Afghan Eggplant (Borani Banjan)

This summer I went to an amazing little Afghan restaurant called Mazari Kabab in Virginia Beach.  I love trying new cuisines and this place had rave reviews on Yelp so I couldn't wait to get in there.  Everything was so full of flavor!  One of the sides they offer is eggplant.  I am an eggplant lover so of course I had to try it!  The problem, I have not been able to stop thinking about it since!  It was beyond good.  I started doing a little research so that I could make it at home and this is what I came up with.  Be forewarned, it's spicy y'all.


Ingredients:
~1 Large Eggplant
~2 Off the vine tomatoes (diced small)-fresh makes a difference, skip the can
~2 cloves of garlic (minced)
~1/2 onion quartered and sliced thin
~1 tbsp Turmeric
~1-2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
~Oil for cooking
~Salt
~Fresh Cilantro for garnish

Cooking Directions:

~Cut Eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds.  Brush with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in a 400º about 7 minutes per side.

~Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté onions and garlic.  After they begin to soften add tomatoes, turmeric and cayenne pepper and salt.  Add roasted eggplant and stir to combine.  Cover and let simmer on low for 15-20 minutes stirring a few times.  If too dry add some water or chicken stock.  You want the eggplant to be soft but not mushy.

~Sprinkle with chopped cilantro

A few things...

I LIKE a lot of seasoning so really I just sprinkle and sprinkle until I get the taste I want.

I serve the eggplant with rice (cauliflower rice if on Whole 30) and chickpeas.  I just use a can of chickpeas, rinse, and season with a little turmeric, cayenne, and salt.  Toss in a little olive oil.

I know several people who don't like cilantro (my husband being one).  When researching how to make this dish, I noticed a lot of people used mint instead of cilantro.  Mint is not my thing!  So whatever YOUR thing is, do that!

Another side note...a lot of people like to serve this with a yogurt sauce.  I am sure it is probably delicious but I am always trying to make Whole30 approved recipes and so I skip the yogurt and I don't miss it at all.  I did make a sauce with 1/2 can full fat coconut milk, 1/2 avocado, and zest and juice from a 1/2 a lime, and a few cilantro leaves.  Throw it all in a blender and YUM! Pin It Now!

Roasted Garlic and Sun-dried Tomato Hummus

I know that hummus is suppose to have Tahini in it but mine does not...sorry.  I guess you could add it but you really don't need to, the flavor is just so good without it.  The first time I made this, I didn't have Tahini (or know what it was) and it was delicious so I decided not to change it.  So...maybe it isn't really "hummus"; maybe it is just a Chickpea Spread, but either way, I think you will enjoy it!  I know my family does!  AND it is healthy...to be honest, I sometimes just eat it by the spoonful (shhhhh!  Nobody has to know)!

Ingredients:

2 Heads of Roasted Garlic **
2 Cans of Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans); rinsed and dried on a dish towel
1/2 of an 8.5 oz jar of Sun-dried Tomatoes (the oil can go in too)
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a food processor, add first five ingredients plus salt and pepper (just a little...you can always add but you can't take away) and pulse until smooth.  You may have to scrape the sides to get the chickpeas incorporated.  Add Olive Oil until you get your desired consistency (I like mine thick).  Check seasoning to see if you need to add more salt and pepper.

Town House makes these new Pita Oven Baked Crackers that are perfect with it!  It is also good with veggies or by the spoonful:)

http://www.calsundry.com

http://www.keebler.com/products-crackers.aspx 

**Roasted Garlic:  Preheat oven to 400°F.  Remove extra skin off garlic bulbs.  Cut top off so the garlic is exposed.   Set garlic bulb in foil (I use a muffin tin to stabilize it so the exposed garlic is facing up).  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Wrap it tightly in the foil.  Bake 35-45 minutes (your house will smell like roasted garlic when it is ready).  Allow time for it to cool before pushing our the baked garlic cloves....no burnt fingers allowed (but if you are impatient like me, you may burn your fingers) Pin It Now!

