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.