Ratatouille – Baked with Eggs

I seriously can't believe that I had never had ratatouille before last week! I went to eat dinner with my mom at Giamoco's we got a few small plates. My favorite was the ratatouille with a fried egg on top. I decided to make my own the next day and instead of frying the egg, I baked it on top of the ratatouille. It turned out great!!

Ratatouille – Baked with Eggs

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant – chopped into about ½ inch pieces

1 large or 2 small zucchini - chopped into about ½ inch pieces

¼ sweet onion - chopped

2 cloves garlic - minced

1 can diced tomatoes

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 eggs

Basil – 2 tablespoons

Rosemary – ½ teaspoon - chopped

Thyme – 1 teaspoon - chopped

Oregano – 1 teaspoon – chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Pepper

Directions:

In a colander, mix eggplant pieces with kosher salt. Let sit for 20 minutes to remove excess water.

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onions for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and let simmer for 1 minute. Add in the eggplant and zucchini and season with salt and pepper.

Add the can of diced tomatoes, ¾ can of water, and the seasonings (reserve ½ of the basil)

Bring to a boil and then partially cover and simmer for 20 – 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Preheat oven to 450.

Spoon the ratatouille into a baking dish. Top with the eggs and cheese. Bake for 4-6 minutes. Remove from oven and top with fresh basil and ground black pepper.

Chickpea "Chicken" Salad

Chickpea “Chicken” Salad

The other night I was looking for this mock chicken salad at whole foods. Sadly they didn't carry it so I decided to make my own. Seriously, it is my new favorite food! I even packed it for lunch tomorrow and I do not eat leftovers for lunch like ever! It is so easy to make you have got to try it! 

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas – reduced sodium

5 tablespoons veganise or earth balance (vegan mayo – can be found at whole foods)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

5 celery stalks – stems removed

1/6^th of a sweet onion

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

¾ tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons paprika

Sprinkle of mustard powder

Option- grapes

Directions:

Rinse and drain chickpeas. Heat the chickpeas in boiling water on the stove for 3 minutes and drain.

In a food processor, chop the onion and celery.

In a large bowl add; onions, celery, veganise or mayo of choice, mustard, and seasonings. Add the chickpeas and use a masher to smash some of them (keep about ¾ of the chickpeas whole). Stir and season to taste.

Can be served on top of toasted bread or a bed of lettuce.  

Quinoa Broccoli Mac & Cheese

Quinoa Broccoli Mac & Cheese

 

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli – cut into florets and steamed

1 cup quinoa

2 ½ cups water

2 eggs

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp smartbalance

1 cup milk

1 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup panko bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

To cook quinoa, heat in sauce pan with 2 ½ cup water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.

Melt the smartbalance over saucepan. Add the flour and stir. Add the milk and cheese and stir until melted. Combine the cheese mixture, quinoa, eggs, and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour into a baking pan and top with panko bread crumbs. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes (until the top is slightly browned).

Let cool for a few minutes after removing from microwave.

Mix in the eggs, seasonings, ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Spoon about 2 ½ tablespoons into each muffin pan. Press around to make a cup-like form. Make sure that it is the same thickness all around.

Bake for 21 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes and remove from muffin pan. If you have trouble getting them out of the pan, place in the freezer for a few minutes and this should make it easier to remove them.

Heat over to broil and grease a baking sheet. Put the crusts on a baking sheet and broil for 4 minutes.

Remove from oven and spoon some sauce into each crust and top with tomatoes and remaining cheese.

Broil for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven and top each pizza with fresh basil.

Cauliflower Pizza Bites

Cauliflower Pizza Bites

 Last night I went to Pinot's Palette and I brought the food. I wanted to bring something appetizeryish, healthy, and tasty. I made cauliflower crust pizza a few weeks ago. It smelled AMAZING and tasted also AMAZING but I did not get the crust crusty enough so it ended up like a soggy casserole. I experimented with the crust until I found the perfect way. I like making these in the muffin pan because the smaller they are, the thicker they can be and still stay together. Here is the recipe:

 

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

2 eggs

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (divided into ¾ cup and ¼ cup)

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 tbsp onion powder

2 ½ tbsp dried oregano

2 ½ tbsp dried basil

Olive oil

Toppings:

Jarred pasta sauce – I like HEB brand Tomato Basil

Cherry tomatoes – cut in halves

Fresh Basil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.  Generously spray a muffin dish with nonstick cooking spray or lightly coat in olive oil.

