Eggplant Lasagna

We miss Italian food, eating Paleo all the time. But I figured out how to get around it! Eggplant makes for perfect noodle substitute, as long as you peel it.

Ingredients:

One large, fat eggplant, peeled and sliced very thinly (use a mandolin if possible)
1 pound (or a little more) ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 16-oz package of shredded mozzarella
2 lb tub of ricotta cheese
fresh oregano
salt and pepper

Peel and slice the eggplant while you brown the ground beef in a saucepan along with the onion and garlic. Once the meat is browned, add the sauce, dash of salt and pepper, and a small bunch of fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dry), and stir together well on low heat. Turn off heat, and spray olive oil into bottom of large glass baking dish. Mix the ricotta and a handful of mozzarella in a big bowl together.
Time to start layering!
Spread a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the dish, then top with a layer of eggplant.
Spread a layer of ricotta on top of that, followed by a final layer of meat sauce and another layer of eggplant.
Spread the rest of the ricotta on top, then a final layer of eggplant, topped with the rest of the bag of mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, and enjoy!

**QUICK POST NOTE** After cooking this, I realized it was a bit too cheesy, so maybe next time only 1 pound of ricotta is necessary :P

Mostly Paleo Almond Cookies

A cookie should be sweet, at least in my mind. I tried to cheat as little as possible and re-create a gluten-free cookie I had tried from a box once. I think these are pretty darn tasty!

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large/ x-large egg
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup (however much you want) slivered almonds (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth, then drop in hefty spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. I pressed the bottom of a small cup into mine to give them decoration, but it's not necessary. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes.

Tasty Breaded and Fried Eggplant

I've gotten into the Paleo Diet lately, and although it involves not eating dairy products or wheat-based anything, I still had this big can of bread crumbs on my shelf that I was reluctant to throw out. Eggplant was on sale at the store this week, and so a delicious side dish was born! And coconut oil is my new best friend in this house. It's much easier to cook now that my daughter understands the phrase "back off" when referring to her proximity to the stove.

Ingredients:

One large eggplant, washed and cut into rounds, then halve the rounded slices
2-3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Italian spices (or a few dashes of parsley, oregano, basil, and thyme)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup coconut oil

Beat the eggs in a large bowl and set aside. Mix the bread crumbs and spices in another large shallow bowl and set next to the egg bowl. Heat half the coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, until it just begins to steam. Dip pieces of the eggplant in the beaten egg, then drop into the bread crumbs and coat thoroughly. Drop gently into the heated oil and fry for about 1-2 minutes on each side, til the pieces are golden brown. Use the remaining coconut oil after each batch, as the breading will tend to soak it up. Continue the process until all the eggplant has been breaded and fried and set on a plate for serving purposes. Makes a great side dish, or a lunch by itself.

Easy Turkey Sloppy Joes

I combined and added ideas from other recipes to make this one my own. It was really easy to throw together.

Ingredients:

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey (frozen or thawed, doesn't really matter)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced (I was supposed to use green, but only had a red one)
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
multigrain/whole wheat hamburger buns

Drizzle oil into bottom of crock pot. Add turkey. Toss all other ingredients in on top of turkey (except for the buns) and cook on low 6-8 hours. About halfway through cook time, open the lid and stir everything together with a wooden spatula; this is essential if your turkey was put in as a frozen block of meat.

(Sorry but for some reason the photo uploader keeps turning my image sideways)
When it's time to eat, just put some of the mix on the buns and enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

I made this recipe at Thanksgiving as a starter last year, and it was wonderful once I added a few extra ingredients. So I tried it again as a light dinner last night. I used my father-in-law's new immersion blender for the first time, and I really want one of my own now. If you don't have one, just blend the soup in batches in your regular blender.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter
1 butternut squash, about 1 1/2-2 pounds, peeled and cubed
2 large carrots (or about 3/4 cup), peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup whole milk or half and half
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of saffron
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp sage
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Melt butter in a large pot, letting it cover the bottom. Drop in squash, carrots, and onion and sauté for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken broth, bring to a boil. Add the herbs and pepper and mix together, then cover and reduce heat to low, simmering for 30 minutes. Then turn off heat and add in milk and salt.

Blend all together well with immersion blender or regular blender until soup is smooth.

Feeds 6 people.

Low-Fat Yet Delicious Taco Salad

It's been awhile since I've had the opportunity to cook anything new. Life is a little chaotic, with a toddler running around and my husband working nights. But this was made with leftovers and freezer food, so it was incredibly cheap AND tasty!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground meat (I used a combo of Turkey and beef)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Taco seasoning packet or mix (or if all else fails, throw in a mixture of chili powder, cumin, black pepper, paprika, and garlic salt)
chopped lettuce (about 2 cups)
1 chopped tomato
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup salsa
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6-7 corn tortillas
1/4 cup cooking oil (Enova if you have it, or Smart Balance)
light sour cream
guacamole (pre-packaged)

Spray a large frying pan with cooking spray and turn on medium-high heat. Add ground meat and brown evenly all over.

Then add black beans and spices and mix well together, turning heat to low. Cook about 4 minutes or until all is heated through.