Strawberry Daiquiri Cake with Honey Buttercream Icing

A yellow cake mix is my best friend when it comes to baking!  You can turn it into just about any flavor you want!  That is what I did tonight when I made this Strawberry Daiquiri Cake:

Ingredients:

~1 Box Yellow Cake Mix (I recommend Duncan Hines Moist and Delicious)

~1 Small Box Strawberry Jell-O

~4 Eggs

~1/2 cup Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil

~Either 1/2 cup Gold Rum and 1/2 Strawberry Daiquiri Mix OR 1 cup Strawberry Daiquiri Mix (if you'd prefer not use alcohol)...I've made it both ways and either is delicious!

Mix all ingredients and bake according to the package directions.  Set aside to let it cool before making the icing.

Honey Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

~1 1/2 lbs Confectioner Sugar

~1 1/2 sticks of softened Butter

~1/2 block of softened Cream Cheese

~1/4 cup Organic Honey 

In a stand mixer blend softened butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Slowly add about a cup of confectioner sugar.  Add 1/2 of the honey, then more sugar.  Add the rest of the honey, and then continue to slowly add the sugar until you get the desired consistency.  If you feel the icing is too thick, add a tablespoon of heavy cream to thin it out.  Spread onto cooled cake and enjoy!

I recommend you garnish with fresh strawberries, but I forgot to buy them at the store...it was still delicious without them though.

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Curry Lentils with Golden Raisin Jasmine Rice

I know that I recently posted a recipe with lentils, but seriously, they are the BEST!  So healthy and cost efficient...I keep trying to find new ways to use them.

Curry Lentils Ingredients:
1 bag of lentils (1 lb)
1-30oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 onion finely chopped
2 gloves of garlic finely chopped
1 Tablespoon of ginger finely chopped
3 cups stock (veggie or chicken...I make my own homemade chicken stock so I used that)
2 Tablespoons Red Curry Powder
1 1/2 Tablespoons Garam Masala
1 Tablespoon Ground Coriander (I've used the seeds before too...they work because this cooks a while)
1/2 Tablespoon Salt (or to taste)
1 can Coconut Milk
Garnish with fresh cilantro

~Soak lentils in a about 4 cups of water for a few hours.  I put mine in when I get up, and then they are ready to go when it is time to cook dinner.  This softens the lentils and shortens the cooking process.

~Saute onions, garlic, and ginger in olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot until softened.  Add the can of crushed tomatoes, spices, and stock; stir to combine.  Stir in lentils and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer about 40 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.  If lentils start to stick to the bottom of your pan, reduce heat and add more stock if needed.

~When lentils are at the desired consistency, add the can of coconut milk.  Stir to combine.

That's it!  How is easy is that!  Now, this tastes SO much better with rice...especially this rice!  The Golden Raisins add that sweetness that is needed.

Golden Raisin Jasmine Rice:
2 cups Jasmine Rice
2 cups water
2 cups chicken or veggie stock
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup Golden Raisins (or more if you like...I like a lot)

~Combine all ingredients except for the Golden Raisins.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 18-20 minutes.  Add raisins.


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Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

This is my family's new favorite recipe!  My son, Andrew, requested this for his birthday dinner last year.  The great thing about this recipe is that it uses a rotisserie chicken so 1/2 the cooking is already done for you.  I make this recipe with leftover turkey also and it is just as flavorful.  Now, I can't take full credit because I use Ina Garten's recipe for the crust but I just am not willing to risk making up my own crust recipe because her recipe is on point (actually, there is always a few scraps of dough and I lay it right on the baking sheet to cook up with the pie so I can eat the scarps...they are that good!)



Ina Garten's Pot Pie Crust Recipe (taken from Food Network)

Don't be intimidated by making a pie crust.  This is very easy and WELL worth it!!

