Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

2 medium Eggplants, peeled and sliced in rounds (8 oz per serving)

9 oz Ricotta Cheese

3 oz Mozzarella Cheese

6 oz Ground Meat, pre-cooked and seasoned

Sauce

3 cup Spaghetti or Tomato Sauce

Garlic, to taste

Italian seasoning to taste

1 c water

Optional

 Add canned or frozen Spinach

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9”x11” baking dish and a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.  Place sliced Eggplant on cookie sheet.  Season with Garlic powder, Salt and Pepper.  Cook for about 10 minutes; turn Eggplant slices, season and place in oven for another minute.  Set Eggplant aside.  

Assembly: In the bottom of the baking dish place ¼ of sauce, spreading to cover bottom of dish.  Place one layer of the Eggplant evenly across the bottom.  Using ½ of the Ricotta Cheese, spread a thin layer on each Eggplant slice.  Cover with another ¼ of the Sauce and sprinkle with ½ of the Mozzarella.    At this point you can add a layer of spinach for variation.   Repeat with layers of Sauce, Eggplant, Ricotta, Eggplant, Sauce, and remaining Mozzarella

Cover with foil and bake until hot and Cheese has melted, about 45 minutes

Makes 6 servings.

Abstinent Measuring

Each serving = 1 protein and 1 vegetable, If spinach is used, include the additional vegetable.

Make It A Meal

Enjoy with a salad for lunch or a salad plus another vegetable for dinner

*contribution from Area II Cookbook 2004

Eggplant with Artichokes and Mushrooms

Ingredients

½ medium Onion, sliced

1 large can Diced Tomatoes

1 - 8 oz can Tomato Sauce

1 large Eggplant, peeled & diced into 1 “ chunks

1 can Artichoke Hearts (packed in water)

1 large can of Mushrooms, or I lb fresh Mushrooms, sliced

2 TBLspoon total: Basil, Oregano, Garlic  or Italian Spice Mix

Salt & Pepper (amount to your preference)

Optional

Crushed Red Pepper

Directions

Prepare Eggplant by cutting into 1 inch (no larger) slices.  Salt and allow juices to rise to top of slices.  Pat dry and cut into 1 inch square chunks.  Put all ingredients in large pot. Cook with lid on for about 30 minutes.   Garnish with crushed Red Pepper

Abstinent Measuring

1 cup = 1 vegetable

Make it a Meal

Makes a great meal with 4 oz browned ground beef (or ground turkey) added to 1 c of the above mixture, Serve with a 1 cup/8 oz Salad

Abstinent Measuring: 2 vegetable and 1 protein.

*contribution from Area II Cookbook 2004

Resurrected Veggie Stew

Ok, I admit it.  Many times I buy too many vegetables!  This past week I had a bunch of veggies that were coming to the end of their refrigerator drawer life.  Small gray and black spots were appearing on some and the stalks of others were looking like dried sticks.  What to do?  I pulled out my trusty wok-pan intending to make the usually Eggplant-spaghetti sauce fare and got off track to excellent results.  I guess all they needed was a little love and moisture, LOL!   (this picture really doesn't do it justice.  When it was freshly cooked it was the most beautiful colors: bright green asparagus, firm tomatoe pieces, the broth was clearer.... Note to self: don't wait and take pictures of leftovers!)

Ingredients

A little Olive Oil

1 1/2 medium Yellow Onion, chopped

1 medium Eggplant, peeled, diced into 1/2 to ¾ inch cubes

2 Yellow Squash, cleaned, quartered and sliced to ½ inch quarter pieces

3 Zucchini, cleaned, quartered and sliced to ½ inch quarter pieces

4 stalks Celery, cleaned, sliced lengthwise, then chopped into ½ inch pieces

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped, diced

1 Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped, diced

1 bunch Asparagus, cleaned, cut off dried ends, chop into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces

6 Roma Tomatoes, Large Dice

2 cups strong Chicken or Turkey broth (see Notes)

1 teaspoon Celery Seed

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper

1 teaspoon dried Basil

1 teaspoon dried Thyme

1 teaspoon Sea Salt, to taste [1/3 teaspoon]

Optional

1 Jalapeno, cleaned, chopped very small (what can I say… it was way at the bottom of the drawer—had forgotten all about it!)

Directions

In large stock pot (or wok-pot), place Yellow Onions and and enough Olive Oil to keep the onions from sticking.  Cover and sauté until onions are turning clear.  Add Celery, Celery Seed and Cumin Seed.  Cover for another couple minutes, allowing the seeds to heat and release their flavor.  Then add Eggplant, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Bell Pepper.  Mix well and cover until heated through and Eggplant is well on it way to softening.  Add Chicken/Turkey Broth, White Pepper, Basil, Thyme, Garlic Powder and Salt.  Cover and cook until Eggplant and other veggies are barely done.  Add Asparagus and Tomatoes, mix well and cover for 5 minutes.  Serve Hot.

Abstinent Measuring

1 cup = 1 vegetable

Notes

Strong chicken Broth.  The idea is maximum flavor with minimum liquid.  If you are using homemade Chicken broth, stuff you save from the bottom of your own roasting pan, this is probably strong enough.  Just increase the whole measure up to 2 cups if you start with less.  If however you are using store bought, I recommend 2 cups water and 3-4 cubes or powder equivalent—so double strength.  

