Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Prep time: 15 minutes          Cook time: 65 minutes          Total time: 80 minutes

About:

I had never made (well, actually, I’d never eaten) eggplant Parmesan before the other night. I had always baked eggplant or added it into stir fry. So, I decided to tackle something new. This recipe is not difficult to make, however, it is time consuming. I recommend making this dish on a night on which you have some free time, such as a weekend. It will be worth your time, though! I was very impressed with this recipe and it is one that I will make again and again.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into slices

1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 cup regular breadcrumbs

1/2 large white onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 eggs

2  1/2 tablespoons water

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

Salt and pepper

Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Alright, let the fun begin! Start the fun by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. While the oven is preheating, peel and cut your large eggplant (shape doesn’t matter as long as the pieces aren’t too thick to crisp while baking).
2. Once you’ve chopped up your eggplant in a desirable fashion, whisk two eggs in a mixing bowl. Add the water to the whisked eggs and whisk together for togetherness. Set aside.
3. In a larger but separate mixing bowl, add the 2/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup regular breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tablespoon oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix this together (I used my hands because it was more fun than using a fork or spoon).
4. Get out a large baking dish and coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Now’s the time to dip. Take each individual slice of peeled eggplant and dip it into the egg and water mixture. Give it a careful shake to rid of the excess, then dredge it through the mixture of breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Once it’s coated well, place onto the baking sheet. Do this with every single piece of eggplant. Arrange them on the baking sheet so that they do not touch or overlap.
6. Once you’ve got every piece of eggplant breaded, pop the baking sheet into the oven and let the eggplant bake for 23 minutes on each side. So set your timer for 23 minutes, flip the eggplant pieces, and bake the other side for another 23 minutes. This makes 46 minutes total baking time.
7. While the eggplant pieces are baking, it’s time to focus on the sauce. If you have not done so already, chop the onion and garlic. Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray and saute the onion and garlic until the onion is clear and the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes.
8. Next, open the 26 oz can of tomato sauce and pour into a saucepan. Add the sauteed onion and garlic. You also want to add 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer.

9. Once the second side of the eggplant has been baked, it’s time to remove it from the  oven. It should look a little something like this:

10. Now it’s time for the real fun. Kick up the oven temperature to 400 degrees. While this temperature is preheating, spray a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

11. Spoon about 3 or 4 tablespoons of the sauce onto the bottom of the dish, and then begin to line the bottom with your first layer of baked eggplant pieces. Once the bottom of the dish is relatively covered with eggplant, pour half of the sauce on top of the eggplant. Once you’ve done that, sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce.

12. Repeat the process by adding another layer of eggplant pieces on top of the cheese.

13. Then, add another layer of sauce on top of the eggplant. Add the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the tomato sauce. You should now have the building blocks of baked eggplant Parmesan set into place.

14. Once you’ve built your eggplant Parmesan and the oven is preheated at 400 degrees, place the eggplant Parmesan into the oven and bake for in 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted (I baked mine for 17 minutes).

15. Remove from oven, serve, and enjoy!

Broiled Seasoned Tofu

Prep Time: 10 minutes          Cook time: 20 minutes          Total Time: 30 minutes

About:

Hello, all! Guess what? I’ve got another first! I don’t know why it had never occurred to me to do so, but until a couple of nights ago, I had never thought to broil tofu. I have always baked it, fried it, or grilled it. So, I decided to give broiling tofu a try. And guess what? It’s pretty good! It’s definitely easier to crisp the tofu by broiling it instead of baking it. If you like your tofu crispy like I do, then you’re definitely going to need to try this. This is a pretty basic recipe and can be adapted however you want. It doesn’t take long and it’s very simple.

Ingredients:

1/2 block tofu, drained or pressed

Olive oil

Italian seasoning

Cajun seasoning

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Salt

Pepper

Non-stick cooking spray

Preparation:

1. If necessary, preheat broiler.
2. Take your drained, half block of tofu and cut it into long, but thin, slices.
3. Spray a small baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and fit the tofu pieces into the dish. Arrange the tofu slices so that they do not overlap and are not touching each other.
4. Drizzle olive oil onto the top of the tofu pieces and brush the olive oil onto the surface of the tofu.
5.  Sprinkle the top of the coated tofu with Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. This is your call; add however much of each seasoning that you like. I like a lot of seasoning, (as you can probably see from the photos) so I sprinkled the seasonings onto my tofu like a duck on a June Bug (if you’re not from the southern United States you might not get that simile, but that’s OK, I forgive you).
6. Place the baking dish into the oven and broil for 9 minutes.
7. After the 9 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven and flip the tofu. Brush olive oil onto the newly exposed side of tofu. Sprinkle the seasonings onto this side of the tofu as well.
8. Return the baking dish to the oven and broil for another 9 minutes.
9. Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Chick Pea and Red Lentil Stew

About:

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I live in the heart of the southern United States where the heat index has been 109 degrees Fahrenheit over the last couple of weeks, with the occasional 105 degrees. What have I been eating? Soups and stews. Hot soups and stews. This is a great slow-cooker recipe to use on cold (or blistering hot) days. This recipe is an easy throw it in the pot and forget it kind of recipe. I used rice leftover from the night before, so the rice that is called for is already cooked. If you haven’t already cooked the rice, this will add to the prep time a little bit. Every ingredient in this recipe is good for you, (unless you have an allergy, then it’s not very good for you) so you can feel healthy as you eat it!

