This week, we’d like to share a recipe for eggplant parmigiana. It makes a nice main dish with pasta and salad, a sandwich, or as a side-dish to chicken or veal cutlets. While we love eggplant, it’s unfortunate that it’s usually fried in oil and turns from an otherwise healthy vegetable* to a high fat, high calorie dish. For this dish, we fixed that problem. Let’s take a look how.

We start with ripe eggplants, and slice them, a bit over 1/4 inch.

Next, dip them in egg (we use fat free eggs, such as egg beaters) and breadcrumbs.

Brown in a non-stick pan sprayed with Pam (a non-stick vegetable oil spray), about 10 minutes each side. You can see that they brown nicely.

A few tablespoons of sauce, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Place in a preheated 350F oven for about 20-25 minutes until cheese melts and starts to brown.

If you enjoy eggplant dishes in a restaurant but for whatever reason, just haven’t tried it at home, now’s your chance. Let us know if you enjoyed this healthier version.

Happy Thanksgiving.

* I know – Eggplant is technically a fruit not a vegetable. There’s an old expression; Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

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written by admin \\ tags: eggplant, italian food, parmigiana, recipe

Another recipe in our “cooking for the week” series, for these meatballs we use ground turkey to keep the fat low. It’s often on sale in our local supermarket as a buy one get one free on a 20oz package, thus this recipe has 2-1/2 lbs of meat.

2-1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

First, mix the ingrediants in a large mixing bowl, then form into balls. We use an ice cream scooper to get these consistant.Use a bit of cooking spray then cook on a low flame with the lid on. About 10 minutes on low, then flip over.

Another 10 minutes or so and they are ready.

These meatballs freeze well, and go great in our homemade pasta sauce. Enjoy.

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written by admin \\ tags: meatballs, pasta, recipe, sauce

This is a great low fat recipe for muffins that we’ve been making for years. We’ve read on frugal blogging sites never to throw away bananas that are getting too ripe, keep an eye on them and if a number will be ready faster than they’ll get eaten, put them in the freezer, pealed and measured out. This recipe is a great way to use up some of those frozen bananas. (Note, the team daughter thought it a good idea to top some with chocolate bits. Works for me!)

Banana Muffins
2 cups white flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups reg oatmeal
1 cup egg
4 tbl (1/4 cup) applesauce
2 cups (about 4) ripe banana
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1-2 cups raisins
400F oven
Run oatmeal through blender (just a short bit, it should look like flour), mix all dry
ingredients, then fold in wet and raisins.
Makes 12 big muffins

Enjoy!

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written by admin \\ tags: banana muffins, desert, recipe, ripe banana

We find that the side dishes tend to be an afterthought, the steak is on the grill, and we look to see what we can make before it’s ready, hoping there’s something in the fridge or pantry. Here’s a side dish that goes well with most main dishes, try it and let us know what you think.

2 cups cold cooked rice (We use brown rice for extra nutrition and flavor. This is 2 cups ‘after’ it’s cooked)
1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed
1 cup (or 1 can) whole kernel corn
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/3 cup minced scallion (or sweet onion if scallion is out of season)
1/3 cup salsa
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin

So long as you’ve made the rice the day prior (or same morning), the prep for this is very fast, just a bit of chopping, mincing. (Yes, the corn missed the ingredients’ photoshoot, but it did make it to the final dish.) Enjoy!

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written by admin \\ tags: beans, recipe, rice, sidedish

Mashed squash makes a nice side dish and it’s very easy to make if you have the time (like when you’re cooking for the week but have a spare burner.)

Start out with a nice sized butternut squash. This one weighted just under five pounds.

Peel, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and quarter. Steam the cut up squash for about 25 minutes or until fork tender. Note, after peeling and scooping, we have just over four pounds of squash, if you wish, you can buy it already prepped like this.

Next put into a casserole dish, this is a 2-1/2 quart size, add eight table spoons brown sugar, and mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth.

Cook for 60 minutes at 350F, covered, then remove cover and cook another 20-30 minutes until the top starts to brown a bit. From start to finish is nearly two hours but the work is minimal, and this will last nearly a week in the refrigerator. Enjoy.

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written by admin \\ tags: recipe, side dish, squash