Grilled Cheese and Zucchini

Now that school is in full swing, time is tight. Sometimes you just have to go back to the basics. I’ve always loved grilled cheese, and you know how much I like zucchini. So I paired them to make a quick but satisfying sandwich.

I cut a small zucchini lengthwise into 4 slices, and sauteed them in a frying pan coated with cooking spray.

I put the sauteed zucchini between two slices of whole wheat bread, along with Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese. Using the same pan, I grilled the sandwich until it was golden brown.

Beet Risotto

Long before Red Dye #40, there were beets. And just a little bit of beet goes a looooong way! This photo is unedited; it really was that bright.

The beet risotto recipe came from Rachel Ray and is fairly straightforward. It’s even easier if you happen to roast the beets in advance. Despite the bright color, the beet flavor was fairly subtle. So even someone who doesn’t ordinarily like beets might give this a try.

While I really liked the dish, it lacked the creamy texture of traditional risotto. So while I would make it again (maybe on Christmas?!), I now have a craving for something like this Mushroom Risotto.

Bread Pudding with Bananas

It’s so much fun to buy a fresh baguette. You tear open the loaf, dig into the squishy white bread, and quickly look around for some cheese and wine. Hopefully you share the bread with family and friends, eating with joy until there are no crumbs left.

But if you do have leftover baguette, it becomes stale very quickly. Stale bread is often used in French Toast for breakfast, or maybe a Panzanella salad for lunch or dinner. In this recipe from Cooks.com, the bread is combined with milk, eggs, bananas, and raisins to create a dish that will satisfy any sweet tooth. I have about 32 sweet teeth that loved every bite of this!

How to Make Eggplant Parmesan

There’s a very simple reason why I haven’t blogged about Eggplant Parmesan. I am too lazy to make it! Luckily for me, my Mom isn’t too lazy, and she let me try to document the process. We started with at least 3 large eggplants.

First, you peel each eggplant and cut it into thin slices. Then, you sprinkle the slices with salt and layer them in a strainer.

Many years ago, people would place the slices in a wooden basket and weigh them down with bricks. Our updated method involves a plastic strainer and a ceramic plate, weighted down with a large can of tomatoes. You can place this directly in the sink, or over a large bowl. The eggplant slices should drain for at least two hours.

Now you need to rinse the salt off the eggplant slices, and dry them well with paper towels. Don’t be afraid to squeeze the slices between the paper towels.

Prepare a mixture of 3 eggs, 1/4 c. water, and 1/4 t black pepper, and whisk with a fork. You may need multiple batches, but you can make more as you go along. Heat about 1/4″ of oil in a frying pan, until a small drop of egg mixture sizzles when added to the pan.

Dip each eggplant slice in the egg mixture, allow the excess to drip off, and place in the frying pan. Cook until browned, turn, and cook on the other side.

Now you can drain the cooked eggplant on more paper towels, to absorb some of the excess oil.

Finally, we’re ready to assemble a dish of eggplant. You can use jarred sauce, or make your own meat sauce or tomato sauce. It’s more important that you use real grated Parmesan cheese. Add a few spoonfuls of sauce to the bottom of the dish, and then layer the eggplant, followed by more sauce, and Parmesan cheese.

Keep going until you’ve reached the limit of your pan. We made one large dish for dinner that evening, and two smaller dishes. Cover each pan tightly with foil, and heat in a 200F oven for 20-30 minutes just prior to serving.

There are many variations of Eggplant Parmesan, and everyone probably thinks that their way is best. This version contains no skin, and yields thin slices with no breading. I am biased of course, but I do think this is the best!

Grass-Fed Local Beef Sausage

While shopping at a Rhode Island farmer’s market this weekend, my family and I met the Browning’s of Browning Homestead in Matunuck. Farmer’s markets are a great place for local produce, and also a convenient place to buy local meat. This farm has a mascot that travels to the market.

