Fresh Tomato Sauce

This is a great sauce to eat with any prepared Italian dish. Or I just ate the leftovers by spoonful it was so good! The picture for this sauce is with the Eggplant Parmesan. It is not too hard to make, just make sure you give yourself time to let it simmer for about 40 minutes. I actually liked it better the next day once all the seasonings settled.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil

6-7 ripe tomatoes

¾ cup dicedcarrots

1 cup dicedcelery

2 clovesgarlic – minced

¼ sweet onion –chopped

2 bay leafs

½ to ¾ cup water

Dried oreganoand basil – about 1 tablespoon each

1-teaspoonsugar

3 dashes salt

2 dashespepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a Dutchoven or big pan. Add celery, onion and carrots. Let cook on medium low and stirfor 4-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook on low for 2 more minutes.

Cut shallow x’s at thebottom of each tomato to make the peeling process easier. Boil water in amedium saucepan. Once the water is boiling, add the tomatoes for 2 minutes.

Put ice and water in alarge bowl, add the tomatoes. Carefully peel the tomatoes and place in a foodprocessor. Pulse until a smooth/chucky consistency. Set tomatoes aside.

Put the celery/ carrot/onion mixture into food processor for 30 seconds and then put back into Dutchoven. Add tomatoes, water, bay leafs, oregano, basil, and sugar to the mixture.Simmer low for 35-45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:

1/3 eggplant sliced into ¼ inch thin slices

¼ cup whole wheat bread crumbs

¾ cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon salt (plus extra for prep)

1 egg

1 teaspoon pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

6-8 fresh basil leaves

¾ cup tomato sauce (I used homemade but you can use whatever you have on hand)

Grated parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

Rub about ½ tablespoon kosher salt on eggplant and place in a colander for 20 minutes to drain out the excess water. Then pat out excess water with paper towels (triple layered).

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In one bowl, combine bread crumbs, flour, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, crack open and stir egg.

Dip each eggplant slice first into the egg and then dredge in the flour mixture. Repeat this process twice.

Heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat in a skillet. Once heated, place the eggplant slices in the skillet. Cook on each side for 4 minutes.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Put a layer of tomato sauce in the cooking dish and then lay the eggplant on top. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Top with mozzarella cheese, increase oven heat to 425 and bake for another minute and a half. Remove from oven and top with fresh basil and parmesan che

Zucchini Artichoke Quinoa

This could be served as a main entree or as a side dish with fish or chicken. It is really tasty and easy to make! It only took me about 30 minutes. This is a great summer entree and way to get in some veggies : )

 Zucchini Artichoke Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ext. virgin olive oil

1/2 cup long grain brown rice

¼ cup quinoa

1 ½ cups vegetable broth (reserve ¼ cup for after cooking the rice)

1 bay leaf

1 cup grated parmesan cheese (reserve ¼ cup to top when serving)

1 zucchini – grate with cheese grater

2- 4 artichoke hearts – cut into ½ inch pieces

1 tablespoon chopped basil

salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan. Add the brown rice and quinoa. Toss to coat the grains and toast for 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable broth (make sure your reserve ¼ cup) and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 20-23 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. Add in the zucchini, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Serve and top with fresh basil and shredded cheese.

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.