Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Can I just tell you how thrilled I am that it is FINALLY summer?!

And nothing beats summertime than a delicious, light, yummy meal after a day full of splashin', swimmin', and sweet sunshine.

This eggplant parm is full of flavor and, because it is baked, it is light and doesn't make you feel guilty when you stuff your face with it.. especially during swim suit season.

Crispy eggplant smothered in homemade marinara sauce topped with ooey-gooey cheese... c'mon, there is just nothing better.

Here's to a good summer :)

Ingredients:
2 eggplants, cut into 1/2" rounds
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
3 egg whites, beaten
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 30-oz jar crushed tomatoes
1 TBS tomato paste
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut the eggplants into rounds about 1/2" thick and lay out on to cooling racks.  Sprinkle with Kosher salt and allow the eggplants to sit (sweat) for 30 minutes.

After the eggplant rounds have sweat for 30 minutes, take the rounds off of the cooling rack and spray the cooling rack with non-stick cooking spray and place over a cookie sheet covered in tin foil.  Create a dredging station to dredge the eggplant.  In one bowl place 3 egg whites and beat.  In a shallow plate add bread crumbs.  Place the cookie sheet with the cooling rack on top at the end of your station. (Shown in picture below).

First, dip the eggplant round in the egg whites.  Make sure the round is completely submerged in the egg whites.

Next, coat the eggplant in the bread crumbs.

Add the eggplant round to the sprayed cooling rack and repeat with all of the eggplant rounds.

Put the eggplant in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

While the eggplant is baking, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to a large saute pan and head over medium heat.  Add diced onion and minced garlic.  Cook until onions are translucent and tender, about 3 minutes.  Add crushed red pepper flakes and stir together.

Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste let it simmer for about 5 minutes.  After it has simmered, add salt and pepper, as well as the chopped basil.  Stir together and take off of heat.

After the eggplant has baked for 30 minutes, take out of oven and set aside.  They should be golden brown and crisp.

In a 9x28 baking dish, add a single layer of eggplant.  Continue to top with another single layer, until you use up all of the eggplant.  Using a 9x28 baking dish, I ended up having two layers.

Pour all of the sauce over the eggplant rounds. (I lifted a few rounds from the top layer and shoved some sauce in between the layers, just so the sauce is all over each round.) Top the sauce with the shredded cheese in an evenly distributed layer.

Place baking dish in oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Turn broiler on high and broil until cheese gets all bubbly and brown on top! Serve immediately and ENJOY!

Open-Faced Green Onion & Cheddar Cheese Stuffed Sliders

So if the name isn't a mouthful enough, just wait until you get an actual mouthful of this delicious meaty cheesey goodness.

The other day I was shopping at Sprouts and came across these sliders.  Obviously, I am obsessed with cooking my own meals, rather than buying pre-made items, (I mean where is the fun in that?!) sooo I figured I would create my own!  I also love cooking myself, because I can control what type of meat (extra lean), cheese (reduced-fat), and how much salt (a tiny amount) goes into the dish!


Anyways, these burgers may be tiny but they are definitely not tiny in flavor.  The cheese and onions within the meat give these babies a whole 'nother dimension. Oh, and the cheese on top just adds more cheesy-salty goodness.

These little guys cook faster than the average burger, so you won't be sitting on the edge of your seat, drooling while you wait patiently, smelling that delicious-smokey-cheesey-peppery smell that perfumes the air every time you make burgers.  You know exactly what I am talking about..

So, I mean if I haven't persuaded you enough yet.. just wait.  You will la-la-love these.

Ingredients:
1 lb. 80/20 lean ground beef
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 slices reduced-fat cheddar cheese, broken up into 1 1/2-in square pieces

Directions:
In a large bowl add your ground beef.  Roll up your sleeeve and take off any jewelry on your hands/arms because you are about to get up close and personal with this meat... So much fun, I know.

Add your shredded cheese, sliced green onions, pepper, garlic powder, and salt.

Stick your hands in the bowl and just start mixing all of the ingredients together.  Make sure every ingredient is really incorporated into the meat.  Don't over mix (or keep blending the ingredients together after they are already incorporated), this will cause your meat to become tough.  

Take about a palm-full of meat in your hand, round the meat into a ball and then flatten.  I made 12 patties, but depending on your preference of slider-size, this number may vary.  Make sure each patty is roughly the same size so they can cook evenly!  Also, if you make this earlier in the day, make sure you cover patties with plastic wrap and put in fridge until you are ready to grill!

Once ready to grill, turn grill on to medium-high heat.  I grilled my burgers inside but feel free to grill outside as well!  Spray grill liberally will non-stick olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper onto both sides of each slider.  Place the burgers the grill and cook for about 7-10 minutes on each side or until they are done to your preference.  But WAIT there is one more step...

A few minutes before you take your burgers off the grill, place a small piece of cheese on each slice and allow it to melt onto the burger.  Take off the heat and EAT! (Preferably with sweet potato fries- my fave :) )

Baked Parmesan Chicken Fingers

I crave chicken fingers a lot.

