This is how we rollatini

Eggplant is another one of those foods that I was truly petrified of. Those big purple odd-shaped vegetables would stare me down as I walked through the produce aisle, taunting me as if to say "Hey lady, you can't handle me!" OK, maybe that is a little extreme, but that was how I felt! I finally gave in and decided to tackle the beast, and I was surprised by how with a little effort, eggplant can be transformed in a variety of delicious and healthy dishes. Below is my recent creation of healthy Eggplant Rollatini, filled with a delicious ricotta/spinach mixture that leaves you very satisfied. This recipe takes a little longer than my other ones to prep, since you need to sweat the eggplant prior to starting. But believe me, it is well worth the effort.


Eggplant Rollatini
28 points in whole dish

1 20oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 egg plant, peeled and sliced vertically into long flat strips (between 12-14 strips)
¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
2 egg whites
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
2 cups Francesco Rinaldi Marinara sauce

Sweat the eggplant for 1 hr with salt. Pat dry and wipe off excess salt.
Dip eggplant in egg white and then in breadcrumbs.
Spray large skillet pan with PAM.
Over medium-high heat, brown each side of the eggplant, spraying each piece with PAM before you begin to cook.
Mix together spinach, ricotta and spices. Divide filling evenly between your breaded eggplant and roll up.
Place 1 cup sauce at the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with PAM. Place eggplant, seam side down into dish and top with remaining tomato sauce.
Bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

A tribute to Jack Daniels--Sweet whiskey flank steak

I love Trader Joe's. It is just a great store with lots of healthy products that inspire you to cook nutritious meals. This week they had the most beautiful eggplant I have ever seen, and the best part was they were uniform in size, which makes food-prep so much easier. In honor of the eggplant, I knew I had to add eggplant rollatini to my weekly line up. Here is what I came up with:

Eggplant Rollatini and broccoli

Sweet whiskey flank steak with sweet potato wedges

Jerk-style Chicken with coconut rice

The Sweet whiskey flank steak pays tribute to Jack Daniels. The recipe was adapted from one that I saw in Cooking Light. They use bourbon, I use whiskey, either way I am sure it is delicious. This recipe makes A LOT, so be prepared to invite friends over, make steak sandwiches, or simply cut the recipe in half. TIP: Half of 1/4 cup is 2 tbs, however it is probably easier to make the same amount of marinade and just cut down on the size of the steak you use.

Ingredients
2 points per ounce of steak
1 point per 2 tbs of sauce

2-pound flank steak
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 scallions, minced
1/4 cup whiskey
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbs Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag to marinade. Let sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or even better, over night.
Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade.
Spray cool grill with cooking spray and heat to HIGH. You can also use a grill pan if a standard grill isn't available.
Grill 6 minutes on each side for medium rare, add a minute for medium. The ends will be more well-done since they are thinner.
Remove from grill and let stand 10 minutes.
Cut diagonally across grain into thin slices.
Combine reserved marinade with ½ tsp cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1-2 minutes, stirring with a whisk constantly until sauce thickens.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

So what do you make on a weekly basis?

A lot of people have been asking me "So what types of things do you cook?" I know that going through my blog week after week can be time consuming, so I figured I would just put it all out there--a menu of what meals I make for our family on a daily basis. Sure, I mix it up based on what's in season and what's on sale, but these menu items are our staples, our go-to items if you will. See something that catches your eye that is not on my blog? Shoot me a note in the comments section and I will be happy to share the recipe with you!

 

Poultry

Balsamic Chicken

-Grilled chicken cutlets marinated in a balsamic-Dijon dressing.

Cilantro-lime Chicken

-Grilled chicken cutlets marinated in a sweet honey-cilantro lime citrus dressing.

Grapefruit Chicken

-Baked bone-in chicken breasts simmered in a grapefruit-Dijon glaze.

Chicken Parmesan

-Chicken cutlets breaded in a Parmesan cheese-blend topped with marinara sauce and cheese.

Red Onion Crusted Chicken

-Chicken crusted in breadcrumbs and red onion, then lightly pan-fried to a crisp crust.

Chicken with Peppers and Onion

-Sautéed chicken breast, onions and peppers in a light white wine sauce.

Chicken with Olives and Fruit

-Thinly sliced chicken oven roasted with olives, apricots and dried plums in a white wine sauce.

Brick Chicken

-Skin-on chicken pieces, rubbed with olive oil and fresh herbs, seared to a crisp skin and slow-finished in the oven.

Chicken and White Bean Chili

-Pulled white-meat chicken, sautéed green peppers and navy beans in a thick chicken-broth base.

Chicken Marsala

-Pan-seared chicken cutlets topped in a mushroom-marsala wine sauce.

