Eggplant BLT

Yesterday I was craving eggplant (aubergine, brinjal, whatever you like to call them). And when you have a craving it seems to be all you think about. But I was reluctant to cook any, I was getting bored with the perennial plant. I have prepared them baked, in lasagna, covered in sauce, fried and spicy, cooked like a twice baked potato etc...- Change was needed. Something new.

Googling around (That's a word, right?), I simply wrote, 'creative uses for eggplant' and I found a post by Real Simple who breaded the slices and fried them until crispy, (OK yawn, been there, done that), THEN, he used the crispy slices like 'bread' to make a sandwich! Ugh! So creative!

The chef's recipe didn't sound appetizing, and I didn't have half the ingredients anyways so I adopted it into the classic, and Real Simple Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich.

This is possibly one of my top ten favorite recipes for 2012. 
It is seriously good food.

Here is Matt Romero's recipe with some adaptation by me.

Ingredients                                                         Time: 30 minutes, serves 2
                                                                                          Makes approx six 'sandwiches'
5-10 slices of bacon (however much bacon you like)
1/3 c flour
1/3 c cornstarch
1 large egg beaten
1/2 c fine breadcrumbs
1 medium/ large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1/2 c vegetable oil
kosher salt 

4  leaves romaine lettuce, torn in half 

2  small tomatoes, sliced

 

Directions

1.  Line a plate with paper towels and place the eggplant slices on top, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 15-30minutes, here's why. Rinse and pat dry.
2. In a frying skillet, cook bacon like normal until done to your liking, drain on paper towels and keep warm in the microwave. Drain bacon grease if you'd like or use it for step 4.
3. Mix the flour and cornstarch together. Place the flour mix, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip the eggplant slices in the flour mix, then in the eggs (letting any excess drip off), and finally in the bread crumbs, pressing gently to help them adhere completely coating. Don't worry about the sides being coated.  
4. In the same skillet, heat half the oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the eggplant until golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a paper towel–lined plate, repeat with the remaining oil and eggplant. Sprinkle the hot eggplant with ½ teaspoon salt.
5. Layer the eggplant, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes, to form  "sandwiches," with the eggplant on the top and bottom of each stack. 
6. Eat and enjoy!

Calories calculated using Sparkrecipe Calculator: 471.2 calories per serving (3 sandwiches), *Calories calculated with 5 slices of bacon

The tiny ends can be made like 'sliders' Love it.

Carrot Pancakes

I don't know about you, but I have a picky almost 3 year old here at my house. He runs at the sight of anything "veggie" among other things. So this mommy has to be creative when sneaking in those good for you foods, cause with this child it's his foods or starve himself, there is no in-between!

After a long day at work I almost gave in and went to make something fast (ex: hotdog or macaroni) but I thought, "well why not try scrambled eggs with veggies again, maybe he'll like it this time. If not I can always make pancakes and I know he'll eat that." DING! Veggies in the pancakes too!

These pancakes turned out so good. Even the skeptical people in the house that laugh at all my attempts to feed my son healthy food and being turned down each time thought these were great and proceeded to eat 3 of them (without syrup I might add). 

Give these pancakes a try. They stay true to the classic pancake fluffiness and have a yummy suggestion of being a close cousin of the carrot cake family. 

Carrot Pancakes                         makes 20 small pancakes

1 1/4 c Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Saigon Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Salt

2 tsp wheat germ (optional)
4 tbsp Brown Sugar
3/4 c Buttermilk
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Vanilla
2 eggs
1 c Carrot, shredded fine (about 1 large)
butter or non stick spray

1. Place the first five ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
2. In another bowl, place remaining ingredients (yes the brown sugar goes here we want to dissolve it) and mix.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with butter or spray oil.
5. Spoon one heaping tablespoon of batter onto the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes or slightly bubbling around edges, flip and cook until both sides are golden.
6. Eat! These pancakes are delicious all on their own, or serve with maple syrup.

Calories calculated using Sparkrecipes calculator: 170 calories per 3 pancakes 

Turkey, Quinoa and Pear Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Most of the recipes that I come up with are inspired by two questions: "What haven't I eaten in awhile?" and "How haven't I prepared that food yet?"

Answers: Cabbage and Cabbage rolls.

Most cabbage rolls I searched for are just plain rice with some red sauce on top (boring!) I mean for an international dish (every country seemed to have their own version of the cabbage roll), there was very little variation).

I knew I wanted to use my leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, especially in a way that was subtle and not so overly turkey. I'm sure a lot of you are tired of preparing Thanksgiving leftovers always in the same way.

So, I thought I'd approach this conundrum as: "how would I stuff a turkey?" and just turn it inside out! Voila the Turkey, Quinoa and Pear Stuffed Cabbage Roll was born.

Turkey, Quinoa and Pear Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

1 c uncooked Quinoa                                                              Serves 4
2 c vegetable broth
1 head of Cabbage, approx 12 leaves
1/2 c yellow onion, diced
1/2 c turkey, chopped or shredded
1 zucchini, shredded
1 small pear, peeled, cored, diced
1 tbl garlic paste or 1 clove of garlic finely minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp ground sage
salt & pepper

Optional:
1 c marinara sauce
1/4 c mozzarella cheese

 

1. In a medium sauce pan, pour in your vegetable broth, bring to a boil. Take out a large pot and fill with water, bring to a boil too. Pour quinoa into the vegetable broth, reduce to simmer and cook 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff with a fork and let cool. (I put my whole pot in the freezer for 5 minutes to speed up the process).

2. While Quinoa cooks, take apart your cabbage leaves and drop into your large pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes; just enough to soften them. Let dry on paper towels and trim (see picture below). Preheat the oven to 350F.

Trim the spine of the leaves to make them flexible to roll. Just a little trim off the top is good.

3. In another saucepan, add a little olive oil. Sautee onions for 1 minute. Add turkey and garlic, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add shredded zucchini and pear; sautee until water is absorbed out; pear and zucchini are tender. Season with spices.


4. Mix in quinoa with the vegetable-turkey mix, salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture into the cabbage leaves and wrap like a burrito. Place into a casserole dish seam side down. Top each roll with a little marinara sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.

scoop

roll

place

5. Cover with a lid or with foil and cook for about 35-45 minutes- or until tender. Note: I would omit the sauce next time, the flavors kind of clashed in this dish or maybe I'll be creative and use a mushroom sauce instead. Sauce or not, it's really up to you. It was very good either way.

Calories calculated using Sparkrecipes Calculator: 270 calories for 4 rolls

The health benefits of this meal are awesome.

Quinoa is one of the best foods I could have ever stumbled upon. It goes well with anything and is power-packed with nutrients. Not to mention- it's wheat and gluten free! This mega grain contains ALL the essential amino acids (making it a great food for vegans and vegetarians). No wonder South American Natives called this food "the gold of the Aztecs". It is also high in Vitamins B2, E and fiber.

Cabbage is also a nutrient dense food. I've been trying to incorporate more and more cabbage into my life lately for that very reason. Cabbage is known for it's phytochemicals, which contain powerful anticancer glucosinolates. It is high in Vitamin C, B6, potassium, folic acid, magnesium, manganese and calcium!