Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana & Picky Eater

Are your children picky eaters? If they are, you know what you have to go through every day to feed them. You learn to become creative with what you serve them and how you present it. I have to admit, it is exhausting to have to do it day in and day out. My lovely daughter Olivia is one of those kids who is very difficult to feed nutritious meals. She adores everything with tomato sauce on it, so I am trying to come up with all the things that I can add and disguise in the sauce. One of the things she really enjoys is eggplant Parmesan. I've been making it for a long time now and have several great recipes but this one is my favorite. It's healthy, easy to prepare and delicious. It does not require breading or frying, the eggplant is simply grilled and served with easy tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. If you have a picky eater in your household, give it a try, you might want to cut grilled eggplant in smaller pieces to disguise it, if your child does not like it. I hope you'll give it a try and enjoy it as much as we do!



Here is the recipe:

* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
* 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
* 1/2 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/4 cup)
* 4 small Italian eggplants (1/2 pound each)
* 16 thin slices whole-milk mozzarella (from a 1-lb block; not fresh)

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic and red-pepper flakes, stirring, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and salt and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and parmesan.

Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over moderate heat.

Trim 1/4 inch off 2 opposite long sides of each eggplant. Cut each eggplant lengthwise (in same direction as trimmed sides so each slice has skin just around edge) into 4 slices. Brush slices with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

Grill eggplant, covered, turning over once, until tender, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a work surface.

Spread top of each slice with about 1 tablespoon tomato sauce and top with a slice of mozzarella, then restack each eggplant. Transfer stacks to a shallow baking pan and grill, covered, just until cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.

Moussaka

I'm officially a blogging slacker! I can't believe that I didn't post anything for a week, it's not like I wasn't cooking! Well, enough procrastinating... As I mentioned in previous post, I love fall. I am so excited to be able to cook more soups and casseroles. One of my favorites is Greek Moussaka. Moussaka is a casserole of eggplant and ground lamb with onion and tomatoes bound with white sauce and beaten eggs. I've made some changes to the classic recipe, first I left out the white sauce and second I did not use lamb. Leaving out the white sauce made it much lighter and since we are not lamb eaters I've used ground beef. The base recipe is by Tyler Florence.



* 3 large eggplants
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 lemon, sliced in thin circles
* 1 handful fresh oregano leaves, chopped
* 2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
* 2 pounds ground lamb (I used ground beef)
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
* 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

To prepare the eggplants: Cut off the stems, remove the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season all the pieces of eggplant with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat a large skillet with oil and heat over medium flame. Fry the eggplant in a single layer, turning once, until brown on both sides- you will need to do this in batches, adding more oil, as necessary. Drain the eggplant as they cook on a paper towel-lined platter.

Add a little more oil to the pan and toss in the onion, garlic, lemon slices, oregano, and parsley. Cook and stir until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the ground lamb, stirring to break up the meat; season with salt and pepper, and toss in the cinnamon stick. Stir in the tomato paste and hand-crushed tomatoes. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with 1/3 of the eggplant slices; they should completely cover the bottom with no gaps. Spread 1/2 of the meat sauce over the eggplant, evening it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the feta and Parmesan. Repeat the layers again, ending with a final layer of eggplant. Cover the top with a nice even layer of bread crumbs. Bake the moussaka for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Breakfast Pasta-Take Two

So, I mentioned in my previous post that you can bake the leftovers of my breakfast pasta and make a casserole. I happen to have some pasta left from last night and decided to make it for breakfast. I just added 1/4 of heavy cream, mixed it together, put in a dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Baked it in the oven till heated through and brown on top. All the ingredients are already cooked so you are only re-heating it. It took about 25 minutes in 375'F. Take two was even better than the original. I love the variety of different textures, with soft pasta in the middle and crispy top...sooo delicious!

Chicken Chilaquiles

Chicken Chilaquiles
This is one of my favorite recipes.It comes from Cooking Light, July 2007 issue. If you like mexican food, this is "must try"



* 2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers, divided
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 (11-ounce) can tomatillos, drained
* 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
* 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
* Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine chicken, green onions, 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, Parmesan, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Place milk and next 3 ingredients (through chiles) in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Pour 1/3 cup tomatillo mixture into bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 corn tortillas in dish, and top with half of chicken mixture. Repeat layer with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture, ending with tortillas.

Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups tomatillo mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until bubbly.