Recipe Post

This dish is from The Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis. It was a hot and gross Atlanta day today, and this made a good, light dinner. It's pretty to look at so I included a photo.



7 Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch slices (we just used a regular eggplant cut into 1/2" slices)
1/2 c. toasted pine nuts
3 oz. crumbled goat cheese
1/3 c. basil, thinly sliced
2 Tbs. chopped mint
6 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Heat a grill pan over medium high or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle 3 Tbs. of the olive oil over the eggplant slices and toss to coat. Grill the slices until tender and gril marks appear, 3-4 minutes per side. (We have neither a grill pan nor an outdoor grill so I roasted mine in the oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, turning once.)

Place the grilled slices side-by-side on a big serving platter. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil and mint. Drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Top with salt and pepper.

This is a very hearty stick to your ribs kind of recipe. Trust me one pancake is more than enough to fill your gullet. Great for brunch.

5 Lemons juiced and zested
6 whole eggs separated
1 c powdered sugar
1 c all purpose flour
2 c (1 pint) low fat cottage cheese
1/2 Lb butter, softened
Creme Fraiche / garnish
Lemon thinly sliced/ garnish
Powdered Sugar / garnish

Mix lemon juice, zest, yolks, cottage cheese, and powdered sugar together. Mix in the flour.

Whip egg whites to soft-med peaks. Fold whites into butter and then add gently to the flour mixture.

Cook pancakes on greased griddle to desired doneness. Serve with Creme Fraiche, a thinly sliced lemon twist and powdered sugar.

3" fresh ginger unpeeled and cut
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1/2 c honey
1/3 c loose tea / I usually use a mixture of Chai and Thai
milk
8 c water

Combine ginger, cinnamon, anise, and honey with water into pot; bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 min. Add the tea and bring up heat and boil for 1 min. Strain the tea and add the milk. Serve hot or cold.

1 sourdough baguette (sliced into thin rounds)
1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 tomatoes (diced)
1 handful fresh basil leaves (chopped)
1 clove garlic (grated)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup store bought or homemade pesto

Lay out the slices of bread on a baking tray. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven is hot, TURN IT OFF, and place the bread/baking tray in the warm oven for approximately 10 min. This process will dry out the bread.
____

Mix grated garlic, chopped tomatoes, chopped basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.
____

Remove the dry bread pieces from the oven and brush (or spray) one side of the bread with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper over the bread and return to the oven. Re-heat oven to 350 degrees and cook the bread pieces until they are toasted. This process will take approx 2-4 minutes. Watch the oven closely as dry bread pieces will toast very quickly.

Remove toasted bread from the oven and spread a thin layer of pesto over the bread. Top bread with tomato mixture and serve.
____


Ingredients (Pesto):

1 bunch fresh basil (approx 2 cups of leaves)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic (chopped)

Place garlic in a food processor and pulse till finely chopped. Add all remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Add extra olive oil or a tablespoon of water if the mixture is too thick. Leftover pesto freezes well.

4 white fish fillets (Tilapia, Sole, etc.)
1/2 cup flour
1 packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing (use as a dry rub)
3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large tomato (diced)
1/2 cup frozen white corn (my favorite food on earth)
1 stalk of green onion (sliced thinly)
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
1 jalepeno pepper (seeded and finely chopped)
1 tablespoon lime/lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

tortillas
cheese
sour cream

Wash fish and run your hands over the spine area to make sure that there are no bones. Use tweezers to remove bones if any are present. Place fish on a plate and sprinkle the italian dressing dry rub over both sides of each piece (you may not need the whole packet). Let the fish marinate for at least 10 minutes.

Heat a frying pan and add olive oil. Dredge marinated fish in flour and pan fry both sides of the fish till golden brown. (approx 3-5 minutes). Move fish to a warm plate and serve with tortillas, cheese, sour cream and Pico De Gallo (see recipe below)

Pico De Gallo: Mix tomato, green onion, jalepeno, cilantro, white corn, salt, pepper and lime juice in a bowl and serve.
____

Good Seasons Italian Dressing (dry rub) packets are a pantry staple for me. I use it on flank steak that I put in fajitas as well as on chicken. If you prefer you can substitute garlic salt or make your own dry rub : )

4-5 zucchini
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
2-3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon rosemary (chopped fine)
non-stick cooking spray

Chop the ends off of the zucchini and slice lengthwise in long strips that are about 1/8 inch thick. In a bowl, mix the Parmesan, milk, salt, pepper and rosemary. Spray a small (loaf pan size) baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Layer the zucchini in the dish and pour over the milk/cheese mixture. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake at 400 degrees for roughly 20 minutes (or until the zucchini is cooked to your desired "fork tender" state). Halfway through the cooking process I "jiggled" the baking dish to redistribute the milk/cheese mixture.

Once you do all of your chopping, this dish is really "dinner in a flash".

Ingredients:

4 Italian Sausages, chopped or crumbled (depending on the kind you buy)
1 can white cannellini beans - drained
1 red bell pepper - large dice
3/4 cup frozen white corn
3/4 yellow onion - large dice
3 garlic cloves - minced
2 jalepeno peppers - seeded and minced
1 can chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (use 1 teaspoon if using regular table salt)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Heat a medium size pot or dutch oven then add olive oil, salt, pepper, and onion. Saute till onions are translucent then add garlic and sausage. Saute sausage till brown then add all of the other remaining ingredients. Cook on HIGH until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to MED-LOW, cover the pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

**Trader Joes sells a pre-cooked Italian Sausage with fennel seeds. The fennel flavor is a nice compliment to the other ingredients.

My hubby Rob was sick and I attempted to make him Chicken Noodle Soup … long story short, I added tomatoes to the broth which turned the yellow soup, a funny shade of red. After I had my little cry, I decided to add more veggies and call the soup Minnestrone. The soup turned out yummy and hearty. I play with the addition of new veggies and fresh herbs if I have them on hand. This soup freezes well, is great as a leftover and works well at dinner parties. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 box chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
6 chicken tenders or 2 chicken breasts (skinless) - OPTIONAL
2 carrots – diced
3 zucchinis - diced
½ yellow onion - diced
4 cloves garlic - minced
½ cup frozen white corn
1 cup frozen spinach (I don’t defrost the spinach before I measure it out)
1 can diced tomatoes (8oz)
1 cup dried pasta (any kind)
Add whatever other veggies you have (mushrooms, celery, parsnips, etc)

Seasonings:

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried Italian Herbs (mix of oregano/basil/parsely)
½ tsp dried celery seed
3-4 cups water

Directions:

Bring chicken broth and 3 of the 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium sized stock pot. Add chicken and cook for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to med/low. Remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to the pot and add all of the remaining ingredients. Simmer the soup for at least 1 hour. I simmer for 2 hours or longer -- until the chicken falls apart into shreds, and the pasta breaks apart into little bits. I like it when the veggies are small and not chunky. If you prefer a chunkier soup, perhaps if you are serving it at a dinner party, then simmer for less time. Add the 4^th cup of water if the soup gets too thick as it simmers.

I had never had cheese grits before we moved to Atlanta. Something called "grit" didn't sound appetizing, but now I'm a convert. I took these to a brunch today. I think I'll use the leftovers for shrimp and grits. I'll let you know how it goes!

5 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/2 of an 8 oz. block sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 of an 8 oz. block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 c. half-and-half
1 Tbs. butter
1/4 tsp. pepper

Bring 5 cups water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occassionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese and remaining ingredients until cheese is melted and mixture is blended. Serve immediately.