Let’s start with a bit of an introduction. This dish falls under a number of categories, it’s a great side dish, served either warm or cold, depending on the main course and time of year. It’s perfect for those on a diet, as the calorie count for this entire recipe is about 800 calories. It’s frugal and will let you use up the zucchini from your garden or a friend that brought you a basket of it.  Zucchini high season is toward the end of the summer so we wanted to get this posted before it was harvest time. Last, it freezes well, so fits nicely with the other recipes we’ve done targeted for the “cooking ahead” strategy.

By the way, if Ratatouille sounds too fancy, just call it “veggie stew,” which reminds me, serve this to your vegetarian friends and they’ll know you really care. Now, let’s get cooking.

Ingredients
4 lbs zucchini
3 red peppers
2 Vidalia (or sweet) onions
2 28oz cans tomatoes (I use one whole and one crushed)
1 tbl crushed garlic

First, fry the garlic with a little olive oil, for a few minutes, then add the onions and cook over a low heat. You want the onions to soften and it’s ok if they caramelize a bit. (Note, this is an 8 qt pot. If your pots are smaller, you might need to cut the recipe in half)

Cut up the zucchini into big chunks, as shown. I cut off the ends and washed the zucchini, but not peeled it. No need to.

This is when the food photographers get my admiration. Five shots and this was the best I could do. You get the idea, though. Once those onions are done, you’re going to put in the zucchini and peppers, and both cans of tomatoes. Cook for about two hours covered, on low heat and be sure to stir every twenty minutes or so.

You can take the lid off once the zucchini has softened and cook till it’s the thickness you prefer. It can be served over rice or noodles, or by itself. You notice I didn’t mention any seasoning at all? If I have fresh basil, I put in a dozen leaves or so, chopped fine. You can add oregano, if you like, about a table spoon or so. After you make it the first time, try whatever variation you wish. You can add eggplant, carrots, turnip, whatever. I know some people will add salt to everything they cook. Not us. Try this dish once and we’re sure you’ll find that you make it again and again. Let us know what changes you make to it by leaving a comment. We love to hear from our readers.

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written by admin \\ tags: ratatouille, recipe, side dish, zucchini

Couscous is an interesting dish. Traditionally middle-eastern, it’s worked its way into America’s diet, both as an appetizer and a side dish. Couscous can be treated as you would a rice dish or a pasta dish. Today, we’d like to share a side dish  that you are welcome to try and alter to your liking.

Ingredients
* 1 cup Israeli Couscous
* olive oil
* 1 Vidalia onion, sliced into slivers
* 2 cloves garlic
* 4 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon of tahini
* 1 large eggplant, chopped
* 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
* salt and pepper to taste

First, the couscous.

Cook for about 3-5 minutes in boiling water and drain. It should be al dente (just undercooked) like pasta.

Slice the onions as shown, and saute in olive oil.

In another pan heat the garlic in olive oil, and brown the eggplant.

Next, mix the lemon juice, tahini, and a tablespoon of olive oil. mix in a bowl with feta, and all other ingredients. This dish can be served either hot or cold. Salt/pepper to taste.

If you don’t care for the feta, leave it out, you can add chopped black olives if you wish. Let us kow if you tried this and if you made any changes to suit your taste.

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written by admin \\ tags: couscous, Israeli couscous, middle eastern cooking, recipe

This is traditionally a main dish made for the Jewish holidays, but as a hearty casserole/stew it makes a great meal when there’s enough time to prepare it.

3-4 lbs beef brisket
5 cups diced (big chunks) carrots
2-3 sweet potatoes cut into 6-8 pcs each
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 lb dried plums (the fruit formerly known as prunes)

Place the brisket in a large pan and cover with water. When water hits boiling, turn down to simmer.

Put the meat aside, and separately boil the potatoes and carrots in the broth from the pan until each are still a bit hard.

Next, in a smaller saucepan, put about 2 cups broth, the sugar, and dried plums. Heat until the sugar is dissolved, and then for just 5 minutes after.

Last, slice the meat thinly, and against the grain, and put into a large casserole dish. Cover tightly with heavy foil (to hold in moisture) and cook at 350F for one hour. This dish is best when reheated and served the next day, so it makes a great main course when you’d like to get some of the cooking out of the way in advance. Enjoy!

(Note: the meat is underneath the vegetables in the pan. You can also put a recipe of matzo balls in this dish. Just make the mix and put the uncooked matzo balls under all the other ingredients.)

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written by admin \\ tags: jewish cooking, recipe, tsimis, tzimis

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