We don’t eat a lot of eggplant usually.  I like eggplant – when I order it out, but it always somehow falls flat when I cook it at home.  Maybe it’s like tofu and requires a secret club to know how to prepare it?  Is it just me?  So, I see recipes including eggplant that look delicious, but I hardly ever work up the courage to try them.  Well, not this time!  This is actually the second time I’ve made this recipe – it’s that good!

I think the secret for this recipe is letting the eggplant sit.  The first time I made it, I didn’t have the full 40 minutes to allow it to sit.  It was still good, but this time was even better!  (I also omitted the olives and the capers.  We’re a little selective on olives in our family.  I don’t have anything against capers – I just forgot them!)

Eggplant Pomodoro With Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, (about 1 pound or 5 cups), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, quartered
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces angel hair pasta (sub quinoa pasta for gluten free)
• 1/4 cup chiffonade basil

Instructions

1. Place eggplant in a colander and season generously with salt. Fill a 1-gallon plastic bag with water, seal tightly and place over eggplant to weigh down. Let stand for 40 minutes
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and shallots and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
3. Add wine, lemon juice, tomatoes, olives, and capers. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes begin to break down, 5 to 7 minutes more.
4. Remove from heat, add butter and stir till it’s melted.
5. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot
6. Cook pasta in boiling water until just tender, about 6 minutes or according to package directions.
7. Drain and divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Spoon the sauce over the pasta and sprinkle basil on top.

Munchkin was such a fan of this dish, too.  He had 3 servings of eggplant to go with his pasta.

Bon Appétit!

Tonight’s recipe is such a staple in our house that I’m surprised I haven’t already shared it.  It was adapted from an old Rachael Ray recipe; I say “adapted” because I no longer use a recipe and make a different variation every time; I say “old” because this recipe is not even on the Food Network website!  My whole family has gone through a big 30-minute-meals phase over the years.  Between us, we probably own all of the cookbooks.  (I think I’ve mentioned how fondly Hubby thinks of 30-minute-meals, right?)

I can safely say that this is a guaranteed 30-minute-meal.  While this meal is actually two separate recipes, they go perfectly together for a couple of reasons:  1) The oven temperature is THE SAME.  (Hallelujah!  How many times have you attempted to prepare several recipes for a meal only to find that they all need a different oven temperature.  So. Annoying.)  2) You can easily prep one recipe, pop in the oven, and then prep the other recipe.  No overlap.  This is especially beneficial to someone like me who forgets what she’s saying mid-sentence.  I often tell 5 stories within 1 story.  Oh, wait. . .were we discussing Meatless Monday here?  😀

Aside from the ease of preparation, I love this recipe simply because it lends itself so well to variation (what I also call improvisation).  Seriously, as long as you have the portobellos, you can make do with whatever you have in the fridge.  Don’t let the lack of specific ingredients keep you from making this.  I promise:  It will still be delicious!

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary & Garlic

Ingredients

1 bag of small potatoes (I used Yellow Dutch tonight; red or purple are also great!)

3 TBS EVOO

Salt & Pepper

5 Pinches Dried Rosemary (Recipe technically calls for fresh, but use what you have)

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Cut potatoes into small wedges.  (I cut them in quarters lengthwise and then in half.) In a bowl, drizzle the potatoes with the EVOO, then add salt & pepper to taste along with the rosemary.  (If using dried rosemary, I like to crush it in between my palms as I’m adding it.  I feel like this step releases the flavor of the dried herb.  I could be totally making that up.)  Place on baking sheet.  Roast for about 12 minutes.  Then, add in the garlic and stir the potatoes around.  Roast for another 12 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and starting to brown.  (I like my roasted potatoes especially crispy, so you can continue to cook for an additional couple of minutes to your liking.)

After you have put the potatoes in the oven, you can now work on the portobellos.

Roasted Portobellos

Ingredients

4 portobello caps (1 cap is usually enough for each of us, although the recipe calls for 2 caps per person to make a “burger.”)

