Party Treats!

I stumbled upon a few new fun recipes that I just had to share!  Super easy, pretty healthy and really tasty!

Recipe 1 - Baked Eggplant Fries
I was really unsure about these because I have never had "crispy" eggplant before, but this recipe is awesome and low and behold, crispy eggplant I did get!

Here is what you will need...

Ingredients
1 eggplant (cut into strips)
1/3 C Greek yogurt
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 C whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste

How to do it...

Step 1: Mix yogurt, spices, lemon juice and vinegar; coat eggplant lightly in large bowl.

Step 2: Poor breadcrumbs on a plate, coat fries lightly.

Step 3: Place on sheet pan (cover with foil or parchment to avoid sticking) and make sure eggplants aren't touching to avoid steaming.

Step 4: Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Step 5: Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.

Serve with Trader Joe's Mustard Aioli Sauce or another favorite dipping sauce.

Recipe 2 - Baked Chicken Strips


Here is what you will need...

Ingredients
Cooking spray and a lot of it... I didn't use enough and my strips stuck a bit
2 large eggs
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
kosher salt
pepper
2 C panko or other breadcrumbs (panko make them crunchier)
1 - 1 1/2 lbs chicken strips (a more affordable option may be to buy 2-3 whole breasts and slice yourself)

How to do it...

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees, spray lined baking sheet with cooking spray.  Then, mix eggs, mustard, spices. Poor breadcrumbs on a plate and season with salt and pepper, set aside.

Step 2: Coat chicken evenly in wet mixture, then lightly coat with breadcrumbs. Then place each strip on baking sheet.

Step 3: Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

These are great with BBQ sauce!

Recipe 3 - Barefoot Contessa's Cole Slaw

I refuse to eat anything other than homemade coleslaw and I finally found a recipe that tastes really good and isn't swimming in mayo!  And this makes A LOT...fortunately it keeps for about 3 days.

What you will need...

Ingredients

1/2 small head green cabbage

1/2 small head red cabbage

4 large carrots, peeled and grated 

1 C good mayonnaise*

1 C Greek yogurt

1/4 C Dijon mustard

2 tbsp whole grain mustard

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 C crumbled Roquefort blue cheese

1 C fresh parsley (I don't recommend the parsley)

*I substituted 1 C of mayo for Greek yogurt to reduce the calories.

How to do it...

Step 1: Cut the cabbages in half and then quarters, and then remove cores.  You can either use a food processor or simply slice thin layers of cabbage. Then wash and peel carrots, which you can also use a food processor to grate, or a cheese grater on the largest grade works great too.

Step 2: Place sliced/chopped cabbage and grated carrots into large bowl. Set aside.  In another bowl, mix yogurt, mayo, spices and vinegar.  Separately, roughly chop blue cheese.

Step 3: Poor 3/4 dressing over vegetables and then add more as needed.  Cabbage should be lightly coated with dressing.  Will take a few minutes to coat all of the vegetables.

Step 4: Gently mix in chopped blue cheese.

This is tangy but mild.  The blue cheese really adds another layer of flavor to this salad. It would be really good with BBQ chicken, pulled pork sandies, perhaps a white fish... so good.

Balsamic, Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin

This is the easiest, and most tasty pork roast recipe I have had recently.  A must try for sure!

Here is what you need for a dinner for 2 people with possible leftovers (none in our case).

Ingredients
1 Pork Tenderloin (1 lb or so) - typically if you purchase these at the grocery store, they will be in a case of some kind, sealed shut.
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed, or 1 tbsp of minced garlic
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 tsp course salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Step 1: Mix ingredients together and marinate pork for at least one hour, overnight for best results.

Step 2: You can either grill this guy on the BBQ, rotating every ten minutes until meat is cooked to about 160 degrees.  OR, you can use the oven, which is what I did.  Preheat to 400 degrees. Using a good, large, oven proof saute pan, add some olive oil or canola oil to the pan, heat on high, and brown pork on all sides, about 4 minutes or so.

