Eggplant Cheddar Bake

From EatingWell.com

2 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 12 1/4-inch-thick slices eggplant, (about 1/2 medium eggplant)
• 6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 8-ounce can reduced-sodium tomato sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, divided

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat an 8-inch-square glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Whisk egg in a shallow dish. Place breadcrumbs in another shallow dish. Dip eggplant slices in the egg and then dredge in the breadcrumbs to coat thoroughly; transfer to a plate.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the eggplant slices and cook until browned on the first side, about 2 minutes. Turn the slices, add 1 teaspoon oil and reduce heat to medium; cook until browned on the second side, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked eggplant to the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining oil and eggplant; transfer the cooked slices back to the plate.
4. Wipe out the pan; add tomato sauce and salt, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in basil. Pour half the sauce over the eggplant in the baking dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Layer on the remaining eggplant. Top with the remaining sauce.
5. Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake until bubbling, about 10 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and continue baking until the cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 373 calories; 20 g fat ( 4 g sat , 12 g mono ); 110 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbohydrates; 14 gprotein; 6 g fiber; 554 mg sodium; 728 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (30% daily value), Calcium & Iron (20% dv), Vitamin A (15% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 2

Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetables, 1 medium-fat meat, 3 fat

This was a pretty easy meal and yummy! I would probably skip breading the egg plant...it took extra time and after the meal was cooked it seamed unnecessary. 

I cut the eggplant into circles, made 5 servings of two rings stacked on top of one another.

With the sauce I added garlic.

3.5/5 stars. 

Pasta With Peas And Pesto Chicken

Found at Peas.org

Ingredients

300g dried pasta, farfalle, penne or similar
250g frozen peas
400g chicken breast, diced into 2cm pieces
1 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil
3 tbsp red pesto
2 tbsp Cheddar cheese, grated

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook for 10 minutes, until the pasta is almost ready, then add the frozen peas. Bring back to the boil, cook for 1 minute, then drain well.


Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the chicken pieces. Saute over a medium heat for 5 - 6 minutes, stirring regularly, until the chicken is lightly browned and cooked through. Add the pesto and cook for a further minute.


Add the pesto chicken into the drained pasta and peas, mix well and season to taste. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and serve in bowls, with warm crusty bread.


Serves 4
Preparation Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 15 minutes

I substituted red green pesto. The red was just waaayy too expensive. 

These were simply amazing! So easy and great taste! 

5/5 stars

Baked Chicken Legs

From Chaos in the Kitchen

Baked Chicken Legs

serves 6, prep 10 min, cook 40 min

• 4 lbs chicken legs (this was about 20 legs or about 3-4 legs per person)
• salt and pepper or seasoned salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• hot sauce if desired (like Frank’s)

1. Heat oven to 475°.  Dry chicken legs by pressing them all over with a paper towel (do this even if they seem dry already, it will help the spices stick).
2. In a large bowl or plastic bag, toss chicken legs with salt and pepper or seasoned salt (I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika).
3. Add about 2 tbsp of oil to the bowl or bag and toss until legs are coated.
4. Spread legs onto one or two rimmed baking sheets or roasting pan and place in the oven.
5. Cook, using tongs to flip legs occasionally, approx 40 minutes or until meat easily separates from the bone.
6. Broil chicken legs briefly until skin browns and crisps slightly. Flip if desired.
7. If desired you can brush or toss some of the legs with hot sauce or serve plain or serve sprinkled lightly with Parmesan cheese.

These were great! I used Lemon Pepper and Garlic Herb seasoning. My husband loved them! 

5/5 stars

Roasted okra, heirloom tomatoes, garlic and mint

By Scott Peacock
Found at the Today Show


Ingredients

• 1/2 pound okra
• 1/2 cup sliced red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, germ removed and thinly sliced
• 1 cup cherry or heirloom tomatoes, or a mixture of both (cherries can be halved or left whole, depending on their size; heirlooms should be cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup field peas or string beans (optional)
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Rinse the okra in cold water and drain well. Trim the stems from the okra tops, but don’t remove the caps. Slice the okra lengthwise and put in a mixing bowl. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, peas or beans and mint leaves. Drizzle the olive oil over and season well with salt and pepper. Toss to mix and transfer to a Silpat-lined baking sheet or oiled pan.

Roast in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, giving the vegetables a toss if needed.

Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Serving Size

Serves 6

I omitted the mint and added carrots.

This recipe gets 4/5 stars. 

Where to start...

I've realized that I do not keep track of what recipes I've made that my husband and I like and don't like. So, I have made this very simple, non-wordy blog, to keep track of what we enjoy. I will use a "star" system to grade the recipes. One star being the worse and five being the best. Whoever finds this I hope you enjoy! :)

<3 J