• red potatoes
• lots of sweet potato
• bananas
• oranges
• apples
• persimmon (should be interesting to cook with) 
• We also have some kale and romaine lettuce left over from last week. 

I love having a full fridge, but now I must start planning which recipes to make this week! The most important thing with being part of a CSA is doing your homework. Its important to plan your meals, so you aren't throwing away produce at the end of the two weeks! It is also important to store your vegetables properly. 

Collard Green Soup

In our produce share last week, we got a bunch of collard greens. I wanted to find a recipe that was easy yet more interesting than just sauteing the greens. When I found this soup, I was quite happy because I just had to get a few things from the store. I also was really happy because this colder weather definitely is soup weather! 

I found that this was a versatile recipe, and that I could substitute or add vegetables to make it heartier. You could make it as complex or simple as you wanted. I hope you try this recipe. Not only is it healthy, but it is delicious. This recipe also could be vegetarian (using vegetable stock) or chicken could have been added for extra protein. 

Ingredients

         1 large bunch young collard greens, leaves washed and stripped from stems

         1-2 tablespoons olive oil

         1 sprig plus 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped (finally using fresh herbs from my patio container!) 

         1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

         2 medium carrots, finely diced

         1 medium Yukon Gold potato, (I used two red potatoes)

         1 clove garlic, chopped

         Cannellini beans 1 (14-ounce) can, drained and rinsed well, plus ½ cup fresh water

         2¼ quarts (9 cups) low-sodium chicken stock

Directions

1. Pull the leaves from their stems. Cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.


2. In a large Dutch oven (or large stock pot), heat the oil over a medium-high temperature stove. Add the rosemary. Let it sizzle for a moment, and then add the onion, carrot and potato.  (In addition to the onion, carrots, and potato, I added red pepper. You can add whatever vegetables you want based on what you have. Broccoli or cauliflower would also be great additions.) Mix well.

3. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover the vegetables for 8-10 minutes or until they are soft and the onion is slightly golden. Stir every so often to prevent sticking or burning.

4. Turn the heat up to medium high. Add the chopped garlic. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes until you start to smell its aroma. Add the greens and stir-fry until they start to wilt and soften.

5. Add the stock and beans, and ½ cup water. The beans and vegetables should be well covered with liquid but not drowned.  Bring the soup to a boil. Partially cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer, stirring from time to time, for 20-25 minutes or until the greens are very tender.
 

6. Adjust seasoning, then cook 5 minutes more. Mash some of the beans against the sides of the pan to thicken the soup slightly. Let the soup sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve drizzled with a little olive oil, if desired.

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

I LOVE butternut squash. It is probably my favorite of the fall squashes. So when I found a recipe for butternut squash gnocchi, I knew I needed to try it! I was a little disappointed after making it, that you loose a lot of the squash's flavor, but it was still delicious with a kale salad on the side. Next time, I may try to make butternut squash ravioli to try and maintain the sweetness. 

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash (about 2.5-3 lbs)
3 1/4 cups flour (plus additional for rolling out gnocchi)
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel and slice squash and roast on a lined baking sheet for 30-40 minutes until very tender. Remove and let cool.

2. Once cool, puree squash in a blender or food processor then transfer to a large bowl and add flour, egg and salt. Mix until a dough forms then knead on a heavely floured surface until smooth.

Almost finished kneading

3. Divide gnocchi dough in half and roll each half into a large, thin rope then cut the rope into small one inch slices. At this point you can either proceed to cook the gnocchi or you can freeze the pasta until ready to cook! (I cooked half & froze half)

4. Once the water is boiling, drop the gnocchi in and boil until they float. Then drain the gnocchi, put them back into the pot, add parmesan cheese & the sauce of your choice. 

Candied Pecans

This recipe is perfect for adding something sweet and crunchy to a salad. I put it on my apple, kale, and goat cheese salad and it was delicious! So easy to make too. I love the sweet yet spicy kick the cinnamon and red pepper flakes give the pecans.

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

pinch of allspice

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup pecan halves

Heat butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in cinnamon, allspice, pepper, sugar and pecans. Toast pecans for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until the sugar has melted and the pecans are lightly toasted. Spread on wax paper to cool.


The pecans can be added to salads, desert, or eaten as a snack!

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

I will try not to buy a pre-made salad dressing again, when I can make a pretty great dressing at home with pantry staples. I made this dressing today for my kale, apple, and goat cheese salad. It was sweet and light without too much overpowering flavor.

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (red wine vinegar will work too)
1 teaspoon Honey or Dijon mustard
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon clover honey
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the vinegar, honey and mustard in a bowl. While whisking, slowly pour a steady stream of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Interesting Quotes

"Respect your dinner, idolize it, enjoy it properly. You will be by many hours in the week, many weeks in the year, and many years in your life happier if you do." -- William Makepeace Thackeray from "Memorials of Gormandising"

Kale 101

In our share this week, one of the greens we got was kale. I was really excited because I love the Kale Salad at Woodshed! They serve the kale with celery greens, guanciale (pork cheek), smoked pepita (pretty sure they are pumpkin seeds), and Manchego cheese & It is absolutely to die for. 

