Chicken Etouffee Saag (!)

So, I made my Streamlined Chicken Etouffe this weekend, quite a large batch, and as I was getting ready to reheat the leftovers, it occurred to me that what it needed was even more veg!

So I took inspiration from the Chicken Saag we had out the other day, and decided to make Chicken Etouffee Saag!

I added a bag of frozen spinach to my leftovers and after simmering for about 5 minutes, I had an excellent dish!

Serve over plain rice or jamabalaya, and you'll need some hot sauce, as the spinach eats up the heat from the original Etouffee recipe.

By the way, I Googled this, and didn't find anyone else who has discovered this lovely combination, so score one for me!

Calabrese Fried Eggplant

Calabrese Fried Eggplant

Saw this today and it looked like a great appetizer recipe...

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis from Giada at Home show

Ingredients

Eggplant:

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• One 1-pound eggplant, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Filling:

• 1 cup grated pecorino cheese
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs, plus extra, as needed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Sauce:

• 2 cups jarred marinara or tomato-basil sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

Directions

For the eggplant: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a small baking sheet or a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Place the eggplant, cut-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Make 1/2-inch-deep slits over the surface of the eggplant halves using a paring knife. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake until golden and tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

For the filling: Scoop out 1 cup of flesh from the eggplant, using a spoon, and place in a food processor. Blend until the eggplant is smooth. Add the cheese, breadcrumbs, basil, egg, garlic and parsley. Pulse until the mixture is thick enough to form into balls, adding extra breadcrumbs as needed. Scoop 25 balls of the mixture, each about 2 tablespoons, onto a baking sheet using a small cookie scoop.
For the sauce: Bring the marinara and red pepper flakes to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve.
For assembly: Pour enough oil into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted into the oil reaches 350 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer, a cube of bread will brown in about 4 minutes.) In batches, fry the eggplant balls until golden, about 1 minute.
I would bake on convection at 400 until browned...
Drain on paper towels.
Serve the fried eggplant warm or cold with marinara sauce and the grated pecorino cheese.

dlyn: Bonus Recipe - Refrigerator Pickled Hot Peppers

dlyn: Bonus Recipe - Refrigerator Pickled Hot Peppers

The brine:
2 quarts water
1 cup cider or white vinegar
1/2 cup canning & pickling salt
Bring to a boil and stir to make sure salt is completely dissolved. Keep at a low simmer until you use it. This much brine will make about 3 quart jars of pickles. I a batch and a half and came out with the 5 quarts you see here.
You also need 1 or two cloves of garlic for each jar - peeled. 

Follow the link for detailed instructions. I just bring the brine to a boil, turn off the heat and toss in the hot pepper rings, and, if desired, slivered sweet onion, carrot pieces, and a couple cloves of garlic. Put all of it in a jar and leave on the counter for 48 hours, then refrigerate. Eat the next day. Should keep for a couple months at least.

Karen's stuffed peppers, vegetarian/quinoa

Wash and slice the very tops off of 3 or 4 medium green bell peppers and rinse out the seeds, chop the tops and add to the vegetables below IF they are organic, otherwise discard them.
CHOP the following veggies and saute UNTIL fairly tender in 3T of olive oil, stirring occasionally while preheating your oven to 325 degrees:
2 small celery stalks
1 small to medium onion
1 small carrot
about 3/4 cup of cabbage
one small hot pepper if desired *or use black pepper or red pepper flakes, or nothing hot if you desire
one small green or red pepper if you have it and if you don't have the pepper tops
 * you can add softer veggies at this time, i.e.
     Zucchini, mushrooms,olives, eggplant, tomato, pine nuts...what ever is around in small quantities
    (this is a good way to use leftover veggies)
add about a half tsp of salt, and pepper TO TASTE (as well as any seasonings you tend to like)  and a small clove of garlic
after a few minutes add spinach, allow to wilt down
add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of raw quinoa and simmer for a few more minutes
stir in about 2 to 3 T of tomato paste and remove from the heat
stuff  3 or 4 medium peppers and place in a casserole, cover in tomato sauce and cook covered for about an hour.
This is very low calorie and low fat, you should sprinkle Parmesan over the pepper when served, or not if a vegan dish is desired. The tomato paste in the stuffing does the trick of punching up the flavor without meat.