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-pot-pie-recipe/index.html for Ina's full recipe.

So here is my spin on things...because you know I have to use cheese!  And, let me just say, my son who does not like cheese likes this!

Ingredients for the Filling:

1 Rotisserie Chicken
1-2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
5 medium carrots chopped
5 stalks of celery chopped
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 cup frozen peas
2 Tablespoons butter 
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup smoked Gouda
1 cup cheddar
1 cup chicken stock...I make my own from the rotisserie chicken!4 sprigs of thyme*
2 sage leaves* (optional)
1 sprig rosemary leaves* (optional)

*Sometimes I can find a "poultry blend" package of fresh herbs at my grocery store so I use that.  If you can't find that, I wouldn't spend the extra money on herbs I may not use.  Buy the fresh thyme and skip the rest.


Saute carrots, celery, onions, and garlic over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Oh...let me say this, don't chop your veggies too small for this recipe...you want chunks.  While they are cooking, tear apart the rotisserie chicken and chopped into bit size pieces.  Add chicken and peas to the veggies.  Then add the chicken stock and let simmer 5-10 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium sauce pan.  When melted add flour to create a rue.  Whisk for a few minutes to get the flour taste out and add heavy cream, cook on medium heat (do not let it boil).  When cream is warm (almost boiling) add cheese and whisk until melted.  Pour cream and cheese mixture into the chicken and veggies and let it simmer over medium low while you roll out the crust.  

Dump the chicken mixture into a 2.5 quart baking dish or a deep dish pie pan.  Cover with crust.  In a separate bowl whisk egg with a tablespoon of water.  Brush on the pie crust and sprinkle with cracked black pepper and sea salt.  Bake at 375° for 50 minutes to an hour.

So... how do I make this economical?

• I buy my rotisserie chicken from Sams Club for under $5.00.  Then, once I tear the meat from the chicken, I throw the rest of the chicken (skin and all) into a large pot covered with water, bring it to a boil, let it simmer for 30 minutes, and then I have enough chicken stock to fill a gallon jug!
• I also buy a large hunk of smoked Gouda cheese from Sams Club.  Now, it does cost me about $10 BUT I use it in SOOOOOO many dishes!  Ideas: sandwiches, mexican lasagna, scrambled eggs, potato soup, corn chowder (look for that recipe on the blog).  It really does go a long way.

Honestly, when I break this meal down it costs around $12....which is kind of expensive for me but I have to think, it feeds 5 people AND I always have left overs AND it is better than a meal I would get at a restaurant!  

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Lentil Chili Stuffed Peppers

So one of my New Year's resolution was to eat healthy without spending a lot of extra money.  Actually, my husband wants me to cut my grocery budget by $200 each month...which I realize is doable if I PLAN.  In the past I would get an idea of something I felt like making, stop on the way home from work, and cook it that night.  This lead to extra stops at the grocery store each week that were unnecessary.  So now, I plan.  And in the rotation are lentils!  They practically have NO fat and are high in protein and good carbohydrates!  Lentil Chili is something that I make regularly now.  Be warned: one 16oz bag of lentils goes a long way.  Making this recipe for Lentil Chili, feeds my family of 5 dinner one night and then I make the stuffed peppers for night 2 and then I have enough to bring lunch for myself and my teacher assistant then next day!  By the way...the bag of lentils cost me $1.00...for real!  I would estimate the chili plus the stuffed peppers would be less than $10 total!  You really can't beat that if you are on a budget.

Lentil Chili

Ingredients:
1-16oz bag of lentils
2-15oz cans of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (really any diced tomatoes are fine)
1-15oz can Black Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 cup frozen corn
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
1 jalapeño pepper diced (seeds and stems removed if you don't like it hot)
2 Tablespoons Cumin
2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
A few teaspoons of chopped fresh cilantro and cheese to top (optional)
6 cups of water or chicken stock (at least)...the lentils absorb a lot of liquid

Directions:
Put lentils, onions, pepper, jalapeño, cans of tomatoes, water, and seasoning in a crockpot.  Set on low and let cook for 4-6 hours.  Add frozen corn and black beans the last 30 minutes so they retain their texture.  And you are done!  It's that easy!