Chicken Cacciatori

-Chicken cutlets seasoned with oregano and basil simmered in a thick tomato sauce with onions, peppers and mushrooms.

Chicken Enchiladas

-Tortillas filled with chicken, peppers, onions and cheese baked in a tomato enchilada sauce.

Tex-Mex Pie

-Sautéed ground turkey, peppers, and onions, seasoned with cumin and chili powder, layered with cheese and kidney beans in a flour tortilla pie.

Stuffed Peppers

-Green peppers stuffed with ground turkey, orzo and onions, baked in a tomato sauce

Beef

Swedish Meatballs

-Ground beef seasoned with onion and potato, pan fried and served with a light cream sauce.

Italian Meatballs

-Ground beef seasoned with Parmesan cheese and Italian spices, served in a marinara sauce.

Rosemary-Merlot Flank Steak

-Marinated Flank steak grilled and served with a rosemary-merlot reduction.

BBQ Meatloaf

-A mixture of sautéed onions and ground beef seasoned with BBQ sauce and baked with a ketchup glaze.

Beef Burgundy

-Braised chuck beef sautéed with onions and mushrooms in a beef-burgundy sauce.

Beef Hash

-Finely diced onions, potatoes and steak pan-fried together.

Cabbage and Beef Stew

-Ground beef, shredded cabbage, rice and potatoes simmered in a hearty tomato-beef broth.

Shepherds Pie

-Ground beef, peas, corn, carrots and onions sautéed together and topped with mashed potatoes.

Meat Sauce

-Ground beef sautéed with onions and basil-infused tomato puree.

Vegetarian

Eggplant Parmesan

-Eggplant crusted in Parmesan cheese, pan-fried and topped with marinara sauce.

Eggplant Rollatini

-Eggplant crusted in Parmesan cheese, pan-fried, stuffed with a spinach- ricotta cheese mixture, and baked with marinara sauce.

Vodka sauce with peas and mushrooms

-Tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, onions, basil and a hint of cayenne pepper, simmered until thick and then mixed with sautéed mushrooms and peas.

Marinara Sauce

-San Marzano tomatoes simmered with garlic, onions and basil.

Vegetarian Chili

-Black, garbanzo, kidney and navy beans simmered with chili seasoning and sautéed onions and peppers.

Falafel

-Chickpea patties seasoned with red onion and cumin, lightly pan-fried and served on mini-pitas with a tomato-cucumber sauce.

Vegetable Quesadillas

-Caramelized onions sautéed with peppers, black beans and corn, topped with cheddar cheese and pan-seared into a crispy crust.

Spinach Pie

-Spinach and feta blended with dill, lemon juice and scallions, layered between crisp sheets of phyllo dough.  

Hopefully this basic overview will help you create menus of your own--ones that your family will love, and you will love serving them.

 Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Cooking ahead for a stressfull week

For the past two weeks my part-time job has been taking over my life. The start of Camp is here and I am super stressed--months of planning and organizing and the big day is this week! Knowing that this week will be nuts with parent inquiries and camper changes, I prepped as many of our meals as I could Sunday morning. Here is our line-up:

Monday--Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry (Marinated chicken on Sunday and purchased a pre-packaged veggie-stir-fry mix to quickly throw this meal together)

Tuesday--Eggplant Lasagna (Prepped on Sunday and in the fridge waiting to be baked! I just use my Eggplant Rollatini recipe, but rather than make individual rolls I layer the eggplant and cheese like a lasagna)

Wednesday--Vegetarian Taco Salads (Made the beans Sunday morning (recipe to follow), all I have to do is shred some lettuce and top with fresh veggies, salsa, sour cream and cheese)

Thursday--Dinner with friends--OUT :-)

Friday--Tuscan Brick Chicken from Barefoot Contessa with homemade Challah

Saturday--Beer-Marinated Flank Steak from Epicurious.com

Its a FarmBox week, so I made sure we were having something saucy on Tuesday to dip the to-die-for bread in that we will be getting.

So back to the Vegetarian Taco Salad. This dish is inspired by my UMass days when my roommate Sue and I would get super excited when we saw Veggie Tacos featured at the DC. It wasn't until I graduated that I realized how simple these beans were to make.

Veggie Taco Beans
Servings: 4
WW PointsPlus Per Serving: 7
285 calories, 1g fat, 11g fiber, 15g protein, 55g carbs


Ingredients
1 15oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 Tbs chili powder
1/4 cup water

Directions
-In a small pot, stir together all ingredients and bring to a boil.
-Reduce to low heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until sauce is thick.
-Serve over shredded lettuce with your favorite taco toppings.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.