Quick one bowl no mixer Banana Bread

3 to 4 mashed bananas
stir in with a fork:
1/3 cup of melted butter
1/2 cup of white sugar or 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1 beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
add in:
1/2 to 1 tsp of cinnamon- to taste
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
1/3 cup of raisins, or cherries, or chocolate chips
1/4 cup of coconut
bake in 350 degree preheated oven, in a greased loaf pan for 1 hour
or bake in 2 smaller loaf pans for 25 to 30 minutes- both until the toothpick or knife comes out clean
cool on rack
*adapted from recipe found online

Vegetable Lasagna - America's Test Kitchen

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

No-Cook Tomato Sauce (Alternative: Trader Joe's Marinara works pretty well...)

• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

No-Cook Cream Sauce

• 4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (2 cups)
• 1 cup whole milk cottage cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream  1/2 cup half & half
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Vegetable Filling

• 1 1/2 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 7 cups)
•   Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
• 1 pound yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
• 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoonextra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 12 ounces baby spinach (about 12 cups)
• 8 - 12 ounces diced mushrooms, sauteed and drained

• 12 no-boil Bio-Nature whole wheat lasagna, raw boiled 3 minutes, cooled and separated.
• 1/2 cup minced pitted kalamata olives (optional - I think pesto works better and a can of black olives chopped up as well)
• 12 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3 cups) (maybe provolone next time, or a mix)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• Parchment paper

Instructions

• 1. FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl; set aside.
• 2. FOR THE CREAM SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl; set aside.
• 3. FOR THE FILLING: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Line surface of large plate with double layer of coffee filters and lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Spread eggplant in even layer over filters. Wipe out and reserve now-empty bowl. Microwave eggplant, uncovered, until dry to touch and slightly shriveled, about 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through to ensure that eggplant cooks evenly. Drain excess water from bowl. Let cool slightly. Return eggplant to bowl and toss with zucchini and squash.
• 4. Combine 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and thyme in small bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half eggplant mixture, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 7 15 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of skillet; add half of garlic mixture to clearing and cook, mashing with spatula, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir to combine garlic mixture with vegetables and transfer to medium bowl. 
• Repeat with remaining eggplant mixture, 2 tablespoons oil, and remaining garlic mixture.
• Add mushrooms to vegetable mixture.
• 5. Return skillet to medium-high heat, add remaining teaspoon oil, and heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about  3 6 minutes. Transfer spinach to paper towel–lined plate and drain 2 minutes. Chop spinach. Stir into eggplant mixture.
• IMPORTANT: Allow veg mixture to drain in strainer/colander to remove excess liquid.
• 6. TO ASSEMBLE: Spray 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. 
• Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of baking dish;
• shingle 4 noodles on top of sauce. 
• Spread half of vegetable mixture over noodles, 
• followed by half of olives, 
• half of cream sauce, and 
• 1 cup of mozzarella. 
• Repeat layering with 4 noodles, 
• 1 cup tomato sauce,
•  remaining vegetables, 
• remaining olives, 
• remaining cream sauce, and 
• 1 cup mozzarella. 
• Place remaining 4 noodles on top layer of cheese. 

• Spread remaining 1 cup tomato sauce over noodles and 

• sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.

Lightly spray large sheet of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray and Cut piece of parchment paper to cover lasagna, then cover this tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 35 60 minutes (or more). Cool on wire rack 25 minutes. Cut into pieces, sprinkle with basil, and serve.

MB's Awesome Garlic Scape Pesto/Dip

1-1.5 Cups garlic scapes, cut up for blender/food processor
1/2 (or more) EVOO
1 lemon, juice plus some zest
1/2 cup almonds (or pine nuts)
Romano cheese, grated, to taste

Add first four ingredients and blend/process to pesto consistency.
Remove from blender, place in bowl, and add cheese.

Serve as dip (thicker) or on pasta (thinner).

Thanks to MB for this great recipe!