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Homegrown Eggplant | ATK Light Eggplant Parm

I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is nothing better than grocery shopping in your own back yard. Grabbing three eggplants, some fresh basil, fresh tomatoes and making this.

It is a rather involved recipe start to finish, but so amazingly good. I would however suggest that you double the sauce in order to make the dish a little less dry overall. I will also say that I would not limit this recipe to just eggplant, if garden is producing eggplant, zucchini, squash, etc. I would use slices of each of those and make a big vegetarian parmesan dish that would be a knockout for any dinner occasion.

Here's how to do it.

ATK Best Light Recipes | Eggplant Parmesan

2 medium globe eggplants (1 pound each) ends trimmed cut crosswise into 1/3 inch thick rounds

Kosher salt

1 1/2 C panko 

1 tbsp olive oil

1 ounce Parmesan cheese grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

1/2 unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

ground black pepper

3 large egg whites (I used egg beaters)

1 tbsp water

vegetable oil spray

5 C Quick Tomato Sauce for Eggplant Parm (recipe follows) warmed

8 ounces reduced fat cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 C)

2 tbsp minced fresh basil leaves

1. Toss half of the eggplant with 1 tsp salt then place in a large colander set over a bowl. Repeat with the remaining eggplant and 1 more tsp salt, and transfer to the colander with the first batch. let sit until the eggplant releases about 2 tbsp liquid, 30 to 40 minutes. Spread the eggplant slices on a triple thickness of paper towels. Press firmly on each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, and wipe odd the excess salt.

2. Adjust the oven racks to the lower middle and upper middle positions and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread the breadcrumbs into a shallow baking dish and let cool slightly; when cool, stir in the 1/2 cup Parmesan. Combine the flour, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp pepper together into a second shallow dish. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.

3. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil and coat with vegetable spray. Season the eggplant with pepper. Lightly dredge one side of each eggplant slice in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the floured side of the eggplant into the eggwhites and then coat the same side with breadcrumbs. Press on the crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the eggplant, breaded side up on the baking sheets in a single layer.

4. Lightly spray the top of the eggplant slices with the vegetable oil spray. Bake until the top of the eggplant are crisp and golden, about 30 minutes, rotating and switching the backing sheets halfway through.

5. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer in half of the eggplant slices, breaded side up, overlapping the slices to fit. Distribute 1/2 cup of the sauce over the eggplant , sprinkle with half of the mozzarella. Layer in the remaining eggplant, breaded side up, and dot with 1 cup of the sauce, leaving the majority of the eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp; sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and the cheese is browned, about 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with basil and serve, passing the remaining sauce and Parmesan.

Quick Tomato Sauce for Eggplant Parm

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

4 medium garlic cloves minced

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp olive oil

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 C minced fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper

Process the tomatoes with their juices in a food processor until mostly smooth, 15 to 20 pulses; set aside. Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 25 minutes. Off the heat stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.

Eggplant Parm Nutrition Information: Cal 330; Fat 9g; Sat Fat 4g; Chol 15mg; Carb 40; Protein 22g; Fiber 6g; Sodium 1529mg

Tomato Sauce Nutrition Information: (1/4 cup serving) - Cal 25; Fat 0g; Sat Fat 0g; Chol 0g; Carb 4g; Protein 1g; Fiber 0g; Sodium 220mg

Rating = So Damn Good

PS - If you have left over baked eggplant they make for an awesome eggplant panini melt the next day.

Tonno e Fagioli (Tuna and Bean Salad)

So, if you have already checked out the new Cooking Channel, then you probably have seen one of there shows, David Rocco's Dolce Vita. I'm in love with this show strictly for the scenery and the easy Italian recipes that he showcases. Chris hates this show because the way they shoot the show, camera wise would give anyone with the most remote inner ear issues vertigo. I tape the show and watch when I have time. Recently I watched an episode where David made Tonno e Fagioli, Tuna and Bean salad. I ran to the pantry, tuna: check, beans: check, fresh herbs in the garden: check. I made it slightly different than he did, in that I didn't use an obscene amount of olive oil in mine and used whatever herbs needed a little cleaning up in the garden, and I used to kinds of beans, not just one. Here's what I did.

Tonno e Fagioli

1(15oz) can Cannellini Beans (drained, rinsed)

1 (15oz) can Garbanzo Beans (drained, rinsed)

2 cans tuna (use whatever you like, dark or light, in oil or in water)

Fresh herbs - I think I used sage, parsley, thyme and rosemary (see how I wouldn't list them in the order the song puts them in)

olive oil (drizzle however much you want to put on to coat the beans and tuna)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for a couple hours. Mmm. This is a great dish to bring to a cookout because there isn't any mayonnaise to worry about, plus its chock full of great protein to make you strong like bull.

Rating = Damn Good

Mango Salsa

I think the thing I miss most about being young now that I'm married, and an adult is that you don't get your own bedroom anymore. Remember when the bedroom was all yours, and you could decorate it however you felt, shake your ass to the radio while singing in front of the mirror, and just spend time in a space completely dedicated to you. There are not too many things I miss about growing up, but that for sure is one of them. Maybe I really don't miss the actual having my own bedroom part, maybe I miss the luxury of spending time in the bedroom, without the strappings of responsibility found throughout the rest of the house. I really only use the bedroom to sleep - remember when it was so much more, it's where your friends hung out, where you did homework, wrote in your journal. I now spend most of my time in the kitchen, and if my younger self could look at me now, I think she'd be amazed that I know where the kitchen is, let alone make creations in it. So, now, I guess the kitchen is my bedroom, it's where I spend most of my time, sing to the radio, spend time with friends. How we change.