Eggplant Strata(layers)

I’ve gotten fabulous reviews on this dish. A mandolin slicer is your best friend. I have one that slices thin, medium and thick. It makes this casserole a breeze. Just about everything gets run through the slicer and then layered into the pan. How easy is that!

Ingredients

3 medium Eggplant, sliced into rounds, ¼ inch thick

8-9 Roma Tomato, sliced into rounds, ¼ or 1/8 inch thick

1 large Yellow Onion, sliced 1/8 inch thick

1 Red or Orange Sweet Bell Pepper, sliced ¼ or 1/8 inch thick

1 Pablano Pepper, sliced ¼ or 1/8 inch thick

½ cup fresh Basil, minced

3 TBLspoon Garlic, minced

4 oz fresh Baby Spinach, chopped or whole.

Olive Oil Spray

Optional

½ pound Mushrooms, sliced

Any fresh vegetable in season, sliced thin. Including yellow squash, zucchini, any greens (chard, kale)….use your imagination.

Directions

Do all the chopping and slicing first, and then assemble into the baking pan. So….slice Eggplant, Roma Tomato, Yellow Onion and chop spinach In to their own SEPARATE bowls/containers. Slice the Sweet Bell Pepper and Pablano Pepper and mix together in one bowl/container. Mince Basil and Garlic, and then mix together in one bowl/container. Continue with any optional vegetables, keeping them in separate bowls/containers.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Use Olive Oil Spray to coat 9x13 baking pan. All the vegetables are applied in sequence – twice. First layer: 1/3 of the eggplant on bottom of baking pan, followed with ½ of the Roma Tomatoes, ½ of the Yellow Onion, ½ of the Sweet & Pablano Peppers. Then apply dollops of the Basil & Garlic mix using half of what is prepared. Next layer on ½ of the Baby Spinach. This is the first half, now repeat the stack, 1/3 of Eggplant, followed by rest of Roma Tomatoes Yellow Onion, Sweet & Pablano Peppers, dollops of Basil & Garlic and last of Baby Spinach. Complete the top with the last 1/3 of the Eggplant. This construction may stack higher than the sides of your baking pan, depending on how deep your dish may be. But get it to balance in there as best you can. It will shrink during the baking. As a finally ‘sealer’ spray the top with a light coating of Olive Oil spray. Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Or until tender. Cover LIGHTLY with foil after 1 hour if it is browning too much.

Abstinent Measuring

1 cup = 1 vegetable

Notes

The long cooking time is remove all (or most) the liquid from the fresh vegetables. If you like it more like a stew, reduce the oven time and take out when vegetables are tender.

Serving Suggestions: Asiago Cheese goes especially well with this dish and you don’t need a lot of it. At 1 hour of baking, sprinkle ¼ cup Asiago cheese on top of the baking vegetable and return to oven. OR sprinkle a TBLspoon on top of your measured cup for that hint of tangy sweetness to offset the peppers.

Adapted from Eggplant Strata in Vegetable Heaven by Mollie Katzen and Eggplant Parmesan Bake in Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Raman Prasad

Roasted Vegetables

Sounds boring and yet roasting brings out the most amazing flavors. Try it once and get hooked. Try it with just the vegetables that are in season and the freshest. Try different combinations of vegetables every time. It's a dynamic, living recipe.

Ingredients

2 -3 lbs of vegetables, chopped into 1 1/2 to 3 inch pieces -- see Advise below.

combo1: 1 eggplant, 2 zucchini, 2 yellow squash, 1 red bell pepper, 1/2 red onion

combo2: 1 cauliflower

combo3: 2 crown broccoli, 1 ear sweet corn, 1/2 lb mushroom, 1 red bell pepper,

combo4: 4 turnips, 4 red beets, 3-5 carrots, 3-5 parsnips, 2 fennel

combo5: combo4 plus 1 butternut squash

combo6: 1 butternut squash

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Toss the chopped vegetables with sea salt and pepper. Place on grease baking pan, one layer deep. it may be necessary to go to two pans if you get too happy with the chopping.

Bake in 350 degree F oven for 30-45 minutes or until tender.

Abstinent Measuring

1 cup Roasted Vegetables = 1 vegetable

if corn is used, it must be separated out and measured as a starch

Optional Spices

Red Pepper flakes

Lemon-Pepper

Any seasoned salt you can imagine is great substitute for the sea salt

Rosemary - be careful not to over do. Rosemary is strong spice and gets over-powering fast.

Dill - again, be careful not to get carried away

Notes

DO NOT TURN the veggies halfway. it just makes them burn faster.

Corn - just cut the cob into 2 inch rounds and toss in with other veggies.

Root Vegetables take more time to cook because of their density. Chop into 1 1/2 - 2 inch cubes.

Take it to a Party: Remove the veggies about 10 minutes before they are done, cover with foil and a towel. Take to party and put on pretty plate when you get there. The veggies will finish cooking on the way and they will have that awesome, straight-from-the-oven quality when you serve this dish.