Chicken Eggplant Stackers

Adapted from Food & Wine

Ingredients

2 eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

olive oil

Salt

Pepper

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half

2-3 cups of marinara or spaghetti sauce

8-16 oz fresh mozzarella

grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil leaves

Preheat broiler. Arrange eggplant on baking sheet in single layer, brush with olive oil. Broil, turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Cool. Turn off broiler and heat oven to 425 degrees Faherenheit.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Partially cook the chicken for 2 minutes per side and remove from the pan. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.

Oil a baking dish. Match up your eggplant rounds. You want 3 good rounds for each stack, with the largest rounds on the bottom and smaller rounds on the top. For each stack, layer eggplant, chicken, a little sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, and a basil leaf. The goal is even layers. Repeat layers, and top with eggplant. Repeat until you’ve used all your ingredients. You may have some left over. If you can place your stacks close together on the pan, this will help them stay together as they bake. If any slide over or collapse, you can reassemble them when serving.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Panzanella Salad

Knocked off from a local restaurant at the request of my husband.

Ingredients

Bread cubes:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 loaf ciabatta or similar bread, cubed

Salad:

The idea with all salad ingredients, including bread, is to cut into pieces of similar size.

1 avocado, diced

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella

Fresh basil, sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For serving:

3-4 cups arugula

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange bread cubes on baking sheet in single layer, brush with olive oil. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or so. Bread should be dry and crunchy but not overly brown. Cool.

Combine salad ingredients, tossing well. Combine dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. Toss salad and dressing. You may not need all the dressing. Serve over arugula. Alternately you can plate these individually (without tossing) and serve dressing on the side. The bread will not get as soft.

Chopped Italian Salad

1 head romaine lettuce (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch squares (about 3 quarts)
2-3 ounces sliced pepperoni, chopped
1/3 cup drained sliced pimientos (one 4-ounce jar)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup pepperoncini
1 1/2 cups drained, rinsed, and chopped canned artichoke hearts (one 15-ounce can)
3 tablespoons red- or white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Mix together all ingredients except lettuce.  Top lettuce just before serving.

Leek and Gruyère Quiche

1 refrigerated rolled pie crust

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 large leeks

kosher salt

Pepper

1/2 c. roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

6 large eggs

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. whole milk

1/4 tsp. freshly grated or ground nutmeg

4 oz. Gruyère or sharp Cheddar

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Unroll and fit pie crust into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and reduce oven to 375 degrees F.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the parsley and remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in leek mixture and cheese.

Pour egg mixture into crust. Bake until just set and a knife inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

290 calories a serving

Garden Alfredo with Chicken

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided

Cooking spray

6 ounces uncooked pappardelle pasta

2 medium zucchini

2 medium yellow squash

2 teaspoons olive oil

5 ounces thin asparagus spears, trimmed

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup half-and-half

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut chicken across the grain into thin slices; keep warm. Reserve drippings in pan.

While chicken cooks, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; keep warm.

Cut each zucchini and squash in half crosswise. Cut 1/2-inch slices from outer “walls” of zucchini and squash; discard cores. Slice pieces lengthwise into thin strips.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl. Add zucchini, squash, asparagus, and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Sprinkle with 3/8 teaspoon salt. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Combine broth, half-and-half, and flour; stir with a whisk. Add broth mixture to reserved drippings in skillet. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheese; stir until cheese melts. Add pasta, vegetables, and chicken; toss. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and parsley.

Serves 4

Calories 456 Fat 13.6g Satfat 5.6g Monofat 4.7g Polyfat 1.2g Protein 38.7g Carbohydrate 43.2g Fiber 4.4g Cholesterol 106mg Iron 4mg Sodium 718mg Calcium 270mg

Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 oz. extra-sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated
1 scallion, finely chopped
Dash hot sauce
6 small jalapeños
1 sheet refrigerated crescent roll dough
24 frozen peas, thawed, or tiny pieces of roasted red pepper, or a combination

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick foil or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, Cheddar, scallion, and hot sauce. Spoon into a resealable plastic bag and snip off one corner.

Cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise, then remove and discard the seeds. Pipe the cheese mixture into the pepper halves.

Unroll the crescent dough and cut into 1⁄4″ strips. Wrap 2 strips around each filled jalapeño half to create a mummy-like pattern. Transfer the halves to the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 15 minutes.

Let the mummies cool for 5 minutes, then place two peas or pieces of pepper on each one for eyes. Transfer to a platter and serve warm or at room temperature.

PER SERVING 130 CAL, 9 G FAT (4.5 G SAT FAT), 11 MG CHOL, 206 MG SOD, 3 G PRO, 9 G CAR, 0 G FIBER

 

Creamy Potato Gratin Duet

1 Tbsp butter, softened

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 Tbsp. flour

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. each fresh parsley, thyme, and sage

2 tsp. coarse salt

1 scant tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Gruyere or havarti cheese, divided

2 medium russet potatoes

2 medium sweet potatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and butter a 2 quart baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together cream, flour, garlic, herbs, salt, papper and 1/2 the cheese.

Peel and slice potatoes thinly.  Add to the bowl of cream.  Pour into prepared baking dish.  (Alternately arrange the slices in the dish by hand, alternating regular and sweet potatoes.) Cover with foil and bake 35-40 minutes.  Uncover and bake 30 minutes more.

In the last 10 minutes of baking, top with remaining cheese.  Let rest loosely covered 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

220 calories

10 g tot fat

6 g sat fat

30 mg cholesterol

680 mg sodium

27 g carb

3 g fiber

4 g sugar

5 g protein

Asparagus and Smoked Trout Frittata

8 ounces thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon 2% reduced-fat milk

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

4 large egg whites

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

4 ounces smoked trout, skinned and flaked into large pieces

Cooking spray

1 teaspoon canola oil

1/2 cup minced green onions

Preheat oven to 450°.

Cook asparagus in a large saucepan of boiling water 2 minutes. Drain and plunge asparagus into ice water; drain and pat dry.

Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through egg whites) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in asparagus, 2 tablespoons cheese, dill, and trout.

Heat a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add oil and onions to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Pour egg mixture into pan; stir once. Cook without stirring for 2 minutes or until edges begin to set. Place pan in oven. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes or until eggs are just set. Remove from oven; sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons cheese.

Preheat broiler.

Broil frittata 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges.

Calories: 186

Fat: 10.2g (sat 3.4g,mono 4.2g,poly 1.5g)

Protein: 19.9g

Carbohydrate: 4.3g

Fiber: 1.6g

Cholesterol: 239mg

Iron: 1.9mg

Sodium: 687mg

Calcium: 140mg

Stuffed Jalapenos

6 large jalapenos, halved and seeded

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar

Preheat over to 450 degrees. Mix cheeses together, season with salt and pepper. Fill each pepper half with about 1 tablespoon cheese. Place on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until brown and bubbling.

Sausage-Cheddar Balls

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups grated cheddar (1/2 pound)

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage

1/2 large yellow onion, grated on large holes of a box grater

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and baking powder. Add cheddar and toss to coat. Add sausage, onion, and butter. With your hands, mix until well combined and roll mixture into 1-inch balls. Place balls, 1/2 inch apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until balls are golden and cooked through, 25 minutes. Serve warm.

per 2

143 cal

10.3 g fat (4.9 g sat fat)

6.4 g protein

6.1 g carb

0.3 g fiber