Eggplant for Angie- Its about Time!

OK, OK, I know I have been slacking like crazy!! You would think I would have time about to sit down and spend twenty minutes on a post (working lovely summer teacher hours, having no children and nannying two days a week) but in reality I have been spending so much time eating out...eating in...drinking out...drinking in...that I just couldn't force myself to open my laptop...I knew I would be forced to check my work emails and actually sit down and focus for a minute...I have however had lovely company Ms. Katie from Ohio....Ms. Ronja from Germany...Ms. Allegra's get together in Traverse City...spending time with Ms. Kali when she had an hour off and honestly, the lighting isn't that great for a laptop on a sunny beautiful day in Michigan...so yes...food blogging does seem to be easier in the cold winter months.  So here is a recipe from a month ago...its been along time coming..and I was so hot in my kitchen that I didn't take the time to make it look purty...but in the words of Dan..."mmmmm this good."

One Large Egg plant

olive oil

Goat cheese (or your favorite cheese-kiddos may prefer mozzarella, feta would be good too)

Marinara sauce (vodka or mushroom is yummy)

1/2 cup Cous cous (use pasta, orzo  or rice if you prefer)

shredded parmesan

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

Fresh basil

Pre-heat oven to 350

Chop your egg plant and cook in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper...I love a lot of pepper, but your welcome to take it easy...cook just long enough to add a little color to the egg plant, and flip...about four minutes on high on each side...set aside on a sheet pan.

While your are cooking your egg plant...have your rice, noodles or cous cous cooking...I like cous cous because it is less heavy...for more kid friendly you could use Annie's bunny noodles : )

While your cous cous is cooking, take your cooked egg plant and spread a thin layer of goat cheese on top. Sprinkle with garlic powder and set aside.  

On top of your goat cheese layer (or your favorite cheesy layer)  Add the cous cous...(I mixed mine with marinara ahead of time...but you can also spread it and add a spoonful of sauce on top of your noodles)

After you have your wonderful layer of eggplant,  Cheese...cous cous and marinara, add another egg plant on top and sprinkle a little fresh parmesan with a small teaspoon of sauce. Put in oven and bake for ten minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil, salt to taste and ENJOY!!!

Casa Bolero

116 Portage St.

Kalamazoo, MI 49007

(269) 382-3148

www.casabolerokzoo.com

Benny and I had a wonderful date night riding our bikes downtown Kzoo to Casa Bolero. We had wonderful service in the bar area. Our food came quickly as did our drinks (the bartender was our server and was very on top of things) I have been dreaming of these Enchiladas since I had them a couple of weeks ago (and ate them so fast I forgot to take a picture)....this time I was able to slow myself down and enjoy every bite of it. They also had tequila flights on special....so we sampled two : )

Casa Enchiladas (Mushroom)

(gluten free and vegetarian) -seasoned mushrooms with garlic mushroom cream sauce and Monterey jack cheese. Served with cilantro lime rice and tortilla chips. Mmmmmm these babies left me full and happy. Stuffed with sautéed mushrooms and a sauce that had just the perfect amount of kick. I was so full from guacamole that I was able to take one home and enjoy later.

Tableside Guacamole  (Gluten free)

Tequila Flight with tomato chaser 

Cucumber-jalapeno margarita  

Toasty Egg - Hey Ma' Radio

Toasty Egg -(aka Eggs in a Basket/Egyptian toast)  

I'm not a big breakfast fan, however B loves a Saturday and Sunday home cooked breakfast, which I am more than happy to cook...providing he does the dishes : )...I remember my dad making some form of Egyptian toast as a child...however not being a huge egg fan, I never wanted the runny yolk in the middle. Thought I would experiment using just egg whites...have to admit, it turned out much more delicious than I anticipated.  I had just bought some yummy purple fingerling potatoes , fresh baby kale and green onions from the farmers market. I also used the Salty Seed bread, which added some extra flavor-huge fan of this bread (Kismet Farm and Bakery-sold at our health food store)

Bread-a slice per person

2 Eggs or 1/2 cup of egg whites

Two tablespoons of olive oil

Handful of kale or baby spinach

1/4 cup of diced green onions

Salt and Pepper

Sprinkle of mozzarella cheese

 

Heat your skillet on low, add olive oil and cut two round holes in your bread.  