I don’t feature a lot of meat-based recipes on the blog, and occasional readers sometimes think that I am vegetarian. I do eat all kinds of meat, but I am against factory farming, and I believe in eating locally. I try to make conscious choices that support local, sustainable farming. So I was excited to hear that the animals on this farm are grass-fed. No steroids, antibiotics, or hormones are used. The animals are slaughtered in a USDA facility also located in Rhode Island. Most importantly, the farmers seem to be very committed to producing quality food.

Last year we tried grass-fed hamburger from a different farm, and learned the hard way that it cooks much more quickly. This time, we tried the all-beef mild Italian sausage, and paid closer attention when it was on the grill. (Thanks, Dad!) The meat was finely ground and tightly packed, with almost no visible fat. The flavor was mild as promised, and almost reminded me of keilbasa – with a lot less grease of course.

I don’t eat sausage all that often, and this was a nice change of pace. Grass fed meat does taste different, but once you learn how to cook it properly, it’s a good kind of different. This meat is raised in a way that’s kinder to the environment, and contains essential fatty acids that are healthier for your heart. I am hoping to try another cut of grass-fed meat from a local farm soon!

Mexican Grilled Salad

I hope everyone had a great long weekend! Did you try any of the recipes I suggested for an End of Summer BBQ? My classes start today, and I am actually really excited about the new semester. There’s a lot left to learn, and I want to keep moving towards the goal of being a Registered Dietitian. But if you’re not ready for fall, don’t worry. There’s at least a week of summer left on Recipes that Fit, and it will be full of tomatoes, eggplant, and corn.

This salad was at least partially made with ingredients from a Rhode Island farmer’s market, and is a variation of the Mediterranean Chopped Salad from earlier this summer. The corn, tomatoes, and onion can all be grilled in advance.

I got the idea for grilled croutons from Emeril, and added a Mexican flair by dipping the bread in a mixture of olive oil and chili powder.

Of course, any of the salad ingredients can be optional, and you could add sliced jalapenos if you’d like your salad to have more kick. I used queso fresco, which is a soft and mild cheese, but shredded cheddar would also be good. This might be the last time I eat fresh corn this season, and this salad was the perfect way to enjoy it!

Mexican Grilled Salad

Ears of Corn, husks removed
Onion, sliced thickly
Tomatoes, cut in half and seeds removed
Baguette slices
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder, and Cumin
Romaine lettuce, cleaned and torn
Black Beans, rinsed and drained
Avocado, diced
Queso Fresco, crumbled
Olives sliced
Limes

1. Place corn and onion slices directly on a hot grill. Cook until nicely browned. Cool slightly, and remove corn niblets with a knife. Chop grilled onion.
2. Drizzle tomato halves with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until browned and softened, using a grill basket if available. Cool slightly, remove tomato skins, and chop.
3. Dip baguette slices in a mixture of olive oil and chili powder. Place directly on a hot grill, and cook until browned. Cool slightly, and chop into croutons.
4. Mix 3 T olive oil, 2-3 T lime juice, 1/2 t cumin, 1/2 t chili powder, 1/8 t salt, and 1/8 t cayenne pepper in a small bowl. (Makes enough dressing for 3-4 salads.)
5. Assemble salads using all ingredients, drizzle with dressing, and serve.

Recipes for a Great End of Summer BBQ

It’s the last weekend of summer, and the perfect time to have one more BBQ. These recipes will ensure that all of your guests have fun and leave your party well fed.

Let’s start with beverages. How about this Watermelon Cocktail or some White Wine Sangria?

Get the grill fired up early, and make some homemade Roasted Red Peppers to add to your standard burgers. If you’re looking for something a little different, try these Bacon Cheese Inside Out Turkey Burgers!

If you’d rather not serve burgers at all, try these pizzas on the grill. Everyone can customize their own personal pizza!

Looking for a something a little fancier? Maybe you’d like to serve a Mediterranean Chopped Salad buffet, or these Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Manchego cheese.

And of course, you can’t forget dessert. Your guests will love this Mocha Ice Cake. But if you’re short on time, just go for old fashioned smores. There’s nothing like toasted marshmallow and melted chocolate to make you forget that summer is ending at all.

