Eggplant Stackers

Low Carb Supper on Thursday, January 17, 2013............Eggplant Parm Stackers

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized Eggplant, sliced into 1/2" rounds
3 cups Italian Meatsauce
6 oz  (or so) fresh mozzarella
Parmesan Cheese to taste
Olive Oil
3 T dry breadcrumbs, optional

Directions:   Preheat Oven: 400 F
Place eggplant on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and salt/pepper.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until desired tenderness.  Meanwhile, heat meatsauce and slice mozzarella (you will need one slice of mozzarella per slice of eggplant, so plan accordingly.  (I made my own meatsauce, but it isn't necessary.) Remove the eggplant from the oven and assemble the stacks as such: Eggplant, sauce, cheese, eggplant, sauce, sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, slice of mozzarella.  If desired, sprinkle plain breadcrumbs over the top for a little texture.  Place the stackers back into the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Enjoy!

Homemade Pierogi

Cheater Beans

Combine a 28-ounce jar of Randall's Great Northern Beans, undrained with 1 pound raw chopped bacon, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp dillweed, 2 tsp dry mustard, 2 tsp dehydrated onion. Cover and cook in the microwave on High for 35 minutes. Uncover, transfer to a 400 degree F oven for another 30 minutes or so. (These are even better the next day)

Crunchy Cheesaroni

This is one of my husband's favorite dishes....read through to the bottom for yummy variations.

Crunchy Cheesaroni

2 cups dry elbow macaroni, cooked and drained according to pkg directions
1 green pepper, chopped
1 pound ground meat, browned and crumbled
1 can cream of tomato soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg shredded cheese (8 oz)
1 small container French fried onions

Brown the meat while the pasta boils.  Drain the excess fat off the meat and mix in the green pepper and two cans of soup.  Mix the drained pasta into the meat/soup mixture and pour half into a dutch oven or casserole dish.  Sprinkle in half the cheese and half the onions and then layer on the second half of the macaroni mixture.  Top the casserole with the remaining cheese and bake at 350-375 for 20 minutes or so until bubbly.  Sprinkle the remaining onions on top and slide it back into the oven until they are crispy. Serve with crushed red pepper flakes so people can add their own heat.  Enjoy.

Variations:  substitute Italian sausage (hot or mild) for the ground beef; add other vegetables; experiment with different cheeses.  By far, my family likes the sausage substitution.....I made this just tonight with Bob Evans breakfast sausage and a Mexican 3-cheese blend with delicious results.

Menu for Tonight: 4/3/12

Shredded BBQ Beef (low and slow bottom round roast all day with a generous helping of Todd's special custom pepper blend)....will add the sauce after cooking and shredding

Focaccia Bread (Recipe was posted here last year...continues to be a favorite)


Oven Toasted Kale Chips - had these last night at Mom's: toss torn kale leaves or baby kale with olive oil, salt, pepper, and spices(smoked paprika, ancho chile powder, etc.) and toast at 400 for 8 minutes


Brussels Sprouts- ok, so I buy these babies frozen and just steam or nuke them.  simple.

Chicken Stir Fry

My husband, Todd, says I make "Rockin' Stir-fry," so here is the recipe I created tonight.

Ingredients:
1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
Marinade:
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 T light soy sauce
2 T Tarragon vinegar
4 T warm water
1 T creamy peanut butter

4-6 cups mixed chopped vegetables, such as onion, asparagus, zucchini, bell pepper, whatever you like and have on hand

Olive oil
3 T cornstarch + cold water and another splash of soy sauce

Cooked Rice

Directions:
Whisk together the marinade ingredients and toss in the chicken, set aside while you stirfry the veggies in the olive oil in your largest skillet or wok.  Once the veggies are cooked to your taste/texture, pour out into a bowl and reheat the skillet until it's rockin' hot.  Throw in the chicken and marinade and cook until just done.  Add the cooked veggies and mix well.  Whisk together the corn starch, water, and a touch of soy sauce.  Make a well in the center of the stir fry and poor in the thickener/sauce.  Once the sauce starts to thicken, stir everything together and serve over the rice, perhaps with some chopped peanuts or chow mein noodles over the top.

*Note: my new favorite way to cook white rice is to boil a big pot of water as for pasta.  Then, I add the rice and boil for about 15 minutes until it is done and then drain in a colander.  This makes for a nice fluffy rice that is not gooey or sticky or clumpy.  Very good for stir fries and fried rice dishes.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

A recipe of my own design:

BROCCOLI TUNA BAKE

Ingredients:
1 lb. box thin spaghetti
2 small heads broccoli, chopped into small bites
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
4 small cans light tuna in water, undrained
2 cans reduced sodium cream of mushroom soup
2 tsp dehydrated onion
1 cup shredded cheese
1 pkg Kraft Fresh Takes breadcrumb/cheese combo (I used the Bacon Cheddar flavor) 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook spaghetti according to the pkg directions, adding broccoli and red peppers half way through cooking and reduce cooking time by one minute as pasta will cook again in the oven.  Drain, but do not rinse pasta and veggies.  In the same pot, combine cans of soup, tuna, and onion.  Toss in the pasta and veggies until combined. Pour half of the mixture into a 9x13" baking dish and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.  Pour in the remaining casserole and then top with the whole package of Fresh Takes.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are bubbly and the top is golden brown.  Allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and scooping out with a spatula.