Top with cilantro and cheese.  Corn bread is a great side with this!

And now for Round 2!

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
1 cup Lentil Chili
1/2 cup cooked rice (season with salt, pepper, and butter...I always add Mexican oregano and cumin too)
4-5 Pepper (I get the pack of 6 sweet peppers at Sams but any pepper would work)
1-2 cups Cheddar Cheese (or a Mexican blend)
1 can of tomato sauce...season with Mexican seasoning (Mexican oregano, garlic powder, cumin).

Directions:
Cut the top off of the peppers and remove any stems or seeds inside and make sure peppers can stand on their own.  If they can't, trim the bottoms of the peppers so they do.   Mix rice and Lentil Chili in a separate bowl...I would add about 1 cup of cheese here too but because I have one chid who hates cheese, I don't.  Stuff peppers with mixture.

Mix the can of tomato sauce with Mexican seasoning and pour over top of all the peppers.

Bake at 350° covered for 15 minutes.  Uncover and add cheese.  Bake another 15 minutes.

There you have it!  TWO meals for a family of 5 for under $10!  Love it!



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Mushroom Philly Cheese French Bread Pizza

One of the big trends right now is "Meatless Monday"...it's a healthy and economical option for a lot of families including mine!  The problem is #1 - I am not that organized to plan that Monday will always be meatless and #2 - I may want some sort of meat on Monday.  So...I usually have a meatless day during the week, I'm just not promising you that it is going to be Monday.

Now, you are probably looking at my picture and saying, "Wait.  I see pepperoni on one of those slices."  Yes you do.  I probably mentioned before that I have one child who hates cheese (Yes, my son with the Italian name Rocco...its a disgrace:).  I usually don't customize dinners for him...its usually "Eat it or make yourself something else."  But today was his lucky day.  I didn't have enough topping to cover all my bread so he got a piece with spaghetti sauce and pepperoni.  Don't judge me!

Today's "Meatless Wednesday" night dinner was Mushroom Philly Cheese French Bread Pizza.  I don't even use the fancy mushrooms!  I use regular button mushrooms!  This whole meal is under $5...you can't beat that!  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
16 oz button mushrooms
1 small onion (rough chop)
1 green bell pepper (rough chop)
1 garlic clove (minced)
2 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Oregano
3 sprigs of fresh thyme or about 1 tsp of thyme seasoning (fresh is better)
Salt and Pepper
6-8 Slices Provolone Cheese (optional)
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
French Bread *I used 1 1/2 Mini-Italian loaves because they were out of French Bread.
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Step 1:  Put large sauce pan over a medium high heat.  Allow it to heat up (with no oil or butter) and throw all the mushrooms in.  The mushrooms will literally sound like they are screaming...it kind of freaks me out a little.  Let them brown up a few minutes.

Step 2:  When you start to see the mushroom juices, add your onions, peppers, and garlic.  Add Worcestershire Sauce, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper...it is important to season to taste.  My family likes things heavily seasoned and for this pizza, I like my onions and peppers to still have some bite to them.

This is just a picture to show what size I like to chop my veggies for this dish.  You can take off points because they are not uniform pieces but that's ok with me.

Step 3:  Cut bread in half length-wise.  If the bread is really thick (sometimes the Italian loaves are), scoop out some of the bread in the middle.  Lay the Provolone slices on top of the bread...now if you don't have any cheese slices, its OK.  Just leave that part out.  Add mushrooms, peppers, and onions.  Cover that with Mozzarella and bake at 425° for about 10 minutes.  Then I switch my oven over to broil for the last minute or two to brown some of the cheese on top.  I garnish mine with chopped fresh parsley. Pin It Now!