Stuffed Eggplant

This was supposed to be an end of summer masterpiece. Sometimes when you build a recipe up in your head and predict it will be fabulous, it can’t possibly meet your expectations. It started when I bought another $1 eggplant from a stand at the Brookline Farmer’s Market. Last year, I made zucchini boats which were kind of neat, so this time I figured I’d try stuffed eggplant. I read through a bunch of different recipes like this one, and then gave it a go using the ingredients I had on hand.

The end result wasn’t inedible, it was just boring. I felt like I was eating stuffing out of a theoretically edible bowl. I say ‘theoretically edible’ because the eggplant shell still wasn’t very soft after an hour in the oven, and I had to scrape it with my fork to remove the flesh. Although the eggplant looks reasonably pretty when it comes out of the oven, things go downhill pretty fast when you try to cut each shell into pieces. So unless you’re going for initial presentation, actually stuffing the eggplant seems like a waste of time. The filling itself did taste pretty good, but required even more salt and pepper in my dish. None of the flavors were dominant, and the dish really needed a strong herb to give it some character.

So why am I sharing this recipe at all? Because either you’ll, a) use this information to create a much better version of stuffed eggplant or, b) decide to use your eggplant in other ways. Maybe Grilled Balsamic Eggplant Sandwiches?

Stuffed Eggplant

1 T olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and diced
1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves torn and stems chopped, divided
1 large eggplant
6-7 white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 c. cooked brown rice
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Cook shallot for 3-5 minutes, until just starting to brown. Add Swiss chard stems, and cook until softened.

Meanwhile, halve eggplant, and scoop out the insides, leaving a 1/2″ shell. Chop the eggplant pieces, and add to the frying pan. Cook until softened, and then add the mushrooms and Swiss chard leaves. When all of the vegetables are done, remove the pan from heat. Add brown rice and almonds, and season generously with salt and pepper.

Place eggplant shells in a glass dish. Fill with vegetable/rice mixture. Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Cheesy Spinach Dip

There are about a thousand recipes on the Internet for cheesy spinach dips. In fact, I posted about Spinach Artichoke Dip just last year. But I have to confess that most times, these dips all taste the same to me. What I like about this recipe is that it uses ‘real food’ cottage cheese and sour cream, rather than cream cheese.

Last week I made the mistake of spoiling my dinner with a dip, so this week I planned dinner to be an appetizer plate. The dip was great with both crackers and carrot sticks, and fulfilled my craving for a fun and cheesy meal.

Cheesy Spinach Dip

1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 c. low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 c. low-fat sour cream
1/4 c. + 1 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 T whole wheat flour
Black Pepper

Mix spinach, cottage cheese, sour cream, 1/4 c. Parmesan, cheddar cheese, and whole wheat flour in a large bowl. Season well with black pepper. Top with remaining 1 T Parmesan. Pour into an 8″ pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

Italian Baked Potatoes

When I went to the farmer’s market last week, I was stunned to see apples and squashes already. Those are most definitely fall foods and I haven’t yet accepted the fact that my leisurely summer is coming to an end. I filled my bag with eggplant and zucchini and peaches and almost ran away so I would not be faced with reality.

And then I spied local potatoes for just $1/lb., and threw some of those in my bag as well. While you might not think of baked potatoes at the end of August, this recipe from Real Simple needs to be made now while tomatoes are still seasonal. I managed to make this recipe decidedly less ‘simple’ and yet I think much better than the original.

Italian Baked Potatoes

2 large potatoes, scrubbed and poked with a knife
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 t olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 t garlic powder
1 t dried basil

Place potatoes in a 400F degree oven. Meanwhile, toss tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place on a baking sheet. After potatoes have cooked 30 minutes, place pan with tomatoes in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are soft, and tomatoes are roasted and split open.

In a small bowl, mix ricotta, Paremsan, garlic powder, and basil. Place each potato on a plate and cut in a criss-cross fashion. Top with ricotta mixture and roasted tomatoes and serve.

-Adapted from Real Simple