Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Hopefully all this time around my dad will eventually rub off on Johnny and he'll learn that real men can cook. (Fingers crossed.)

The other night my dad whipped up a meat sauce using his Italian sausage, leftover roast beef, and leftover pork. It was really hearty and thick. In fact, we ate it two nights and I froze about a quart of it too!



And the one part of the meal I was in charge of, boiling the spaghetti, ended up like this. (Yes, I threw it out b/c our floors are currently filthy.)

Healthy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

If you're not interested in a healthy version, my usual fried version can be found here.

This was kind of a science experiment of a dish. I wasn't sure what would or wouldn't work, but I'm happy to report that it turned out well enough to share with you guys!

I started with my usual way of doing things, and made some healthy substitutions along the way, both in the ingredients and cooking methods used.

3 medium to large eggplants
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
1 24 oz. jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Begin by washing and slicing your eggplant in 1/4" thick pieces. Lay out on baking dishes and sprinkle with Kosher salt to draw out some of the moisture.

While the eggplant sits, combine the flours, salt, and pepper in a large, flat Tupperware style container. In another large, flat container, whisk together the eggs, skim milk, salt, and pepper.

Use a few paper towels to firmly pat down the eggplant, grabbing any excess moisture that has been drawn out. (I only did one side because I'm lazy.) Preheat the oven to 375°.

Start your assembly line, which will go like this: a feather light dusting of the flour mixture on the eggplant, a dunk into the egg mixture, and another feather light coating of the flour mixture. Lay the battered eggplant pieces on a greased baking pan. Pop the pan in the oven, and continue with the eggplant pieces until all are battered, on a sheet, and in the oven. Each pan should bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the eggplant has softened and the batter is browned (at least on the bottom).

Mix the jar of sauce with the water to thin it out a little bit (helps with easier spreading). Grab a very large casserole dish and spread the bottom with a thin layer of sauce. Remove the first pan of eggplant put in the oven. Lay the pieces out in the casserole dish. Pour 1/3 of the remaining sauce overtop, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and a few Tbsp of the Parmesan. Remove the second pan of eggplant put in the oven, and repeat the process. Finally, remove the last pan of eggplant from the oven and lower the temperature to 300°. Repeat the layering process, omitting the cheese, using your spatula to firmly press down the layers. Pop back into the oven, covered for 30-45 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Remove the foil, sprinkle the last of the cheese, and finish under the broiler.

Serves 5-6. Reheats well. You can also assemble and freeze the dish before baking. When ready to bake, just thaw and bake until the sauce is bubbling.

I'm not going to lie, this is a tedious dish to make, with a lot of hands-on time. It took me about an hour and a half from washing the eggplant to popping the assembled casserole into the oven for the final bake. I personally love the battered eggplant, but if the coating isn't your thing, you could certainly skip the battering steps and just roast slices of eggplant and make the dish the same way from that point on.

It's definitely worth the effort, though!

Video Demonstration: Sausage Stuffed Peppers

I was surprised to find a huge box on my door step Friday! Inside were three bottles of Newman's Own salad dressings, three jars of Newman's Own sauce, a flip HD camera, two coupons for Newman's Own frozen pizza, and instructions to make a short video.


The video instructions were simple enough:

• demonstrate a meal that could be cooked in 30 minutes or less
• showcase at least one Newman's Own product

I could do that! And I already had just the recipe in mind:




Sausage Stuffed Peppers

4 bell peppers
1 onion
1 lb. sausage
1 handful mozzarella cheese
1 jar Newman's Own sauce

Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Wash and cut the peppers in half lengthwise, removing the seeds and membrane. Chop the onion. Carefully put the 8 pepper halves in the boiling water, return to a boil. Place the onion and the sausage in a high sided skillet and cook over medium heat until the sausage is no longer pink. Turn off both burners. Stir in a big handful of cheese with the sausage and onions. Turn the oven on to 350°. Drain the peppers and place in a large baking dish. Spoon equal amounts of the sausage mixture into each pepper. Top with about 1/4 cup of Newman's Own sauce. Cover baking dish with foil and place in the oven for about 10 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy!

The Newman's Own products and flip HD camera were received complimentary as part of a video demo promotion through Newman's Own and FoodBuzz. The recipe and opinions are my own.

Pasta with Cauliflower Sauce

There really is no story for this recipe. I was browsing around for menu plan ideas and it caught my eye. Not very interesting, sorry!

The original can be found here. My adapted version is below.

1 pound pasta of your choice
3 Tbsp olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
~2-3 cups baby spinach
pepper, to taste

In a large, deep skillet, add the olive oil. Cook the garlic and onion for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the cauliflower, stock, and herbs, bringing to a boil. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Mash with a potato masher. Stir in the baby spinach. Let simmer while the pasta cooks to reduce.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once boiling, salt the water and add the pasta. Cook until al dente.