Cut up the cauliflower and put pieces in food processor to chop. Don’t over chop or it will get too watery. I did this step in about 6 batches. After all the cauliflower is chopped, put in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes after removing from microwave.

Mix in the eggs, seasonings, ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Spoon about 2 ½ tablespoons into each muffin pan. Press around to make a cup-like form. Make sure that it is the same thickness all around.

Bake for 21 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes and remove from muffin pan. If you have trouble getting them out of the pan, place in the freezer for a few minutes and this should make it easier to remove them.

Heat over to broil and grease a baking sheet. Put the crusts on a baking sheet and broil for 4 minutes.

Remove from oven and spoon some sauce into each crust and top with tomatoes and remaining cheese.

Broil for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven and top each pizza with fresh basil.

Golden Zuchinni Casserole

Golden Zucchini Casserole

I found some golden zucchini and something called a flying saucer at the farmers market. I decided to stray away from my normal purchases of kale and tomato and give them a try. The golden zucchini tastes and looks like a mix between squash and zucchini. You really could use any kind of squash to make this recipe. It can be served alone, over a bed of greens, as a side dish, or we had it over pasta. 

 

Ingredients:

1 large golden zucchini, or two smaller zucchinis or squash

¾ cup whole wheat flour

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 jar of pasta sauce – we used a spicy marinara

1/3 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

¼ cup roughly torn fresh basil

1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cooking Spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Slice the zucchini into ¼ inch slices and then cut in half so they are half circle shaped.

 

Dredge the zucchini in whole wheat flour.  Heat the olive oil on medium-high in a skillet. Cook the zucchini for 2 minutes on each side.

Remove the zucchini from the skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate to dry off the excess liquid. 

 

In the casserole dish, layer the zucchini, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil, and then the parmesan cheese.  

 

Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

We enjoyed it served over pasta.

 

Golden Zucchini Casserole 

Servings: about 2

Ingredients:

1 large golden zucchini, or two smaller zucchinis or squash

¾ cup whole wheat flour

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 jar of pasta sauce – we used a spicy marinara

1/3 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

¼ cup roughly torn fresh basil

1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cooking Spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Slice the zucchini into ¼ inch slices and then cut in half so they are half circle shaped.

Dredge the zucchini in whole wheat flour.  Heat the olive oil on medium-high in a skillet. Cook the zucchini for 2 minutes on each side.

Remove the zucchini from the skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate to dry off the excess liquid.

In the casserole dish, layer the zucchini, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil, and then the parmesan cheese.  

Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Strawberry Orange Muffins

Strawberry Orange Muffins

Recipe adapted from My Recipes

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup halved strawberries

2 tablespoons smartbalance

1 ½ tablespoon grated orange rind

2 eggs

1 cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup all purpose flour

3 tablespoons fat free milk

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Fresh orange juice squeezed from half of the orange

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a food processor, chop the orange rind into tiny pieces. Add in the eggs and pulse for about 2 seconds.  

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add in the egg and orange rind mixture, the orange juice, and milk. Stir until well combined – may need to add a little more milk if the mixture is too dry.

Fold in the strawberries. Pour batter into muffin pan. I like bigger muffins so I made 10 generous sized muffins instead of 12.

Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Spring Pea Pasta

Spring Pea Pasta

Ingredients:

Homemade Fettuccini Noodles – 2 servings or can use box noodles

1 tablespoon smart balance

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 garlic gloves – minced

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons fresh shaved – roughly chopped

1 ½ cup peas

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Make your pasta or boil noodles according to directions. 

  To make the sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the SmartBalance. 
 

  Add the flour and stir for one minute. Add the minced garlic, lower heat and stir for 2 minutes.

  Slowly add in the vegetable broth, whisk until smooth. Season with sage, salt, and pepper.

 

To assemble the pasta: Add the noodles, peas, and top with parmesan cheese. 

 

Serve with a crusty slice of French bread and enjoy your tasty springtime pasta!  

Spring Pea Pasta

Ingredients:

Homemade Fettuccini Noodles – 2 servings or can use box noodles

1 tablespoon smart balance

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 garlic gloves – minced

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons fresh shaved – roughly chopped

1 ½ cup peas

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Make your pasta or boil noodles according to directions.

To make the sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the SmartBalance. Add the flour and stir for one minute. Add the minced garlic, lower heat and stir for 2 minutes. Slowly add in the vegetable broth, whisk until smooth. Season with sage, salt, and pepper.

To assemble the pasta: Add the noodles, peas, and top with parmesan cheese.