Eggplant Parmigiana

AMAZING. One of my favorites without a doubt. Absolutely delicious. I used my mom's eggplant and tomatoes. The recipe came from The Fit Cook and I am definitely going to have to check out more of her recipes now. I could go on forever about how awesome this is... make it, eat it, love it.

1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (I also peel mine)
1 medium tomato, sliced
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (or mozzarella)
1/2 c Panko
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 egg
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta
1/4 c fat free cottage cheese
salt/pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the eggplant, peel it if you want, then slice it into 1/2-inch rounds. Lay the eggplant on a cutting board and sprinkle with salt. Let the eggplant sit 5 minutes: the salt will draw bitter liquid out of the eggplant. Pat dry with a paper towel. Flip and repeat.

Beat the egg in a shallow dish or bowl and set aside. In a separate shallow dish or bowl, whisk together the bread crumbs, Panko, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. While the pan comes up to temperature, pat the eggplant dry with a paper towel. Pass each slice through the egg, then through the bread crumbs. Place the eggplant in the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Drizzle with extra olive oil before flipping them over. Cook the second side another 5 minutes.

While the eggplant cooks, combine the ricotta and cottage cheese; stir a little salt and pepper into the it as well. Set aside. Wash the tomato, then cut it into 1/4-inch slices.

Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet that has been lined with foil. Top half of the eggplant slices with a little of the cheese mixture, then top with another slice of eggplant. Place a slice of tomato over the eggplant, and sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp parmesan or mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden.

** I highly recommend not using a tomato sauce on top! The tomato slice was so juicy and delicious. Try it without first, and if you feel like you must have marinara, then add it. :)

Original recipe found here.

7/10/15 - Always a summertime fave!

Laura's Cobb Salad

This is my Mimi's Cafe inspired cobb salad. I like going to Mimi's when I want a big, delicious salad... specifically their cobb salad. It comes with bacon, turkey, avocado, green onions, egg, tomatoes, and crumbled bleu cheese. I always order it without the bacon and turkey and get fat-free balsamic vinaigrette. Their lettuce is always so fresh and it's a really big bowl of good quality lettuce, with excellent fresh toppings lined up across the salad. YUM.

So, that's the back-story for this salad I made for lunch today. It was AMAZING. I was like... "Man, I could eat this EVERY DAY!!" Again, this isn't really a recipe, I'm just sharing with you what I had for lunch. This is my version of their awesome salad. I had to skip the avocado because mine were not ripe yet. Maybe next time.

lettuce
2 tbsp turkey bacon bits
3 tbsp red-fat crumbled feta
diced tomatoes
1 tbsp sliced almonds
4 green onions, sliced
1 hard-boiled egg, diced
fat-free balsamic dressing (or whatev)

Roasted Okra

I knew by reading the reviews on the original recipe page that this was going to be amazing. People were even saying this is better than fried okra. It's pretty awesome. I also tried an oven "fried" okra last week, which was also amazing. I love both okra recipes, but this one doesn't require as much prep time!

Only bad thing is, okra shrinks up! I used 23 okra things and it ended up being enough for me and Will to each have a good serving. But I want bigger servings! We want to be able to eat bowls of this. So I have requested double (or three times) the amount of okra for next time. :)

20 fresh okra pods, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt/pepper, each
2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put sliced okra in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil and toss. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder, toss. Cover a baking sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray, and place okra on sheet. Bake 20-25 min until okra is a little crispy. Yum!

Light Asian Salad

Well, this isn't really a recipe... just a quick salad I threw together for lunch today. But it was sooo good I wanted to share and it's only 240 calories! It was so big and it took me forever to eat. Also, let's face it, I have the time...

Lettuce (whatever kind you like)
1 pkg mandarin oranges (packed in water)
1 small cucumber, diced
water chesnuts (I used about 10)
2 tbsp sliced almonds
3 tbsp red-fat crumbled feta
2 green onions, sliced
sesame seeds (couple sprinkles)
2 tbsp Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame dressing

This really doesn't need instructions. You know, lettuce, toppings, dressing... etc. :)

Taco "Cupcakes"

UPDATE 7/17/2013: At the suggestion of my friend Sarah, I baked the bottom wontons for a few minutes before assembling the cupcakes for added crispiness. It made a huge difference! I posted a picture from tonight below - you can tell a difference even in the picture I think. I changed the directions in the recipe as well. Thanks Sarah!

No doubt if you're on Pinterest you've seen these floating around for a while now. I tried the mini lasagna cups back in March and loved them. I just don't see how anyone wouldn't like these. Fun to make too!

 7/17/13 - Baked bottom wontons prior to assembling! Crispy!

1 lb lean ground beef (or chicken, turkey, whatevs)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can black beans, drained/rinsed
24 wonton wrappers (Kroger has these in the organic refrigerated section, next to the tofu)
1/2 c queso dip
1 c chunky salsa
2 c shredded Mexican cheese, red-fat
green onions, chopped
guacamole/sour cream for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12 muffin cups and set aside. Brown ground beef in pan, add taco seasoning & black beans. Let cook for a couple minutes and remove from heat.

Push 1 wonton wrapper into the bottom of each muffin cup. Bake these wontons for 3-5 minutes in the oven. This will help them get crispy. Next, spoon a little queso onto the wonton and spread it on the bottom. Follow by spooning a little bit of beef/bean mixture on top. Remember, you're going to be doing two layers here, so only use a little. Spoon a little salsa on top of that, and then sprinkle just a little cheese. Now do it again! Press another wonton wrapper on top of each one and repeat the steps on each cupcake - queso, meat/beans, salsa, cheese. Bake about 20 min until golden brown and sprinkle with green onions! Let cool 5 min in the pan before removing taco cups, and top with whatever taco toppings you want.

The link to the original recipe (below) has great step-by-step pictures!

Original recipe found here.