Pour your egg whites or crack your egg in the middle of your toast. If you are using egg whites, it will spread as pictured. If you use eggs, it tends to stay more nicely in the center of your toast.

While cooking on low, sprinkle your toast with your baby spinach or kale, salt and pepper, sprinkle of cheese and green onion. Cook for 5 minutes (longer if you like crispy)

 

Flip toast and while cooking on low, add another sprinkle of cheese, green onion and another shake of salt and pepper (below) (cook for another five minutes)

Serve with a side of your favorite potato or veggie (Purple fingerling potatoes pictured here) 

ENJOY!!!! 

Green Pepper Pasta

Around the World-Red Hot Chili Peppers Radio 

Today Ben and I were craving some warm veggies with pasta. First day of spring break for me and he needed some comfort food with video games.  I wanted to try something new and I think this one turned out well. Only thing I would change...kinda went a lil' overboard on the garlic in the food processor, I forgot I had already added a tablespoon of garlic powder. This sometimes happens when I multi-task. Oh well. Still quite yummy! So if you want the green pepper taste to stand out more, add one clove instead of three. This was enough to feed four people and still have left overs!

1 zucchini

1/2 of large summer squash

1 tablespoon of soy butter

1 cup of chopped green peppers

1 tablespoon of garlic powder or two garlic cloves

1/2 cup of kale

1 cup of spinach, baby kale mix

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Pepper

Salt

Box or bag of your favorite pasta (I used Al Dente Spinach Fettuccine Noodles (comes in a bag and cooks in three minutes))

1/4 cup of fresh parmesan

1/2 cup of chopped basil leaves (If you want extra basily add two squeezes of basil paste to food processor)

In a pan add zucchini, summer squash and 1/2 cup of green pepper. Sautee with soy butter, add four grinds of black pepper. I used a peeler to cut the zucchini and summer squash into thin strands.

In a food processor, add the rest of the green pepper, two garlic gloves, kale, spinach mix and 1/4 cup of basil leaves.  Add a few shakes of salt as well.  After blending, add this mixture to veggie mixture in pan and keep on low.

 While veggies are simmering, follow the directions on your pasta. Mine required the water to boil and then only took three minutes to cook. Immediately after I poured in a cake pan with a lid. Stir well and sprinkle with parmesan.  We had a side of SaltySeed bread (purchased at local health food store), with fresh basil, roma tomato and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese here.

Enjoy!!! 

Arcadia Brewing Company-Kalamazoo

701 East Michigan Ave.

Kalamazoo, MI

49007

www.arcadiaales.com

Oh la la, mmmmm mmmm good. Arcadia has wonderful sunshine, fresh vegetarian sides, wine, cider and flavorful beer. Perfect location for us to ride our bikes, meet friends and eat until stuffed. I love that the food is local and I can add fresh jalapenos...and even better they have free dill pickles : )....I am not much of a beer drinker, however I have been dabbling in Arcadias Deliverance and ohhhh boy does it make my taste buds happy. Cant wait to see what's on the menu next time!

So happy to see they have a cider on tap!

 Yellow and purple beet salad, with sour cream dressing, made fresh while we watched.

Pasta and Kale salad with peas.  

 Potato Salad...mmmm mmmm good!

Jalapeno Cheddar Corn bread 

Mac and Cheese- I added the fresh jalapenos and asked for a sprinkle of green onions 

Pretty sure on any sunny day this our go too spot, can't wait for the patio and outdoor area to be finished. Beautiful view of the river and perfect way to greet Kalamazoo out of towners! 

Bean Dip Galore

 No cookin' music today-head has too much going on!!!

