Friday Yummies: Let's Give It Up for Eggplant.

First, let me say that this dish was a hit with the toddler. Total hit. He ate everything that was on his plate and a lot that was on mine. In other words, he couldn't get enough eggplant, which is great because eggplant has lots of fiber and is a good source of potassium, manganese, copper and vitamins B1 and C.

Sauteed Eggplant and Pasta

2 tbsps olive oil
1 medium eggplant, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. chopped basil
4 medium carrots
1/2 c. sundried tomatoes, julienned
1/2 c. roasted red peppers, sliced
1 can chopped tomatoes (don't drain)

Warm oil over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring, until the eggplant starts to brown and soften, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat and add basil, carrots, red peppers, both tomatoes. Let simmer for about 20 minutes or so. Adjust seasoning, as needed.

Meanwhile, boil pasta. I use Barilla Plus rotini, but use whatever kind you like. When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain it and add to the eggplant. Mix together and cook over low heat for a few minutes to let the sauce combine well with the pasta. Serve hot, sprinkled with freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Friday Yummies: The "Let's bake!" edition.

Fall is apple season and there is no better use for apples than to make apple pie. Other than dipping them in caramel sauce, that is. Or peanut butter. Or just biting into a crisp one for a mid-afternoon snack. Or baking them with maple syrup, cinnamon and chopped pecans. Or . . .

Enough! My point is that now is a perfect time to bake an apple pie. And so, this week, I give you my taste-tested, family-approved recipe for apple pie. It's a combination of many different recipes and a lot of trial and error. Yes, that's right, I've lived through the errors so you don't have to!

Apple Pie

Crust

2-1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
4 tbsps. sugar
2 sticks of unsalted butter, cold and cut into smallish pieces
6 tbsps. water
1 egg yolk

Put flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter. Process for about 10-15 seconds. Pour mixture into a bowl and sprinkle half of the water over it and add egg yolk. Start to mix it together and add more of the water as you need to. I like to use a big wooden spoon to mix the dough. Don't over mix -- once it starts to come together, gather it up with your hands and press it into a ball. Wrap it in plastic and put it in the refrigerator as you prepare the apples.

The apples

1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
7-8 apples: Use two kinds, one that holds its shape while baking and one that will break down and turn to applesauce. I typically like to mix 2-3 McIntosh apples with 5-6 Cortland, Empire or Braeburn apples.
2 tbsps. corn starch

Peel, core and slice apples to desired thickness. Put in a bowl and sprinkle sugars, spices and corn starch over them. Mix well so all the apples are covered.

**When I am feeling adventurous, I'll add about a half cup of dried cranberries and some chopped nuts (almonds or pecans) to the apples. Both give the pie a little extra oomph!

Putting it all together

Now that you have the apple mixture ready, preheat the oven to 450.

Take the dough out of the fridge and divide it into two equal balls. Roll one out for the bottom of the pie and place it in a pie dish. Pile the apples on the bottom crust, heaping them in the center.

Roll the other dough ball out for the top of the crust. Carefully place it over the apples, letting some of it hang over the edge of the dish. Cut off any big chunks of extra dough and then go around the dish and pinch the bottom and top crusts together. I like to roll the two together and then crimp the edges.

Cut four slits in the center of the top crust, and then sprinkle a little bit of sugar over the whole pie. Put the pie on a cookie sheet and place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then, turn the oven down to 350 and bake for another 4o minutes. If the crust is not yet golden brown, bake for 10 minutes longer. The exact time will depend on your oven. And, if you add extras, like the cranberries or nuts, you will need a little more time

Cool and serve the pie with a dollop of freshly whipped cream. What could be better?

Friday Yummies: Simple soup

I rarely use recipes for soups. This is one that I made last weekend when we had company and since it received good reviews I wrote down what I had done so I could replicate it in the future.

Simple Autumn Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
4 links Italian sweet sausage, casings removed -- or about half a pound of bulk sausage
1 Vidalia onion, chunked
8 white mushrooms, chopped
3 large carrots, sliced in chunks
2 cans diced tomatoes (I use no salt added)
1c. frozen corn
3c. chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
(NOTE: all amounts are approximate)

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven (use medium heat). Add onion and stir for about two minutes. Add mushrooms and stir for another two minutes. Add sausage and, as it browns, break it up into small pieces. Continue to stir and cook until the sausage is lightly browned and cooked through.

Add the carrots, diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat and add the corn. Cover and let the soup simmer over LOW heat for about an hour. Longer is fine, just make sure that the heat is on low. After the soup has been simmering for a little while, maybe 20 minutes, give it a taste and see if it needs salt or pepper. Mine needed a little of both, but little else.

This recipe makes 4-5 hearty entree-sized servings.

** You could also use turkey sausage or vegetarian sausage in this recipe. I'm very interested in trying it with the veggie sausage so if anyone has any recommendations on veggie sausage, please share!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Yum!

And now, for your Friday, I present . . . food!

I've been mixing it up around here, trying new foods and new recipes, all in an effort to eat a wider, more healthy variety of foods. Weekends are a great time to try out new recipes, since most of us have a little more time then. So, here's the first of what I'd like to make a weekly habit: Friday Yummies!

Couscous Salad*

1-1/2 c. couscous
1-1/2 c. boiling water
1/2 c. fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tsps. white vinegar
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 c. grated carrots
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. slivered almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Pour couscous in a bowl and pour water over it. Cover and allow couscous to soak for about 5 minutes.

Whisk (important! Use a whisk!) together the yogurt, olive oil, curry, salt and pepper until slightly emulsified. Fluff couscous with a fork. Pour yogurt sauce over couscous and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix again. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve cool or at room temperature -- I prefer it at room temp.

Enjoy!

*Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa.