Tag: tomato

Caprese Eggplant Stacks

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Every house has a theme. Ours is, how you say, Goodwill chic.

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A hodgepodge of items we’ve collected over the years with the good intention of one day painting to look like that furniture from Pinterest. Instead, it sits, not matching any of the actual nice crap we’ve acquired & just making me sad.

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So after weeks of negotiating & begging him to stop buying workout accoutrements, I convinced him to “browse” at a furniture store. A real store with salesmen following you around the place & repeating today’s discounts 18 times. Praise Jesus.

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I’m quiet, not too eager – letting Garr think he’s in control of the situation. I lead him to the dining room tables. I show him one I like. He’s unimpressed, keeps meandering. He stops. Stares. & then, “I like this one.”

….Don’t react, Rachel. Play. It. Kewl. “Oh, yes, that’s nice. I like it.”

“Yeah, it’s modern & simple & kind of industrial. Not overwhelming. You want it?”

Wtf. That easy??? I wanted a little cat & mouse here, for crying out loud. “Yes, dear, wrap it up.”

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& just like that, we made our first, real adult purchase. Can’t wait to ruin it somehow!!!!!!

 

 

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Serves: 12 stacks

Ingredients:

  • 1 eggplant, sliced into 12 even slices
  • 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp. of oregano
  • 1 tsp. of dried basil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. of water
  • 3 tomatoes off the vine, sliced thin
  • 12 slices of fresh mozzarella
  • 12 basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
  • S+P, to taste
  • 1 tbsp. of olive oil

How to:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Add eggplant slices to a colander + add salt, let drain for 30 minutes
  • In a bowl combine water + egg
  • In another, add panko + parmesan + oregano + dried basil + S+P
  • Dredge eggplant rounds in egg + panko + arrange on a lined baking sheet (you’ll fill two baking sheets)
  • Add to oven baking for 40 minutes, flipping once halfway through
  • Meanwhile, add balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan + reduce over low heat for 4-5 minutes, remove from heat
  • Once eggplant are done, remove from oven
  • Layer with tomato slice + mozzarella + pepper + add back to oven, letting cheese melt for 4-5 minutes
  • Remove from oven + serve with a basil leaf + some balsamic reduction
  • Place a stack over each eye + let them soak into your soul

Spinach + Sun-dried Tomato + Goat Cheese Quesadillas

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How do I say this? I love stuffing cheese in crap. Vegetables, potatoes, breads, whatever. If cheese is oozing out of something, I want it.

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Quesadillas are, quite possibly, the most versatile food of all time. They also have the coolest name that I prefer pronouncing like Napolean Dynamite’s grandmother does. I digress – I make & eat a lot of these bad boys.

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I typically just toss in a bunch of peppers, onions & sriracha & call it a day. Tonight I wanted to elevate these crunchy buggers. I could not have been more proud of my quesadilla brain child.

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I felt like I was having a fancy appetizer at a restaurant with a white tablecloth. Nope! Just me in my sweats watching Pretty Woman. I ate two (8 pieces) and it was the best decision I’d made that day. Besides the sale at Loft that I partook in.

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Go stuff cheese in something!

 

Time: 20 minutes (prep + cooking)

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sized flour tortillas
  • 1 cup packed spinach leaves
  • 1/2 onion, cut into thin strips
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 oz. fresh mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 oz. goat cheese
  • S+P, to taste

How to:

  • Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pan
  • Add garlic + onion, saute for 3 minutes
  • Add spinach and saute for another 2-3 minutes, until spinach is wilted and soft
  • Add S+P, to taste
  • Remove spinach mixture and set aside
  • Add the other 1 tbsp. of olive oil into pan and turn heat to medium
  • Place one tortilla down and add mozzarella + sun-dried tomatoes + spinach mixture + goat cheese + S+P
  • Place other tortilla on top and let cheese melt and bottom tortilla crisp, about 4-5 minutes
  • Flip quesadilla and let other side crisp, about 3 more minutes
  • Repeat until full!