Like a lot a lot.

Unfortunately, no matter how much my craving overtakes my body, I know that eating fried food all of the time doesn't really help me maintain a healthy and toned figure ... (sad day, I know).

So.. what to do, what to do...

Oh, I know... 

Create a delicious, crunchy, crispy, and healthy chicken finger that I can eat all of the time...

And let me tell you, I did just that.... and they are awesome.

White, tender chicken breast dipped in Panko bread crumbs and shredded Parmesan cheese and then baked off until crispy and golden brown.  Yeah. One word: Delicious.

These tenders will totally kick that greasy craving to the curb!

The addition of salty Parmesan cheese and crisp Panko bread crumbs makes these no ordinary chicken fingers. Dip em' in some marinara sauce and you've got yourself a 'winner winner chicken dinner' meal on your plate!

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast tenders

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp garlic pepper

1 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional-- I love the extra kick!)

3 egg whites, beaten

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 jar favorite marinara sauce

Directions:

Prepare a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick olive oil cooking spray.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare your chicken breast tenders on a plate.

Prepare three shallow bowls for your dredging station.  The first bowl should have the flour, garlic salt, garlic pepper, and chili flakes.  Mix together. The second bowl should have egg whites, beat with a fork until slightly foamy.  Finally, the third bowl should have the Panko and the Parmesan, mixed together.  

The first step of dredging your tenders is to completely coat a chicken finger in the flour mixture.  Shake off excess flour.  

Next, dip the chicken finger in the egg whites.  Make sure it is completely submerged in the egg whites.  

Lastly, coat the chicken finger with the Parmesan and Panko mixture. 

Place chicken finger on cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the tenders.

Place chicken fingers in oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the inside of the chicken is completely white when cut in half.  In a small sauce pan heat up marinara sauce on low heat.  Serve along side with the chicken fingers and enjoy! :)

Baked Lasagna Rolls

Okay so if Lasagna isn't good enough...

Like seriously, I am kind of obsessed with lasagna... the layers of smooth and creamy Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses, the soft and tender noodles, and you cant forget about the tangy tomato sauce.  Oh, and the meat! Italian sausage is my fave in a basic baked lasagna dish.

But sorry, this isn't your typical Lasagna..

And as my grandmother said, "It may just be better"...

So yes, Lasagna rolls are that good.

And let me tell you why...

Not only are they super duper easy to make, they are the perfect single serving size, and each bite is equally, if not more, delicious than the last.  Oh, and they are LOADED with cheese, spinach, and some more cheese.  Like really, how does that not sound good?

I tend to make these without meat, but the best part about this recipe is that it is so easy to play around with.  So feel free to add chicken, ground beef, or Italian sausage.

These little roll-ups are honestly one of my favorite dishes to make any night of the week.  Whether you are trying to impress someone, or you just want to cook something delicious and easy for yourself, I promise you cannot go wrong with these little guys!

Ingredients:
10 Lasagna noodles, cooked al dente (This recipe usually makes about 8 roll-ups- I just do 10 in case one breaks in the pot)
1 10-oz. package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained (squeeze out excess liquid)
1 15-oz. container of low fat Ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1-2 cans of your favorite tomato sauce

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Fill a large pot about 3/4 the way full and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add about 10 Lasagna noodles and cook for about 10 minutes until they are al dente.  (Cooked through but still have a good bite).  While the noodles are cooking, combine the spinach, ricotta, egg, 1 cup of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.  Make sure the ingredients are mixed well.

Set bowl aside.  In a 9x9 baking dish, add half of your favorite tomato sauce and spread out evenly.

Once the noodles are done cooking, lay out a few carefully on a cookie sheet.  Typically, I will use a paper towel to grab the noodles with.. they are hot! Be extremely careful during this step- you do not want the noodles to break.

Take about 2 heaping TBS of the spinach and cheese mixture and using your hands, press evenly onto each lasagna noodle.

Gently, roll the lasagna noodles to create a roll-up shape.

Set roll-ups seam side down into the sauce in the baking dish.  Repeat with the rest of noodles, filling up the baking dish.  If you want to make more, feel free to use a larger baking dish and two jars of sauce.

Pour remaining half of sauce all over the roll-ups.  Spread out evenly.  

Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan all over the top of the roll-ups.

Cover the entire baking dish with tin foil and place in oven.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.  Take the tin foil off and turn your broiler on high.  Broil the lasagna rolls until the cheese turns golden brown!  (Keep an eye on it, the cheese broils fast!)  Take out and allow it to sit for a few minutes before serving.  Enjoy! :)

Caramelized Carrots and Pearl Onions

Caramelization.  You know, that delicious, golden brown, ooey gooeyness that happens when natural sugars are brought out of whatever food you are cooking?

Yeah... you know exactly what I am talking about...

And all I can say is that you are in luck because this dish has caramelization occur everywhere.