Add the cheese to the sauce, and stir to incorporate. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Mix everything with tongs in the large skillet. Serves 5-6.

This was really yummy! I love cauliflower, but would never think to pair it with pasta. I added a lot of black pepper, so it had a pretty nice kick to it. Feel free to spice it up with any other herbs or spices, depending on your personal preferences.

Salmon in Lemon Brodetto with Pea Puree

One of my Twitter friends tweeted a picture of their dinner a few weeks ago and it was beautiful! I asked about the recipe, and she happily sent it over for me.

I knew I had salmon fillets in the freezer, so on a whim I decided to make this semi-ambitious dinner on a weeknight. It came together easier than I expected, and really packs a lot of great flavors and plates nicely.

Johnny was really impressed when he came downstairs to see what was going on. Then when he started eating he could not stop complimenting the dish. Every bite he took meant new praises were on their way. He even dared to say it made it to the Top 10 best dishes I've cooked, maybe even the Top 5. That is saying a lot from a self-proclaimed seafood hater.

I followed this recipe pretty closely, which I'll list below with my small edits.

Bordetto:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, diced (I used a small onion)
2 lemons, juiced
1 lemon, zested
2 cups broth (I used vegetable)

Pea Puree:
2 cups frozen peas
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Salmon:
4 fillets
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

For the bordetto, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the shallot (onion), sauteeing until tender and fragrant. Add the lemon juice, zest, and broth. Simmer uncovered to let the sauce reduce some.

Thaw and heat the peas. Reserve a few tablespoons for garnish. Puree the remainder of the peas and ingredients in a food processor or using a stick blender. (Note: I then chose to keep this warm in a small skillet, which helped reduce the raw garlic flavor which I thought was a bit strong for our tastes.)

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Grease a pan with olive oil and cook until the salmon is done, about 3 minutes per side. (I used the Griddler, eliminating flipping and making grill marks.)


To plate, spoon the lemon bordetto on the bottom of a plate. Place a salmon fillet in the middle. Scoop a healthy dollup of pea puree on the salmon. Garnish the plate with a few whole peas.

Top Chef fans will be happy to know that I made my own pea puree, I did not steal it!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sorry, this isn't the golden fried chicken nuggets and bright red, sugary sauce of Chinese take-out's familiar sweet and sour chicken (as pictured below).

(Source)

Below is my attempt at a healthy version. I was really pleased with it, personally. I liked it better than the too-sweet take-out version.

Johnny's partial to the "real deal," since this is his favorite menu item. But as a healthy substitute, he admitted it was good, too.

3 thin sliced chicken breasts
salt and pepper, to taste
20 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice not syrup! (reserve juice)
1 green pepper
1/2 cup ketchup (read the label and avoid added sugars)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup cold water
3 cups cooked rice, white or brown

Cook your preference of rice according to package instructions.

In a medium stock pot, add the pineapple juice, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic powder, whisking to combine. Wash and cut the green pepper and add to the pot. Bring to a simmer, and cover.

Salt and pepper your chicken breast and cook until done. A little sear on the outside will add an extra layer of flavor to the dish. Cut into bite sized pieces.

Thoroughly combine the corn starch and cold water. Slowly whisk into the sauce, avoiding any lumps. Add the pineapple tidbits and return the cover, letting it return to a simmer to thicken.

Serve the chicken and sauce over the rice. Make sure to scoop plenty of the peppers and pineapple pieces over top, too. Serves 4-5.

As I said above, I preferred this version because it was more savory. The ginger, garlic powder. and rice vinegar added some great depths of flavor to the sauce and the only sweetness you get is from the pineapple's inclusion. There's a bit more "tang" than "sweet," which is how I think it should be.

A great weeknight dinner to replace a night you would have had take-out. Save yourself a few (hundred) calories and make this version!

Wine Fig Sauce

In planning my dinner party menu, I knew I needed a sauce to accompany the duck. I was trying to stick with a late summer-early fall theme and thought figs, since they are a favorite of mine.

I'm not a huge fan of fruits being used in savory dishes, so adding wine and stock help balance this without making it a sweet sauce.

1 carrot
1/2 small onion
1 stalk celery
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 bottle red wine
3-4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups figs, quartered (fresh or dried)
2 Tbsp butter

Begin by mincing the carrot, onion, and celery to make a mirpoux. Cook in olive oil with salt and pepper until soft. Add the red wine and reduce. Add the stock and figs, continuing to reduce, stirring in more stock as needed.

A few minutes before serving, whisk in the butter to finish the sauce and give it a nice sheen.