Prep Time: 15 minutes       Cook Time: 5 hours       Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup chick peas (dry)

1/2 cup red lentils (dry)

3/4 cups brown rice, cooked

4 cups vegetable stock or broth

1 1/2 cup water

2 cans diced tomatoes

3-4 bay leaves

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 large onion

1/4 cup celery, chopped

1/4 cup carrots, chopped

1 yellow squash, diced

1/2 cup frozen green peas

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Pinches of rosemary

Preparation:

1. If you haven’t already, cook the brown rice and chop the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and squash.

2. Once the rice has cooked and your vegetables are chopped, throw everything into a slow cooker. Turn the heat on the slow cooker between medium and high and let it cook for about 5 hours, stirring every hour or so.

3. Serve and enjoy!

Tofu Fajitas

Prep Time: 10 minutes          Cook Time: 20 minutes          Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 block tofu, drained and cut into long pieces

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 mushrooms, chopped

2 teaspoons cumin

1 packet fajita mix (any brand)

Corn starch (enough to coat tofu)

Olive oil

1/4 cup water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Whole grain tortillas

Preparation:

1. If you have not already, drain your tofu. While the tofu is draining, chop the green, red, and yellow bell peppers, onion, garlic, and mushrooms.

2. After the tofu has drained, dry it with a towel and cut it into long pieces.

3. Heat olive oil in a medium sized skillet. Use enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan and fry the tofu.

4. While the oil is heating, pour cornstarch into a small mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 tablespoon of the fajita packet. Mix this together and coat the tofu pieces in the mixture.

5. Once the oil has heated, place the tofu in the oil. Let each side brown, about 4 or 5 five minutes.

6. Once the tofu has browned, remove the pieces from the skillet and place onto a plate. Set aside.

7. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, and mushrooms into the skillet. The tofu has probably absorbed most of the olive oil, and this is okay. Saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes, stirring to ensure that they do not stick.

8. Once the vegetables are tender, add 1/4 cup water and the rest of the fajita mix. Add 1 teaspoon cumin. Salt and pepper according to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.

9. Once most of the water has been cooked away, add the tofu back into the skillet with the vegetables to reheat it. Hint: If you do not make sure that the water has been absorbed before doing this step, your tofu will get soggy. Blah!

10. Serve onto a tortilla shell and top with whatever you like. Enjoy!

Lentil Soup

About this recipe: This lentil soup is healthy and easy to make. All you really have to do is stick all of the ingredients in a pot and let it do its own thing (keeping an eye on it, of course). This recipe would also work well in a slow-cooker on medium-low heat for about 3-4 hours.

Prep Time: 10 minutes         Cook Time: 45 minutes         Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils

5 cups vegetable stock or broth

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 medium yellow squash, chopped

1/2 large sweet onion

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2/3 cup frozen green peas

1/3 cup frozen corn

3 bay leaves

1  1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1  1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

A couple dashes of dry mustard

A couple pinches of dry rosemary

Preparation:

1. In a large stew or stock pot, add all of the ingredients: lentils, diced tomatoes (not drained), vegetable broth/stock, celery, carrots, squash, onion, garlic, peas, corn, bay leaves, salt, black and white pepper, paprika, oregano, cumin, dry mustard and rosemary. Bring the soup to a boil.

2. After the soup has been boiling gently for about 7 minutes, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover.

3. Let the soup simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

4. Once the soup has thickened, it is ready. Discard the bay leaves and serve.

Split Pea Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes         Cook Time: 70 minutes         Total Time: 80 minutes

Ingredients:

1  1/2 cup green split peas (dry)              2 radishes

One large onion                                               1 cup chopped carrots

2 tablespoons butter                                    1 cup chopped celery

2 garlic cloves (chopped fine)                   2 tablespoons dried leaf marjoram

1/2 teaspoon white pepper                       1  1/2 – 2 cups vegetable stock

2-3 cups water                                                  Cajun seasoning to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

4  Morning Star vegetarian bacon strips (optional)

Preparation:

1. Melt the butter in a large stew or stock pot.

2. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and radishes. If you want to add the vegetarian bacon strips, cut them into fine pieces and add them with the vegetables. (You can also do them in the microwave according to the instructions on the package).

3. Let the vegetables saute over low to medium heat for roughly 7 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

4. Add the marjoram and stir it into the vegetable mix. Let this saute for another couple of minutes.

5. Add the split green peas and pour in the vegetable stock and water. You can use all vegetable stock or all water. You can even make your own special vegetable stock / water combination. Do whatever suits your taste.

6. Add the white pepper, Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.

7. Bring everything to a boil.

8. After everything has boiled for a little bit, reduce the heat to medium-low. Partially cover the pot. Let everything cook for an hour. Hint: Set a timer for fifteen minutes four times. Each time the timer goes off, stir the soup. If it looks too soupy after a couple of times stirring, add some flour to thicken things up. If it’s too thick, add some water.

9. Once the soup has been simmering for an hour and the peas are falling apart nicely, puree 5 cups of the soup in a blender (I sometimes puree all of it if I’m in the mood). To do this, use a ladle to transfer the soup into a blender. It will be hot, so be careful. Hint: I use the dice / chop setting on my blender. 

10. Once the soup looks nice and smooth, transfer it back to the pot. Heat it back up to the desired temperature. Serve and enjoy!