In a separate, smaller pan, heat the cooking oil until steam rises, or about 3 minutes. Then toss in one whole tortilla and fry until golden and crisp. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, then chop them or beak them up into slices or fork-ful bits.

Put meat/bean mix into a large bowl. Then add the tortillas, cheese, lettuce, salsa, onions, cilantro and tomato and mix well.

Set guacamole and sour cream in separate bowls for each person to take as much as they wish as toppings, and serve taco salad in bowls to everyone.

Extremely tasty, and feeds 4.

Breaded and Baked Catfish Nuggets

I shop as cheaply as possible these days, so when I saw a 3/4 pound package of fresh catfish nuggets for less than $2 I scooped it up. I'm not a big catfish fan, but it is fish so I figured it'd be healthy. It might not have been as fresh as I first thought, as it tasted really fishy, but for catfish I think this recipe was surprisingly good. It also afforded me the opportunity to cook and feed the baby her first egg yolk, which she enjoyed quite a bit.

Ingredients:

1 lb. (or so, give or take) catfish nuggets
1 egg white
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2-3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp dill
1/8 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp parsley flakes

Spray a cookie sheet/baking pan with cooking spray. Add the lemon juice to the egg white and stir. Combine bread crumbs and spices, mixing well, then dump onto a sheet of waxed paper.

Rinse off the catfish nuggets and dry with a paper towel. Dip each nugget into the egg mix, then roll around in bread crumb mix until well coated. Place on baking tray and bake for 13-15 minutes at 400F. Feeds 2 people if seved with a veggie side dish.

Burritos!!!

The older the baby gets, the easier it is to entertain her. All i had to do is clean the kitchen floor so it was safe, then give her some plastic ring links and set her on it. She can sit there for quite awhile banging the rings on the linoleum floor.

Anyway, I thought burritos would be fun to make, and after seeing some amazing ones at a restaurant on the Travel channel I tried to make some hearty stuffed ones of my own. This is a pretty cheap meal; for about $10 or so you can feed at least 5-6 people.

Ingredients:

about 1 lb lean ground beef (or you can use any ground meat)
1 can black beans
Medium salsa
1 packet McCormick Burrito Seasoning (not necessary, but it does add a nice flavor to the meat)
1 cup brown rice
1 large ripe avocado
1/4 tsp garlic salt
light sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese
large flour tortillas

Prepare the rice as directed (usually 1 cup rice to 1 3/4 cups water, boil, then simmer at least 30 minutes on low). About halfway through the rice cooking, start browning the meat in a large frying pan.
While that cooks, cut the avocado in half and pit it, then peel it and chop the avocado. Mash in a bowl with the garlic salt. This is your guacamole.

Once meat is mostly done browning, add the can of beans, 3/4 cup of water, and the seasoning packet (cut out the water if you're not using the seasoning packet). Mix all together well and cook on low until the rice is done.

Heat a tortilla on a plate in the microwave for about 12 seconds. Top with meat/bean mix, then some rice, then salsa, guacamole, cheese and sour cream. Try not to fill it too much or the tortilla won't close. Wrap it up as tightly as you can and eat! Very tasty.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I got lucky...I put the baby down for a quick nap and managed to get all this put together while she slept. Except the rice...I had to start that early since it takes 40 minutes to simmer. And I recommend you buy at least 5 peppers...my 3 were not nearly enough for the amount of stuffing I had.

Ingredients:

1- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup brown rice
1/2 sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 varied colored bell peppers
1 can tomato puree
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
shredded mozzarella (I forgot to buy and had to pull apart a cheese stick)

Prepare 1 cup of rice (1 cup dry rice, 1 3/4 cups water, bring to a boil then turn down and simmer 40 minutes). When rice is almost done cooking, brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Push meat aside after it starts to brown and throw the onions and garlic in the pan as well.

Once meat is browned, combine ingredients from frying pan with rice in a large bowl. Add tomato puree and all spices; mix well.

Cut off tops of bell peppers and scoop out the insides.

Fill each pepper bottom with the stuffing mixture, then top with a bit of cheese. Bake at 350F on a large cookie sheet for 20 minutes.

Easy No-Cook Faux Taco Salad

So, after about 4 hours of not napping and screaming whenever I put her down, the baby FINALLY took a nap on my lap while I sat on the couch reading a book. After this stressful day, I didn't want to cook anything fancy or spend very long making dinner, so I made the fastest thing I could just for myself. This recipe serves two, so I can have it again for lunch tomorrow, and give the baby whatever avocado is left over.

Ingredients:

1 can of black beans
1/2 jar (or 1 cup) mild salsa
1 bag of mixed salad greens, or the same amount of chopped dark leaf lettuce
1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp chopped avocado
(I threw in half a chopped cucumber because it was sitting in my fridge and that tasted great with everything else as well)

Drain and rinse out the beans in a colander. Mix them in a small bowl with the salsa.

Fill a salad bowl with the greens (and cucumber if you want it), then top with the bean-salsa mixture. Sprinkle some cheese and avocado on top of that, and you're done. This tastes great, and is really cheap to make.