First, the veggies caramelize in the oven, getting toasty brown and scrumptious.

Then, once you pour a sweet honey-balsamic dressing on top of them, it glazes over even more in the oven, creating a lot more caramelization goodness.

Amazing, right?  I swear, this dish is honestly like eating candy rather than vegetables... it's a great thing.

So wipe your mouth from all of that drool and go make this dish right now!! You won't be sorry.

Ingredients:
1 bag baby carrots, quartered lengthwise
About 10 pearl onions, if small keep whole, if large cut in halves

Kosher salt, about 1/2 tsp

Freshly ground pepper about 1/2 tsp

Extra virgin olive oil, drizzled (I used probably around 1/2- 1 TBS)

Dried thyme, 1 tsp
Garlic powder, 1 tsp
about 1/4 cup honey
about 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and chop veggies.  On your cutting board, salt and pepper the veggies and mix around with hands, just so every veggie is seasoned well.

Place tin foil on a cookie sheet and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Add veggies.  Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top of veggies.  Toss with hands to coat every single veggie.  Sprinkle dried thyme and garlic powder all over veggies.  

Place veggies in oven for 15 minutes.  While veggies are cooking mix together balsamic and honey in a bowl and set aside.  Once carrots and onions have cooked for 15 minutes, pull out of oven, toss with a spatula.

Pour the honey-balsamic glaze dressing all over the top.  Toss again with a spatula so every veggie gets tossed in a little bit of the glaze.    

Place veggies back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the carrots and onions are cooked through and caramelized.

Cajun Baked Shrimp

So once again, Whole Foods sucked me in to buying everything in sight...

Whoops..

But who can blame me?  When I am in there, all of the healthy, delicious, and fresh ingredients just scream at me!

My new obsession: Their 'Traditional Cajun Blend'. (Aka phenomenal cajun spices in a cute little package that I throw on shrimp, making it taste awesome).

This recipe is honestly one of the tastiest shrimp recipes that I have created in a long time.  It is super simple and with only a couple steps and a few minutes, you will have a meal that will be a jackpot winner dinner on any table.

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp, deveined, peeled -- **(This recipe makes a GREAT peel n' eat shrimp too! Just keep the shells on 'em and follow the same instructions below!)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 1/2 TBS Whole Foods Traditional Cajun Blend-- you will not use the whole packet!- just as muchas your heart desires)
Kosher salt, 1/8 tsp
Freshly ground pepper, 1/8 tsp
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Add shrimp in a single layer.

Mince garlic cloves and sprinkle over shrimp.  Sprinkle about 1 1/2 TBS of the Whole Foods Traditional Cajun Blend spices, all over the shrimp and garlic.  Salt and pepper the shrimp about 1/8 tsp of each.  Lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil all over the shrimp.  Toss with your hands so all of the shrimp is coated.

Bake in oven for about 30 minutes until all of the shrimp are cooked through and pink.  I tossed the shrimp a few times with a spatula while they were cooking, just so they could cook evenly on both sides.  (The cooking time will strictly depend on how large the shrimp are-- mine were pretty small, but if you have large shrimp, especially with the peel on, it will definitely take longer to cook!

Baked Parmesan Garlic Brussel Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts...

You know, that vegetable you used to oh-so-swiftly swipe off of your plate onto the floor for your dog when no one was looking...

Well, let me tell you, after you try this yummy recipe, poor little Spot will not be getting anymore brussel sprouts anytime soon..

These aren't your average boring brussel sprouts that make you cringe when you see/smell them. These are cheesy, crunchy, crispy, garlicky brussel sprouts that will change your whole entire outlook on this this poor ol' veggie that just for some reason has such a bad rep.

I promise the minute you smell these babies baking away in your oven, your bias on brussel sprouts will forever change and they will be a new addition to your family dinner!

Ingredients:

15 medium- large brussel sprouts

5 garlic cloves, minced

Extra virgin olive oil, (drizzled)

4 TBS Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided

Freshly ground pepper

Kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Rinse the brussel sprouts under cold water and pat dry.  Remove the bottom each brussel sprout (the hard stem) with a sharp knife.

Cut the brussel sprouts into quarters.  

Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Lay the brussel sprouts evenly in the baking dish.  Mince 5 garlic cloves and sprinkle over the brussel sprouts.  Drizzle olive oil (about 1 TBS) all over the brussel sprouts.  Sprinkle 3 TBS of the Parmesan cheese all over the brussel sprouts.  Sprinkle pepper and salt all over brussel sprouts.  Mix all of the ingredients together with your hands.    

Bake the brussel sprouts in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the brussel sprouts are tender when poked with a fork.  Frequently, mix the brussel sprouts with a spatula so they don't burn.  When the brussel sprouts are finally tender, quickly pull them out of the oven and sprinkle the remaining TBS of Parmesan cheese all over them.  Place them back in the oven and let the Parmesan cheese melt.  Once it has melted, pull the brussel sprouts out of the oven and serve! Enjoy! :)