Mango Salsa
I got the inspiration for this recipe from Simply Recipes and yes, I used my very own home grown jalapenos and cucumbers in the recipe.

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cup) 

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 Jalapeño chile, minced (include ribs and seeds for a hotter taste if desired)
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (as always, I always include the zest of the fruit)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the salsa ends up being a little too hot or acidic for your taste, you can temper it by adding some diced avocado.

Rating = Damn Good

Maine Voyage | Lobster Corn Chowder with Mussels and Clams

Its that time of year again. The trip to Bar Island to visit my aunt Julie and all the characters north of Ellsworth. I look forward to this trip so much every year, it's transports me to a place where my Blackberry refuses to get service and happy hour never starts later than four On The Dot. An amazing landscape that reminds you that this earth was carved out of the awesome power of mother nature, and her bounty is plentiful and giving if you treat it with respect and only take what you need.


The meal above was the culmination of more than one fishing expedition, but it started like this.

We started by sitting on the rocks, still radiating heat from the days full sun, sipping beverages and snacking on appetizers, dinner was crabmeat salad and lots and lots of wine.

The next day proved to be just as beautiful, with bright blazing sun, we took the boat out to catch a glimpse of the Puffins, famous in this area this time of year. They didn't disappoint. But, the highlight was waiting for low tide so I could strap on the muck boots and rake for mussels for dinner. 

 

This is what happens when you don't watch your footing... you do the horrible dead leg stuck in the mud dance for a good ten minutes while your loving husband laughs and points at you.

But then, you free yourself (and hopefully your boot) and start to working.

And when your done raking and debearding and washing you steam them and then good Lordy you put them in the smoker and make smoked mussels which if you haven't had you're really missing out on something.

The next morning proved to be rainy and overcast, but the weather broke just long enough for us to head out and catch up with Bill, the lobsterman and watch him and his sternman pull traps for a few hours. 

This is the view from the back of the boat.

This is a beautiful example of an egg bearing female. In Maine if you find a female loaded with eggs like this, you have to notch her and throw her back and she can never be caught and kept, she must always be put back into the water to help with reproduction. This is one of the prime reasons that the Maine lobstering community is doing so well; the population of lobster isn't depleted there like it is in Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, this lobster can be pulled from the water, loaded with eggs and brought to the pound and sold. Take note Massachusetts, start instituting some best practices and maybe you won't be faced with a 5 year lobstering ban due to reduced lobster populations.

You can see in the picture above that her tail doesn't have any notches in it. Below you can see that we have notched her tail so she is never in danger of being removed from the ocean.

Another best practice in Maine is the policy that you have to throw back lobsters of a certain size, too large or too small lobsters must all be put back into the ocean, the small ones because they are not ready yet, and the oversized large ones because of their ability to fertilize the eggs of females. Below is a picture of them measuring the lobster to make sure it meets the standards.

This one is the perfect size, but the guy below is going for a ride right back into the drink.

The weekend was filled with many other memorable moments, but onto the recipe...which I found online, I adapted the William Sonoma Recipe, choosing this one because it utilized the shells and body to make a homemade lobster broth.

Lobster Corn Chowder with Mussels and Clams (adapted from William Sonoma)

1 tbsp Canola Oil

4 cups of water
1 cup of clam stock (I used the stock from steaming the clams, or just buy bottled)
3 ears of corn, kernels removed (and corn cobs reserved)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 cups of milk (or cream)
1 cups of dry vermouth (or wine, sherry)
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced into 1/2" cubes
1/2 jalapeno seeded, deveined and diced small
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh chives
(I also added some left over clams and mussels from the previous day)

Fill a large pot wiht 2" water, set over high heat and bring to a boil; add lobsters, cover and cook until lobsters are red, about 7 minutes. Transfer lobsters to a large ice bath to cool. Remove meat from claws, knuckles and tails and refrigerate meat until ready to use. Reserve shells and bodies.

In a large pot over high heat, warm oil. Add reserved lobster shells and bodies and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add water and clam juice (you can also use the broth from the lobster), vermouth (or wine/sherry), and corn cobs. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 25 - 30 minutes.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat the onion, carrots, celery and corn kernels and jalapeno, and saute stirring until tender, 4 - 5 minutes.

Strain lobster - corn cob broth into Dutch oven, add milk and vermouth and bring to a simmer. Stir in potatoes, return to a simmer and reduce heat to a medium-low. Cook until potatoes are tender - about 15 - 20 minutes. Stir in lobster meat, (mussles and clams), salt, pepper, thyme and chives. Cook stirring occasionally until lobster is heated through, 2 - 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Rating = So Damn Good 

Meet the Famous "Avocado Lime Dip"

This is the dip that made all the ladies swoon and say..."ooh, you have to post this recipe". For those of you who haven't tried it, do yo'self a favor and make a batch, and for the ladies who did try it at my house, leave a post to say how much it rocked.


This is another recipe ripped from the pages of Vegetable Planet. 


Avocado Lime Dip


1 Haas avocado peeled and pitted
3 tbsp lime juice (I used the zest of the lime as well)
3 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp ground coriander
1 garlic clove minced
3 tsp canola oil (the recipe called for 1/4 cup which I thought was obnoxious.
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
(I also added a little fresh mined jalapeno)


In a food processor combine lime juice, zest, sour cream, cilantro, coriander and garlic. Blend well. With processor still running add the oil (I actually think because I lowered the amount so much you can just add in the first step). Mix in salt and pepper to taste.


This can be stored (covered) in the fridge for 5 days.


Rating = So God Damn Good


Oh, 
PS
Wanna feel old, it's the 20th anniversary of Mariah Carey's first album. Gulp.