Salmon Maki (Sushi Roll)

I LOVE sushi, of almost all kinds. So I saw a good price for salmon at the grocery store and bought a piece, both for last night's dinner and today's experiment with sushi making. Rolled sushi is called Maki. The baby had an interesting time watching me get my hands all ricey, and got a little taste of fresh avocado as well. This works best if you buy a sushi making kit, which gives you the bamboo rice paddle and rolling mat.

Ingredients:

chunk of fresh salmon (you don't need much for one or two rolls)
half a cucumber, sliced lengthwise
half an avocado, sliced lengthwise
2 cups Nishiki rice, washed and prepared
a package of Nori, toasted seaweed
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Prepare the rice by rinsing two cups of it under water until the water runs as clear as you can get, then put in pot with two cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on very low for another 12-15 minutes until done. Add rice vinegar, salt and sugar, and mix well. Spread rice out on a baking sheet to cool.

Lay out one sheet of Nori on the rolling mat, gritty side up. Cover with as thin a layer of rice as you can make.

Lay slices of cucumber, avocado, and salmon along the inside of the roll.

Don't use too much or the roll won't close. Then roll, using the bamboo mat, from the fishy side over to the rice side, squeezing tightly.

Slice into chunks with a sharp knife and serve. Super tasty! Don't worry if it falls apart on you a little; you're probably not a sushi chef.

Easy Sweet and Salty Salmon

I'm just cooking for myself now, so portion sizes will be much smaller and some meals might be a little pricier, since I can afford to eat some nicer meals. My husband is out to sea for the next couple months, and the baby got her first taste of sitting in the grass in the sun today. I'm going to give the ingredients for four chunks of salmon, since you'll probably be cooking for more than just yourself. And I'm really sorry, but the baby distracted me and I forgot to take a photo of the result. I will next time, I promise!

Ingredients:

3-4 pieces of salmon, about 1/2 inch thick and 4 inches wide
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
toasted sesame seeds
salt and pepper

Rinse off the salmon and pat it dry with a clean paper towel. sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper on each piece. Mix the soy sauce and maple syrup in a bowl, then brush/baste it over the salmon fillets. Broil on high 8-12 minutes. After you put the salmon on the plates, drip a little of the remaining sauce on each piece then top with a few sprinkles of sesame seeds.

Experimenting with Falafels

I saw this recipe in Parents Magazine and thought it sounded tasty, so I decided to try it yesterday while my husband had his one day off and could help with the baby. She was fussing and wanting to be with me instead of him, but I stayed strong and finished making dinner anyway. Aside from the fiasco of the pita pockets that I'd bought just two days ago being totally covered in mold (forcing my husband to run out and buy more), this did turn out to be pretty tasty. Of course, he found it "missing something", which was probably meat. Why can't men eat a meal that doesn't include meat once in awhile?

Ingredients:

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans
1/4 cup shredded carrots (just grate half a big carrot from your fridge, don't go buying a bag of pre-shredded carrots)
3 Tbs Sesame Tahini (either buy a can or make it yourself, which I'll tell you how to do)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt (you might try vanilla, since the plain wasn't very tasty)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tomato
a few lettuce leaves
mini or regular sized whole wheat pita pockets
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil (in sprayer)

To make sesame tahini: grind 2 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds in a chopper/food processor for about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 tsp. sesame or olive oil and 1/4 tsp. salt, then grind together another 20 seconds. Add UP TO 1/4 cup of warm water, bit by bit, grinding after each time you add a little, until the mixture becomes pasty. The recipe I found said to add the whole 1/4 cup and mine became watery, so I'm thinking you should add a little less. Tahini is a sesame seed paste.

Preheat oven to 425F. Rinse and drain garbanzos and mash together with carrots, flour, 1 Tbsp water, 2 Tbsp Tahini, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Use a potato masher and then finish mashing/mixing with a fork. It's fine if it's a little chunky. Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil spray and shape mixture into small patties, about the size of a half dollar. Place on cookie sheet and spray over all with a little more olive oil. Bake 5 minutes, then pull them out and turn each patty over. Bake another 6 minutes.

While falafels are baking, mix yogurt, remaining tahini, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add a little water if the mix seems stiff.


Stuff 2 falafel pieces, tomato slices, and a lettuce leaf in each pita pocket half with a spoonful of the yogurt sauce. Dip sandwiches in extra yogurt sauce served on the side. Serve also with slivers of pepper and cucumber and dip in the sauce.

Spicy Chili Night

It's time for chili again! I plopped the baby in her high chair in the kitchen with me, handed her her favorite butterfly toy, and went to work making chili. I used the same recipe as last time, found HERE. But I took a few more pictures this time to help you out.

Brown meat:


Rinse off beans and add to pot with the diced tomatoes:


Chop vegetables:


I also wanted to add that this chili takes about 20 minutes to prepare and cooks for at least 6 hours on low in a 7-quart Crock Pot. It will feed at least 6 people, which means my husband and I always end up with leftovers. And this chili is excellent reheated as well! Let me know how yours turns out if you try making this with my recipe.

What it looks like in the pot all mixed together before it cooks all day: