recipe: eggplant parm

taken from: Allrecipes.com 

changes: 
- followed recommendations to "sweat" the eggplant before baking it (added in instructions below)
- used an Italian panko breadcrumb instead of regular breadcrumbs (which i will not use moving forward for breading anything)
- scaled down to 5 servings (from 10. recipe for 5 serving posted below)
- baked for 7 minutes per side at 425 F degrees (vs 5 minutes per @ 350. added in instructions below)

photo taken from allrecipes.com

ingredients list:
- 1 & 1/2 eggplants, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch thickness)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 3 cups spaghetti sauce, divided 
- 1/2 (16 oz) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 tsp dried basil

to make:
sweat the 1/4" slices by sprinkling with sea salt and letting them sit for 30 minutes (i let mine sit in colanders so both sides can breathe). rinse, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. 

preheat oven to 425 F degrees. 

dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. place in a single layer on a baking sheet. bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes per side.  

decrease oven temp to 350 F degrees.

recipe: eggplant bacon

taken from: Minimalist Baker

changes: substituted soy sauce for tamari, left out liquid smoke, added smoked bacon sea salt (original recipe posted below)

ingredients list:
- half of 1 medium eggplant
- 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 1 & 1/2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch sea salt
- pinch garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper, plus more for topping

to make:
preheat oven to 225 degrees F. line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

cut the 1/2 eggplant in half lengthwise once more so you have two long, skinny pieces. use a sharp knife or mandolin to slice into very thin strips (resembling the size/shape or bacon). they should be about 1/8 inch. set aside. 

recipe: marinara sauce II

taken from: New York Times Cooking

changes: i didn't have fresh basil, so i opted for dried oregano. otherwise made verbatim.

photo from NYT Cooking

ingredients list*:
- 1 28-oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 7 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
- small dried whole chili, or pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 large fresh basil sprig, or 1/4 tsp dried oregano

*this will make about 3.5 cups, about enough for 1 lb of pasta.

to make:
pour tomatoes in a large bowl, and crush with your hands. pour 1 cup water into can and slosh it around to get tomato juices. reserve.

in a large skillet (not a deep pot), heat the oil over medium heat. when it is hot, add garlic. as soon as garlic is sizzling (do not let it brown), add the tomatoes, then the reserved tomato water. add  the whole chili or red pepper flakes, oregano (if using), and salt. stir.

place basil sprig, including stem, on the surface (if using). let it wilt, then submerge it in sauce. simmer sauce until thickened and oil on surface has turned a deep orange, about 15 minutes. (if using oregano, taste sauce after 10 minutes of simmering, and add more salt/oregano if needed). discard basil and chili, if using. 

result: i've made a ton of different red sauces and never really found "the one" - they've either been too sugary, or just... off. this was the first marinara i've made that was just right - just a very well balanced, perfectly simple good sauce. this will definitely be my keeper... as will be buying quality san marzano base sauce, which i think is a key to this recipe.  

recipe: apple muffins

photo from The Girl Who Ate Everything

taken from: The Girl Who Ate Everything

changes: added 1/2 tsp nutmeg, otherwise made as originally written.


ingredients list: 
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3 cups cored & diced apples (about 3 apples)
- brown sugar for topping (about 1/4 cup)

to make: 
preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and line muffin pan with paper liners.

cream the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl. sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a separate bowl. add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture until combined. (the batter will be extremely thick - this is OK) add the diced apples.

fill paper liners almost to the top, about 3/4 of the way full. sprinkle with brown sugar, and bake at 350 F degrees for about 20-24 minutes. will make 18 muffins, +/-. 

results: perfect tasting muffin. i just wish i didn't know how unhealthy they are, because i felt guilty the entire time i was eating it. i'd make again but see if i can health the up next time (apples sauce for the oil, maybe decrease sugar?) 

recipe: pretzel bites

taken from: Two Peas & Their Pod

changes: none - i halved the recipe but kept everything else the same, apart from reducing the cooking time (full recipe posted below) 

ingredients list:
- 1 & 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast (2 & 1/4 tsp)
- 3 oz unsalted butter, melted
- 2 & 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 & 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
- vegetable oil
- 3 quarts water
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tbsp cold water
- coarse sea salt or seasoning of choice for topping (I used Trader Joe's "Everything but the Bagel" seasoning) 

to make: 
combine the 1 & 1/2 cups water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and and mix with the dough hook until combined. let sit for 5 minutes. 

add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3-4 minutes. if the dough appears to wet, add additional flour 1 tbsp at a time. remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface, and knead into a ball with your hands. 

recipe: cauliflower crust (for quiche)

photo from Fresh April Flours

taken from: Fresh April Flours

changes: none - made exactly as written

ingredients list:
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, stems removed 
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

to make: 
spray and 8" or 9" pie dish with non-stick spray and set aside. cut cauliflower into pieces, removing as much stem as possible while keeping the florets in tact. rinse florets in a strainer or colander.

pulse florets in a food processor until they resemble corn meal. place in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 4-5 minutes. when fully cooked, set aside and allow to cool for 10 min. after it has completely cooled, use a strong kitchen towel and wring out all of the moisture. transfer dry cauliflower back to the bowl. 

preheat oven to 450 F degrees. in a small bowl, blend together the Parmesan cheese, egg, and spices. add to cauliflower and mix together. transfer the dough to a pie dish, smoothing it out to it evenly covers the bottom and sides of the dish. 

bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are brown and the overall crust starts browning. allow to cool on wire rack while quiche (or whatever other filling your using) is prepared. 

results: good -- enough so that we've made this a few times now. i've only used this recipe for vegetable quiches, which it seems to perfectly fit the bill for (and saves quite a few calories) 

recipe: chicken thighs with couscous and kale

taken from: Eating Well 

changes: added onion powder and additional chicken broth, otherwise cooked as written

ingredients list: 
- 1 & 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 & 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
- 1 cup Israeli couscous
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups thinly sliced kale
- 2+ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth