well hello, eggplant!

It's no secret that I go through "food kicks."  I fall in love with a food, eat it like crazy for about a month or more, then move on to my next kick.  I've gone through green smoothies, oatmeal, roasted broccoli, sweet potatoes... all things I still love and eat, but maybe not with the "once or twice a day" gusto that I did when I first had them.

My newest obsession?  Greek eggplant wraps.  If you would have told me that I would love these before, I would have said you were nuts.  I didn't even like eggplant.  But oh, how things change in the face of olive oil, oregano, basil, tomato, and feta...

Take a tortilla and spread it with tomato jam.  Then add feta and fresh basil leaves.

Pile on a couple slices of roasted eggplant.  Wrap up and devour.  Repeat as necessary.

I've been eating these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... I can't stop!  And eggplant is definitely going on my store list when I get home.  These roasted slices would be so good on sandwiches!

If you think you don't like eggplant please please please give these a try!  I think you will!

Roasted Eggplant
1 lb. eggplant
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4c. olive oil
2t. oregano
1t. salt
1/4t. pepper

Cut the eggplant lengthwise into quarters.  Cut each quarter into quarters.  Mix garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper in large bowl.  Add eggplant and toss until evenly covered.  Spread eggplant over a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.  Turn each piece, then return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

Stand and eagerly anticipate your eggplant.

Tomato Jam
3lbs. (5 large) beefsteak tomatoes.
3T. olive oil
1/2c. chopped onion
2t. minced garlic
1t. cayenne
1t. pepper
1t. coriander seed
1t. mustard seed
1/2t. cumin
1c. vinegar
3/4c. sugar
1/4c. dry sherry

Blanch the tomatoes for 30 seconds, then plunge in ice water.  Skin and chop.

Saute the olive oil and onion in a large pot for 3 minutes.  Add in garlic and saute 2 more minutes.  Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients.  Cook over medium high heat until mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 2-3 hours.  Cool completely.  Chill.  Makes 2c.

As is, the tomato jam is not spicy, but does have some kick to it (maybe a "medium" on the salsa scale).  Cut back on the cayenne for a milder jam.

Are you an eggplant fan?  If so, what's your favorite way to eat it?

brown butter pasta and cauliflower

Mom and I made an old family favorite last night - pasta with cauliflower - but ended up tweaking the recipe a little to add our own spin.  It still tasted like the old dish we loved, but had a nice extra change to it, too!

The first change?  Purple cauliflower!

And we made the pasta instead of buying it!  It had been years since mom had used her pasta maker, so we weren't so sure it would work.  But after some grinding (and praying on our end), it started up and churned out penne for us!

The original recipe calls for butter and garlic, but mom and I thought we would try it with brown butter (because seriously, who doesn't love brown butter?!) and fresh basil.  I added a little spinach to mine, too.  The recipe calls for 1-2 heads of cauliflower.  Use 1 head for a more pasta-based dish, and 2 heads if you want the pasta to be more on the side.

Brown Butter Pasta and Cauliflower
1c. whole wheat pasta
1-2 heads cauliflower, white or purple
3 cloves garlic, minced
3T. butter
1/2c. fresh basil, chopped
1/2c. parmesan
1c. fresh spinach, chopped (optional)
1T. oregano
salt to taste

Wash and chop cauliflower into bite-size pieces.  Boil in a large pot of water until just tender, about 7 minutes.  Remove cauliflower from water and set aside.  Add whole wheat pasta and cook until tender.  Drain.

Meanwhile, add the butter and garlic to a small saucepan and melt over medium heat.  Allow butter to brown but not burn, stirring occasionally.  You'll need to watch your saucepan to make sure the butter doesn't burn.  When the butter is browned immediately remove the saucepan from heat.

(Butter melting on the left, browned and removed from heat on the right.)

Toss the cauliflower, pasta, brown butter and garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and spinach together in a large bowl.  Pour into a greased casserole dish.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Serves 4.

I'm headed out for a run... or maybe a couple sets of hill repeats, if I'm feeling really masochistic?

Don't forget to vote in the reader recipe poll!  Help fuel Dave and I's trip home on Wednesday!

guest blog: naan

My sister, Jill, recently was visiting my brother and his family.  They decided to make zucchini hummus and naan (an Indian flatbread).  Jill took pictures as they made the bread so she could share!  Unfortunately, she also started to feel the side effects of the stomach flu midway through the breadmaking process... and getting "pretty" pictures was not as important as just freakin' finishing.  Regardless, she says the bread is amazingly delicious - the kind you cram in your mouth as soon as it's finished baking... and probably never have leftovers.  Enjoy!

Naan (from allrecipes.com)
1 (1T.) package active dry yeast
1c. warm water
1/4c. sugar
3T. milk
1 egg, beaten
2t. salt
4 1/2c. bread flour (if you don't have bread flour regular flour works as well)
2t. garlic, minced (optional)
1/4c. butter, melted
(any other seasonings you might want: rosemary, garlic salt, etc.)

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy.

Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough.  Knead for 6-8 minutes on a lightly floured surface or until smooth (or just use the dough hook in the KitchenAid mixer).

Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise (or just leave in KitchenAid bowl).  Let rise 1 hour, or until dough has doubled.

Punch down dough.  (Knead in garlic, if desired.)  Pinch off small handfuls of dough, about the size of a golf ball.  Roll into balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Cover with a towel and allow to rise until double in size, about 30 minutes.

(The above dough balls were just there to raise - they should be spread out more on separate sheets to bake.)

Flatten the doughballs with the palms of your hands to desired thickness, about 1/4inch.  Bake at 400 degrees for 4 minutes.  Flip the bread, brush the tops with butter, and sprinkle with herbs, salt, etc.  Bake another 4 minutes, or until golden brown.

Enjoy with hummus, chicken and rice, dahl, veggies and couscous, curry, or whatever!

If you're lucky, you just might have a princess to help you taste test.

(My niece, Lizzie.)

reader recipe poll: baked flax french toast with hot cinnamon apples

Baked Flax French Toast

7 eggs

1/2c. milk

1T. cinnamon

1t. vanilla

1/4t. nutmeg

1/4t. ginger

2T. ground flaxseed

6-8 slices of bread

Lay slices of bread evenly (and close together) in bottom of a greased small casserole dish.

Whisk together eggs, milk, spices, vanilla, and flaxseed.  Pour mixture over bread, making sure pieces are evenly covered.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes.  Turn bread pieces.  Let sit for another 30 minutes.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, or until eggs are set.  Serves 4.

Hot Cinnamon Apples

1 pound apples, chopped (2 large apples)

1T. butter

2T. water

1T. brown sugar

1t. cinnamon

1/4t. nutmeg

1t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft (about 10 minutes).

The bread and egg get nice and fluffy - almost with the airy texture of a quiche!  Most of the recipes I saw online used sugar, which I didn't think was really necessary since we'd be putting apples or syrup on top.  And it didn't need the extra sweet at all!  

You can also make this dish ahead of time, then pull it out to bake.  So you could put it together the night before, then grab it in the morning, turn the bread, and bake!  

We are off to Tennessee this morning to visit my parents and sister for a bluegrass music festival!  We've got a cooler full of sandwiches, grapes, animal crackers, peanut butter cookies, and more!  And maybe a giant paper bag full of popcorn... 

What's your favorite car snack?

blog debate

Last night I got home and wanted dinner fast, but also wanted some veggies.  The solution?

Quick Broccoli Soup
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T. olive oil
1 1/2t. salt
2 T. italian seasonings
1 1/2c. water
1 pound frozen chopped broccoli
1/2c. milk

Saute onion, carrot, garlic, and salt in olive oil over medium heat until veggies are soft (about 7 minutes).  Add water, broccoli, and seasonings.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Puree soup with an immersion blender until mostly smooth (or pour in blender).  Stir in milk.

The blog...
I'm debating some aspects of my blog currently... mainly my use of Blogger.  So far Blogger has been great, but it's a little more limited than other blog platforms, such as Wordpress.  For example, I can't reply to comments in blog, which is annoying and alienating to my readers.  So I'm thinking about switching to Wordpress... which brings up another question, too.  If I do switch, do I keep the same blog name?  I like boygirlkitty, and for right now it's very apt, but it doesn't necessarily capture the scope of the blog (running and recipes)... and what happens when, eventually, boygirlkitty grows to be boygirlkittybaby?  If I do change the name, what name would it be?  Is a blog name/URL important or not?

Any thoughts/perspectives from you guys out there?

zucchini lasagna + winner!

Barley Zucchini Lasagna (from Mama Pea's quinoa lasagna)
1 large zucchini, sliced into very thin "noodles"
salt
1c. barley
2c. vegetable broth
1 jar marinara sauce
2T. italian seasonings
1/2 t. garlic salt
2T. sour cream
4c. shredded cheese

Lay the zucchini "noodles" out on paper towel.  Sprinkle with salt.  Console yourself about how you really suck at thin-slicing zucchini.  Let  sit while you prepare the barley.

Combine barley, vegetable broth, garlic salt, seasonings, and 1/2 c. of marinara sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Pour small amount of marinara sauce in bottom of greased 8x8 casserole dish, enough to just cover the bottom.  Pour the remaining marinara in to the barley.  Add sour cream and mix well.

Blot the zucchini noodles with paper towel to absorb any excess moisture.  Place a layer of zucchini in the casserole dish.  Sprinkle with salt.

Cover with a layer of the barley/sauce mixture.  Add cheese if desired.

Repeat layers: zucchini, barley/sauce, cheese, ending with cheese (or barley/sauce if not using cheese).

Bake 30 minutes at 400, or until zucchini is tender and cheese is melted and bubbly.  Serves 4-6.

Devour.

Mine fell apart when it was dished up but man, who cares.  This was SO delicious and flavorful!  I'm not always a huge zucchini fan (it depends), but I loved loved loved the thin noodles in the sauce.  This is a definite repeat-recipe!

As for that CSN giveaway (I use random.org to pick the winner):

Kristi said...

Anytime I come back from a trip, long or short - no matter what time of day or night it is - I have to unpack everything. I like the feeling of knowing that I'll wake up the next morning and everything be in "it's spot."

Hooray, Kristi!  Email me at boygirlkitty@gmail.com to claim your prize.

I'm off to eat some lunch... maybe some leftover zucchini lasagna on spinach?

the last long run

Today was the last official "long" run before the marathon - an easy 8.  It was in the high 40s this morning (borderline cold!) and bright and sunny - it was glorious.  My foot hurt for maybe the first mile, but then felt completely fine, so I pushed on.  I would have liked to have done 10 but got out of the house late (Totally don't have a valid excuse.  Procrastination.) so I settled for 8.  It felt so good.  I'm really hoping we have a nice fall day for the marathon, because cool temps and no humidity definitely helps with endurance... and mental strength!

We're heading to a church group tonight and everyone is bringing a finger food.  I'm bringing a big ol' pot of popcorn.

It's going to be a good night.

Dave's Parents' Popcorn
2T. coconut oil
popcorn kernels (we like white the best)
medium pot with cover
salt to taste

Melt the 2T. coconut oil over high heat.  As soon as it has melted, add enough popcorn kernels to cover the entire bottom of the pot.  Tilt the pot back and forth to move the kernels around and coat all of them with the oil.  Place the lid on top.  After about a minute kernels will start popping.  Turn heat off when the lid starts to lift off from all the kernels or when 3 seconds between each popping.  Pour into a large bowl and salt to taste.

Serves 2-4... or 1 Kim.

Seriously, this is the best way to have popcorn.  The coconut oil is just perfect... and I don't normally like coconut.  We looove to crush up Wheat Thins Parmesan Basil crackers into our popcorn.  Dave's parents put crushed salt and vinegar chips - also delicious!

How do you like your popcorn?

reader recipe poll: taco lasagna

Taco Lasagna
whole wheat tortillas
3c. black beans, dry (or 3 cans seasoned black beans)
1c. tomato paste
1/2c. sour cream
1/2c. salsa
4c. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
3T. cumin
1t. garlic salt

Boil black beans in 12c. water for 5 minutes.  Turn off and let sit for one hour.  Drain and rinse beans.  Return beans to pot and add another 12c. water, cumin, and garlic salt for one hour, or until beans are tender.  Drain beans.

Mix tomato paste, sour cream, and salsa together.

Grease a 9x13 casserole dish.  Layer about half of the beans on the bottom of the dish.

Add a layer of tortillas (about 2, depending on size).  Spread about half of the tomato mixture on top.  Add cheese if desired.

Add the remaining beans.  Top with more tortillas and spread with the remaining tomato mixture.  Top with more cheese if desired.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until cheese is brown and bubbly.  Top with sour cream, avocado, chopped tomatoes.

Cheesy gooey beany lasagna!

We really liked this!  The tortillas stayed soft but not soggy and the beans, cumin, and tomato mixed together really well.  In the future I want to add more veggies, some corn, some onion, maybe spinach or broccoli (when do I not want to play with a recipe?  But I didn't have the ingredients on hand last night).  

Another perk?  Really low cost.  Beans are insanely cheap, as is tomato paste and sour cream.  Cheese and cumin are generally on hand, and tortillas are great for this recipe and then leftovers can be used for lunches!

What would you add to the mexican lasagna?

oregano harvest

Reader Recipe Poll: Taco lasagna for the win!  I'm excited to make this one.  Look for the recipe/review on Friday morning!

Here's another easy and simple recipe.  We had this last week - our first time using some of the fresh oregano from our garden!

Tomato Oregano Pasta
2c. whole wheat pasta
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4c. loose packed oregano leaves
2T. olive oil
1/2t. salt

Cook whole wheat pasta until desired tenderness.  Saute tomatoes, oregano, garlic, and salt in olive oil over medium high heat, about 5 minutes.  (It might seem like a lot of olive oil, but you want more to coat the pasta when you toss it together.)  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Pour tomato mixture over pasta and toss well to coat evenly.

Fast and delicious and end-of-summery!

POM blueberry muffins

Remember the POM reader recipe poll?  Tonight I made POM blueberry muffins, using a recipe from the POM website, and swapping out the cranberries for blueberries.

Sadly, these muffins were only so-so.  When I was making them I thought it was a little odd they didn't have any fat in them - oil, butter, or even applesauce.  The result was a pretty dry muffin... that was completely saved by the berries!  I think these actually would be really good with the addition of a half cup of applesauce to give a little moisture.  I'm not sure the POM taste really came out that strong though.  Maybe when I make fruit soup I'll finally have a recipe that brings out the POM!

Alongside the muffins we had a spinach tomato quiche.

This, on the other hand, was delicious!  So light and fluffy!

Tomato Spinach Quiche
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2c. spinach, roughly torn or chopped
3 cloves garlic
8 eggs
1/2t. salt
1T. Italian seasonings
1/2c. cheddar cheese (optional)

Saute spinach, tomato, and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat until spinach just starts to wilt (about 4 minutes).  Meanwhile, in small bowl whisk together 8 eggs, salt, and Italian seasonings.  Pour egg mixture into greased square pan.  Spoon tomato spinach mixture evenly over the egg.  Top with cheese if desired.  Bake at 325 for 30 minutes, or until casserole is firm, cheese is brown, and knife comes out clean.

This might have been my first time making a quiche?  But I'll definitely be making it again!

What new recipes have you been trying?

Don't forget to vote in the reader recipe poll!  I'll announce the winner today around lunchtime!

reader recipe poll: POM brownies

Last week the people at POM Wonderful sent me 8 8oz. bottles of POM juice.  I was super excited.  I've had POM once before and I really liked it... but let's face it, I'm too cheap to pony up the money to buy the juice on a regular basis.  I defiitely could have downed those little bottles all on my own, but why not use them for more creative things - like brownies!

Double Chocolate POM Brownies (adapted from POM Wonderful Recipes)
1/3c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2c. butter (1 stick), softened
3/4c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2c. sugar
3 eggs
1T. vanilla
1 1/2c. flour
3/4c. POM juice

Melt the 1/3c. chocolate chips and butter in a small bowl in the microwave (about 1 minute on high).  Stir together until chocolate is mostly melted.  Combine butter and chocolate mixture and sugar in a medium bowl.  Stir well.  Blend in the eggs and vanilla.  Add in flour and chocolate chips.  Add in POM juice.  (Oooh and ahhh over how pretty!)

Mixture will be thin.  Pour in greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and brownie edges are just pulling away from the pan.

While brownies bake, drink the rest of the POM juice.  I prefer mine watered down - it still tastes just as great!

Enjoy on its own, with ice cream, or pull a Dave and "frost" it with peanut butter and nutella!

The review: Delicious!  The POM gives just a hint of tang under the brownies - very subtle.  The brownies are cakey, but moist.

Recommendations: Try a smaller pan for thicker, maybe more fudgy brownies?  I also wonder if you could decrease the amount of sugar?

Overall: I'm not sure the POM made enough of a difference in the brownies to justify buying it... regular brownies without the POM would be cheaper and probably just as delicious?  But drinking the leftovers is fun!

Coming soon: fruit soup!  I have a feeling the POM will make a bigger difference in this one!

I'm headed out for a long run - hoping to get my 20 miles in that I missed last week!  It's cold this morning - 48 degrees!!  Fingers crossed!

reader recipe poll: vegetarian calzone

Vegetarian Calzones
pizza dough:
6c. whole wheat flour
2t. salt
2T. sugar
1 1/2T. yeast
3c. boiling water

filling:
1 red pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bag frozen chopped broccoli
1 carrot, chopped
3 small tomatoes or 1 slicing tomato, chopped
2c. tomato paste
1c. tomato sauce
2-3T. basil pesto
italian seasonings to taste
salt to taste
mozzarella cheese (optional)

Combine the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl.  Pour in 2c. boiling water and mix well.  Add in more water as needed until flour is all incorporated and dough is mixed well.  Divide the dough into four balls and set aside.

Boil the broccoli and carrots together in a small saucepan until just tender, but still a little crisp.  About 3-5 minutes.  Drain and rinse.  Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until browned and tender.  In a large bowl, mix together all the vegetables and sauce.  Add italian seasonings and salt to taste.

Roll out the four balls of dough into circles.  Roll the dough as thin as you like for your crust, but avoid holes, cracks, and pulls in the dough.  When ready, spread a layer of vegetable evenly over half the circle, leaving 1" clear around the edges.  Add cheese if desired.

Fold the dough in half and pinch down the sides.  Set on a greased baking sheet.  Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and italian seasonings.  Repeat with remaining 3 balls of dough.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until dough is firm when knocked on.

Makes 4 calzones.  Serves 6-8.

Vegetarian calzone and calzone with veggies, cheese, and pepperoni.

Recipe Review:

"Pretty good." - me

Okay, so that's not the most glowing review, I know.  Full disclosure: I got home last night at 6pm and wanted to get these made so we could eat before it got too late (as you know, we go to bed early).  So I kind of rushed.  Our recipe didn't include the tomato sauce, which would have made it, well, saucier, and a little better.  Plus I didn't take the time to add seasonings and salt, or to brush the top of the dough with olive oil and salt.

I pulled the dough recipe from here, but it only made 2 calzones for the three of us (which was enough), leaving us with leftover veggie mix.  I doubled the recipe above to make 4 calzones, which would use all the veggie mix.  I think in general you could use whatever pizza dough recipe.  If you have a personal favorite, I'd go with that over this dough recipe here.  However, this crust was crisp yet soft, and - bonus perk! - didn't have to rise.  So it terms of expediency, it's a winner to me.

Will I make these again?  Definitely.  They were fast (I started prep at 6pm and had these in the oven at 7pm) and fun and I know this version will taste even better with the extra sauce.  They're also affordable - a can of tomato sauce, tomato paste, and a couple veggies won't set you back too far.  I added pepperoni to one of the calzones, which Dave really liked.  They're versatile and can be changed around to accomodate what veggies you love and what veggies you don't!

What would you put in your calzone?