I have never cooked with kale before, so I watched this video on YouTube to gain more information about this leafy green. I think I may try making my own kale salad with sliced apple, goat cheese, candied pecans, and a vinaigrette. I also may try those kale chips in the oven. Either way, I will post what I do! 

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients

1 ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp salt

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (I used Rotel)

1 medium onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper

½ red bell pepper

12 flour tortillas

Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and guacamole

Instructions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.

2.  In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt

3.  Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.

4.  Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.

5. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

Community Shared Agriculture

This is how the shares comes, complete with reusable bin

Last month I became a member of a local CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) program called Urban Acres. Every two weeks, I pay a set amount of money for a share of local, organic produce. I enjoy knowing that the food I eat comes from the area and not millions of miles away. Also, the produce is seasonal so we will be exposed to new produce every two weeks! I wanted to share with you how fantastic this program is, so every two weeks, I take pictures of my share! I am sure many of my recipes will come from these fruits & vegetables as well! 

Urban Acres has a farm store in Oak Cliff, but I pick up my produce from a Fort Worth location! (off of 7th street).  If you want more information about CSA's in Fort Worth you can go to this website http://www.ecovian.com/s/fort-worth-tx/csa. 

Lovely bananas, apples, a lemon and a pomegranate. I can't wait to try and eat the pomegranate, it should be another experience entirely. I'm curious if people just eat them plain or in recipes?! 

Sweet potato, red potatoes, acorn squash, and lots of butternut squash!!! 

Romaine lettuce, broccoli, kale (newly obsessed with kale), and collard greens! 

Interesting quotes

"I hate, hate, the notion of a secret recipe... Recipes were made to be shared. That's how they improve, how they change, how new ideas are formed, and older ones made ripe." -- Molly Wizenberg, A Home-made Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table

Lemon Pepper Chicken

I love lemon pepper chicken & I adapted this recipe to fit my busy schedule. Enjoy!

1 galloon sized plastic bag

3 pieces of uncooked chicken breast

3 Cloves Minced Garlic
¼ cup Chopped Parsley 

3 lemons juiced (1/3) cup
Salt and pepper to taste 

2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning 

Combine all ingredients into galloon size zip-loc baggie. Let chicken marinate in refrigerator at least for 1 one hour. (I let mine sit all day). Cook chicken in the oven at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. I emptied the contents of the baggie into the slow-cooker and cooked it for 2 hours on high setting. 

Cooking the chicken in the crock pot, made it extra juicy and delicious for left overs! The lemon-pepper flavor was perfection! 

Chard & Onion Quiche

Find the original recipe here...

I found this recipe on The Lovely Cupboard & instantly wanted to make it! I had some chard in my refrigerator that I needed to use before it went bad, so I could incorporate it into my quiche. 

Ingredients:
1 pie crust (or use my traditional pie crust recipe) 
3 eggs
1 cup low fat milk
1 onion
1/2 zucchini, grated (left over)
1 bunch of red chard (leaves only)
4 oz of smoked gouda
*You could use mushrooms, green onions, spinach, etc to personalize your quiche. 

Cooking Instructions:

1. Thinly slice one yellow onion.

2. Caramelize or saute in olive oil.
3. Use a fork to punch holes in the bottom of the pie crust. Then grate 3 ounces of smoked Gouda (or your smoked cheese of choice) and spread across pie crust.

4. Spread cooked onions over cheese, and saute chard until slightly wilted. Spread sautéed chard over onions. Add a dash of salt and your favorite herbs.

5. Beat 3 eggs and whisk together with 1 cup milk.  

6. Pour the mixture evenly into the pie dish. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Use the toothpick test in the middle to make sure the egg is cooked through.

Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

I am always looking for quick and easy recipes that I can take leftovers for lunch. I saw this recipe on Pintrest months ago, and I thought it was perfect! 

Ingredients

2 large boneless Chicken Breasts
Broccoli crown chopped into little pieces
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt, Pepper to season

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Pound chicken to 1/4 inch thickness. Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Place cheese and broccoli in center of chicken. Fold the sides in and roll as best as possible. When this fails, grab 4 to 8 toothpicks and stab every part of that chicken closed.
Bake for 40 minutes & check to make sure the chicken is cooked through. 

Crock Pot Beef & Broccoli

Beef Consomme is a hearty, full bodied broth. If you look at the recipe it is very involved and time consuming. I decided to save my time and energy, and bought a can of it rather than making my own. (The only issue is that the sodium level is very high, more than 1600mg in one can.)

Ingredients
1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips 
1 cup beef consumme 
1/2 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired)
Hot cooked rice

More info about this cut of meat

Directions
1. Place beef in a crock pot. Make sure to clean knife, cutting board, and your hands before and after handling the beef! 
2. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

3. (After the time has past) In a cup, stir cornstarch and most of the sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add back to crock pot. Stir well to combine.
4. Add broccoli to the crock pot. Stir to combine. 

5. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).
6. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Looks like pei wei