This recipe is wonderful cold or warm. Because I used cream cheese, I decided to bake it. If you want a cold bean dip, I would recommend using light sour cream instead of cream cheese. I combined this recipe with B’s mama’s "Mari’s Mexican Bean Dip ‘El Especial." At the bottom you will see the differences in recipes. Both cheesy, warm and delicious. Mari makes her recipe half vegetarian for me, the other half has shredded chicken, which I have heard is quite excelente if you do dabble in meat eating.

You Will Need:

One Cup of Brown Rice/Two cups water

Five green onions-chopped

One can of vegetarian refried beans

One packet of guacamole seasoning (or your own creation-garlic powder, pepper, salt etc.)

One block of low fat cream cheese

One can of Rotel tomatoes (I used tomatoes with chili’s added)

One cup of spinach

One can of black olives

Half of a green pepper

½ cup of mozzarella cheese

½ cup of cheddar cheese

Cook the rice, until tender add green onion and mix well. While rice is simmering open can of beans and spread in a baking pan or flat dish. Spread rice mixture over beans and sprinkle with half a packet of guacamole seasoning. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on rice mixture

Put a layer of spinach over rice. Microwave or warm cream cheese until soft. In a separate bowl mix cream cheese and Rotel. Spread in an even layer over spinach.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of cream cheese mixture. Add your favorite toppings. I used black olives and green peppers. Onions, jalapenos, corn, cilantro would all be lovely, I was working with what I had in fridge.

At this point, you can decide to eat warm or cold. I tasted it both ways and it was mmmm mmmm good. Entirely up to you. Great in tacos and burritos as well!

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until cheese is melted. If you want a little crispy, put on broil for five minutes. Serve Warm

 

For Mari’s Bean dip: One can of Rotel tomatoes, One Bag of Mexican Cheese, Two Cans of refried Beans, One block of cream cheese. Follow the same directions above layering, beans, mixing cream cheese and Rotel and topping with a bag of shredded Mexican.

 

ENJOY!!!

Baked Brie with Mushrooms

 John Denver- Take Me Home radio 

I have to say I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago for Easter...hmmmm I guess that's more like three weeks ago...slacker!! I have been a bit un-motivated lately, but now that the sun is shining, things are slowly winding down at work...its time to take care of some recipes. 

This is a very flexible appetizer. I am not a fan of Brie with sweet fruit or syrup added...however if you are, you can substitute my salty for your sweet until your heart and sweet tooth are content.

I bought a wheel of Brie on sale at Meijer's for $6.99 (usually $10.00), I have found good deals at Sam's club as well. If you aren't a fan of mushrooms, you can make more a Mexican Brie, using Black beans, onion and green pepper. If you do want the sweet option, fill with your favorite fruit or jam.

Wheel of Brie ( I used President 16oz)

One sheet of Puff Pastry

Two cups of sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup of chopped onion

Fresh Pepper

Three Garlic cloves

One egg

Salt

Thaw Puff pastry as directed (generally two hours is enough), pre-heat oven as directed. Sautee your chopped mushrooms, onion and use a knife or garlic press to get your garlic into little bits. I love pepper, so I added about ten grinds of fresh pepper. Cook on low.

Take your Brie and slice in half length wise, generally a large bread knife works well.

Roll your puff pastry out, so that it is a large sheet. Take half of your Brie and lay cut side up on rolled out puff pastry. Take your sautéed mushrooms and onion and pile on top of brie, add more garlic or sprinkle salt at this point (optional).

Take other half of wheel and place on top of fixin's 

Carefully fold each corner of puff pastry over the wheel.  Take your egg (I used just the whites) and mix it. Lightly brush egg on top of folded puff pastry.

Bake until a golden brown on top. Wonderful with crackers, bread, or veggies. Best if served right away (On Easter I had to take to sister's house and bake some more, ended up a little bit soggier then usual and a bit more greasy)  

ENJOY!!!