Italian Eggplant (Even the kids will eat this!)

What to do with an eggplant?  This is a question many gardeners and farmer marketers ask this time of year.  As a child, my Mom often made this, calling them "Little Pizzas".  We loved them and didn't realize that she was tricking us into eat eggplant.  This recipe was my Grandmothers, however I have made some changes that I think really improve upon it.  I hope that you will enjoy this delicious summer treat!

Italian Eggplant

1 medium eggplant.
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
Italian herb mix, salt, and pepper to taste
1 15 oz can pizza sauce (can also use spaghetti sauce)
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix together Panko crumbs and bread crumbs, herbs, salt, and pepper.  Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch round slices.  Dip eggplant slices into melted butter, then cover in breadcrumbs.  Place on greased cookie sheet (I cover it in foil for easy cleanup) and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, top with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.  Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

For more fun, you add baby pepperoni or any additional pizza toppings if you wish.

Beet Salad

We had dinner at my parent's house tonight and I brought the salad.  My latest favorite salad is beet, oranges, and goat cheese, so I decided to make that.  OK, I know not everyone likes beets, but this salad is yummy, so give it a try.  If you don't want to make a dressing from scratch, just used a bottled one (Brianna's Red Wine is my fav!).

Beet, Orange, and Goat Cheese Salad

1 bag spring green lettuce mixw
2 large beets
3-4 oranges
1-3.5 oz crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup walnuts
Shallot and Red Wine Vinaigrette (see below)

Peel beets, place is glass covered dish and microwave.  Cook in 5 minute increments until fork tender, 10-20 minutes depending on size of beets and microave.  Allow beets to cool.  Slice beets into large matchstick sized pieces.  Peel and section oranges.  Arrange lettuce, top with beets, oranges, cheese and nuts.  Serve with dressing as below.

Shallot and Red Wine Vinaigrette
6-8 shallots
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 cup sugar (can substitute Splenda)
3 cups oil

Peel shallots, place in food processor and pulse until in small pieces.  Add vinegar, mustard, salt, and sugar, blend to combine.  Slowly drizzle in oil.  Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

A Very Good Place to Start.....

I have been convinced by those around me that others would like to read my ideas and opinions about food, recipes and meal planning.  So, after putting the kiddos to bed, I am breaking out my creative writing skills and starting a blog.  I am a mom of two wonderful kiddos and work as a nurse.  I also love to cook.  I love reading cookbooks.  I love chopping vegetables.  I love the smell of something simmering on the stove.  I love tasting a new recipe.  I love feeding the people I love.  After I became a working mom, it took me a while to figure out how to incorporate my love of cooking with the rest of my busy life.  The answer: meal planning.

I have found, that to avoid dinners made from a box without a green vegetable in site, I need to meal plan.  Now don't get me wrong-we eat our share of Kraft Mac N Cheese and hot dogs in this house, but I prefer that to be the exception rather than the rule.  So, every 7 to 10 days, I sit down with the Pick N Save ad, my recipe binder, and my grocery list template and I meal plan.

I spend about one hour a week meal planning/list making/coupon organizing.  I am not an extreme couponer, but I use them "strategically" to get a good deal when I can.  I try to get out of the grocery store in about an hour, and my list template helps me avoid running back to produce from dairy because I forget celery. 

The nights that I work I plan something fast or something I have prepped or made the night before.  I am more adventurous on the nights I don't work.  I usually make more than we will eat in one meal, and we eat the leftovers for lunch or "leftover night" when the fridge is getting really full of Tupperware containers.  Nothing is set in stone-if I don't feel like making what is planned for that night, I make something else.  I always keep a few easy "staple" meals in the house for these kind of nights.  

The kiddos eat what we eat-with a few exceptions.  If something is spicy, strong, or they have tried it and really don't like it (I can tell, I'm the mom), I will give them an alternative.  I don't make 2 separate meals, but I always keep them in mind when I am planning.

Well, that's my story...next post will share my week's meal plan...stay tuned!