Step 3: Place pan with pork into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until meat is 160 degrees.

Step 4: LET YOUR MEAT REST at least 10 minutes.  Makes all the difference, I swear!

Then slice in 1/2 inch pieces and serve.  I served with a spinach salad, topped with walnuts, dried cherries, fresh parmesan and an apple cider/Dijon/garlic vinaigrette.

Healthy, easy and so deelish!  Don't let funny looking pieces of meat intimidate you.

REStore

I kind of don't want to share this fabulous secret, but how can I keep this amazing place from others?!

I was in need of some old window panes, and this place is seriously like window pane mecca, among other things.. if you are in to antiquing, old things and just plane cool stuff, this is the place for you.  My BFF Jessica introduced me to this place a few months ago...

The store carries all kinds of old things including cabinets, doors, windows, furniture, plumbing fixtures, a large variety of vintage and antique lighting and door hardware, flooring, trim, granite, and a billion other things I could have found a use for. Someone else's trash, is definitely my treasure!

Another GREAT thing about this place, is that it is NOT FOR PROFIT and super reasonably priced! 

Sustainable Communities to address the growing problem of wasteful disposal of usable building materials, most of which were buried in the local landfill. The organization was able to focus on the mission of saving waste by forming under the non-profit, supporting the public's growing interest in green building and reuse.

For more information and a location near you, check it out...

http://www.re-store.org/index.php

Make this!

Penne w/ Roasted Asparagus

OMG, this is sooo good, and sooo easy.  Perfect for a hot meal, OR, would be super yummy served room temperature or chilled with BBQ chicken or fish during the summer.

Ingredients
1lb asparagus, stems snapped off and sliced into spears
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 C and 2 tbs good balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
1 lb penne pasta (I always use whole wheat to add some fiber0
1/2 C no salt butter, cubed
1/3 C grated parmesan

Step 1: Boil penne in salted water as directed. While that is happening, toss asparagus in olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. While those two things are happening, poor balsamic into sauce pan and simmer on low heat until reduced to about 1/3 C liquid.

Step 2: Once balsamic has reduced, add a pinch of pepper and tsp of brown sugar; stir; remove from heat.

Step 3: Drain pasta (DON'T RINSE!!!).  Add balsamic sauce, cubed butter and salt and pepper; toss until butter is melted and well mixed.  Then add asparagus and freshly grated parmesan.

Seriously, SO good.  I served with garlic naan bread, my go to pasta or salad side, and a glass of sauvignon blanc.

Enjoy!

Easy Dins: Linguine w/ Tuna Puttanesca

Again, not my pic... but this pic was better!

I literally just enjoyed this, and had to share!  So easy, inexpensive ingredients, HEALTHY, and takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

What you'll need... (I found I had many of these ingredients already, which I love about this recipe)


Ingredients


kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil
whole wheat linguine, OR spaghetti
2 tsp crushed garlic, OR 4 cloves, smashed
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (WARNING: this = spicy)
2 tbs capers, drained
1/2 C chopped kalamata olives (I keep a jar of these little guys packed in olive oil, in my fridge at all times)
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can albacore tuna IN OIL (I promise this is the best for flavor, not packed in water)
fresh basil for garnish, OR tsp of dried basil
Squeeze of a lemon

How to do it...

Step 1: Bring salted water to a boil, cook noodles for 10 minutes or as instructed on the package.

Step 2: While noodles are cooking, heat 2 tbs olive oil with red pepper flakes and garlic.  After about 1 minute, add capers and chopped olives.  Cook 2 more minutes.

Step 3: Add canned tomatoes with juice, add salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer about 5 minutes.  Add tuna with oil, cook another 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

Step 4: Add noodles to sauce and toss lightly, add basil, squeeze lemon and serve.

I served with parmesan-garlic naan bread and a glass of sauvignon blanc.

Enjoy!