EVOO

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Arugula (or other baby greens)

4 slices of Mozzarella (any cheese will do; I actually used provolone because that’s what I found in the store.  You want 1 slice per cap)

OPTIONAL:

Roasted red pepper

Prosciutto (obviously not suitable for Meatless Monday, but a delicious addition nonetheless.  😉 )

Directions

Place portobellos gill side up on a baking sheet.  (I choose not to trim out the gills; some people prefer an actual cap.  If you do choose to scoop out the gills, you will definitely need 2 caps per person!)  Sprinkle with salt & pepper; then, drizzle with EVOO and balsamic.  Roast for about 12 minutes.  Add the cheese slices and roast until melted, about 2-3 minutes.  (If using prosciutto, add it now as well.)  Add a handful of arugula to each cap.  Sprinkle again with salt & pepper and a drizzle of EVOO and balsamic.  (If using the roasted red pepper, chop and add with the arugula.)

Your potatoes and portobellos should finish cooking at about the same time.  Perfection!

Roasted Portobellos with Arugula and Roasted Potatoes

Bon Appétit!

I thought of tonight’s Meatless Monday recipe last week.  I was trying to remember some of my other go-to soup recipes as we got hit with a full-on winter cold spell around here!  I remembered how good this soup tastes!  It may appear to be a difficult recipe because of roasting the broccoli, but it takes no time at all and really adds another depth to the flavor.  Hubby was satisfied with one bowl!

We were down at my sister’s for Halloween last Friday, so we were able to check out the PTC Farmers Market Saturday morning.  If y’all live in the area, check out the “almost perfect” table at Annie’s Baking table.  I got a bag of muffins and a whole wheat loaf of bread for $5.  What a deal!  While, soup and grilled cheese is a favorite cold-weather meal, somehow cheese soup AND a cheese sandwich just seems like a bit much.  (My Hubby would disagree, I’m sure!)  Instead, I toasted a couple of slices in the oven with a small pat of butter after the broccoli was done roasting and then rubbed it with the cut side of a garlic clove.  I also fixed a small side salad with red onions, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese.

Munchkin is still learning how to use a spoon to actually eat, rather than just make noise, but we dipped some pieces of bread into the soup for him.  I’m a firm believer that kids should eat what the rest of the family eats.  Thankfully, our little eater hasn’t made it an issue, yet.  (I’m hoping it never happens!)  He happily gobbles up whatever is put in front of him.

I found this recipe several years ago on The Kitchn.  This is one of my favorite sites for recipes and general kitchen know-how.  Check it out!

Roasted Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil, divided
1 leek, washed (I bought a pre-trimmed leek to save on prep time)
1 medium waxy potato
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds)
6 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock or water (I used a combination of vegetable stock that I had leftover from this recipe and made up the difference with water)
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedge
Crème fraîche or yogurt (optional) (I used Crème fraîche; sour cream or even goat cheese would work as well!)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Thinly slice the white and light green portion of the leek. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the sliced leek. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leek is soft. While the leek cooks, peel and chop the potato into 1-inch chunks. Add the stock and potato to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.

While the stock is coming to a boil, chop the broccoli into florets and spread onto two sheet pans. If the excess broccoli stalks are tender and tasty, they can be peeled and added to the pans. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of oil over the broccoli, sprinkle with a little salt and put the pans in the oven. Roast for 5 minutes. Stir the broccoli and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.

Once the stock is boiling, add the broccoli and bring to boil again. Simmer until both the potatoes and broccoli pieces are tender when pierced with a fork, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Puree soup with an immersion blender or in batches with a regular blender. Add the cheese and stir until it has melted and incorporated into the soup. Taste soup and adjust the seasoning. If you are not serving the soup with crème fraîche or yogurt, add a squeeze of lemon. Serve topped with a small dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt, or a grind of fresh pepper.

Roasted Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

My favorite kitchen gadget during cold weather is my immersion blender.  If you don’t have one, I would seriously recommend investing in one.  You will save so much time (and sanity!) not having to transfer soups in and out of a blender or food processor.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy;  ours is actually a hand-me-down from Hubby’s grandfather.  I’m not sure what he was doing with an immersion blender to begin with, but we definitely lucked out as a result!  I had no idea what I was missing!

Bon Appétit!