Salad Obsession

Good morning! I'm hoping that the rain holds up today because I am craving some sunshine! I don't think it's in the cards though.

Last night I hit the gym and had a so-so workout. My head was totally in it, but my body just said 'No thanks!'...has that ever happened to you? I powered through, but it was not a pretty one.

After the gym, I came home and set myself up on the couch. Shaun started playing in a basketball league here in Jersey City so he was out for the night. I was excited to make a 'dinner for one' {and catch up on Parenthood} since it's usually a lot easier and less time consuming...mainly because I'm happy eating just about anything!

I started with a few slices of cheese and some crackers. I also threw together a fantastic salad, reminiscent of the one that Kimberly made for our mom's birthday brunch!

In the mix were spring greens, dried cranberries, goat cheese and a honey-balsamic vinaigrette.

You guys, I am seriously obsessed with this salad. It hits all the flavor notes...sweet from the cranberries and honey, tart and creamy from the goat cheese, sharp from the balsamic...it's a fantastic flavor combination. I usually could take or leave a salad, but when any sort of fruit and cheese is involved, creating a sweet and savory combination, I'm all over it. Thanks to Kimberly for bringing it into my life!

The best part is that this could easy be changed up so many ways and I can't wait to try it! I'm thinking blue cheese and pears (recreating my all time favorite salad from Nordstrom Cafe), strawberries and feta, dried cherries and goat cheese...the possibilities are endless!

So tell me, what's your favorite salad? And what's your favorite way to do dinner for one?

Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana

I did it again.

I planned out a quick, easy and delicious dinner.

And I was foiled.

You see, I had an eggplant in the refrigerator. And a delightful Rocco DiSpirito cookbook calling my name to make eggplant rollatini.

 

{He makes me happy, can you tell?} But you can't make eggplant rollatini without ricotta cheese. You just can't. It's against the law.

And I came home to Shaun slicing up the eggplant for me, only to realize that we were straight out of part-skim ricotta. Fail.

So I had no choice but to improvise. Or go out to the store. The latter of which seemed extremely unappealing. I'm so glad that we are collectively lazy. Because out of my lazy improvisation came a dish that I'm pretty excited about. I actually dreamed about it last night.

In fact, I hope I forget the ricotta again next time. Because this dish was so easy and a perfectly light weeknight dinner. No frying, no breading. All you need are some basic ingredients, a loaf pan (or a small baking dish), and if you're lucky, someone else to slice up the eggplant for you.

 

Roasted Eggplant Parmigiana
1 eggplant, ends removed, peeled, and sliced lengthwise (8-10 slices)
1 1/2 C marinara sauce (I made Rocco's How Low Can You Go sauce, any of your choice works!)
3/4 - 1 C mozzarella cheese
1/4 C parmesean cheese
Basil, dried or fresh
kosher salt + pepper
cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, lay out the eggplant, spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes (longer if your slices are thicker) until tender. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with a bit of the sauce.

 

Layer half of the eggplant, followed by more sauce, basil (I used dried but fresh would be amazing too), half of the mozzarella and half of the parmesean cheese.

 

Repeat the last step with the remaining eggplant, sauce, basil, and cheeses. My layers were pretty thin, but if you want a thicker dish, add more layers of eggplant (perhaps slice up 1 1/2 to 2 eggplants).

 

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the edges are browned.

We had ours alongside some toasted rye bread. Mm-mmmm good.

So that's the story of my accidentally, fantastically easy dinner. No breading or frying. Roasting is the new frying, haven't you heard? :) Oh and this dish made about 3 servings - 1 for Shaun and me last night, and 1 lunch for Shaun today. For more, just slice up more eggplant in a bigger dish! Could it be simpler? So what do you think? When was the last time you were foiled in the kitchen? Did you prevail?

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If I Was a Stay-At-Home Wife + Spinach Pinwheels

If I was a stay-at-home wife, our apartment would be clean.

If I was a stay-at-home wife, our laundry would be done.

If I was a stay-at-home wife, our closets would be organized, our bed would be made and our walls would be painted.

If I was a stay-at-home wife, Shaun could pick whatever he wanted to eat that night for dinner...and I’d make it!

Or, I’d simply find anything I could in my pantry and refrigerator and try creative ways to use up what we have.

The latter would probably be the case.

Last week, I had a few days off from work between Christmas and New Year’s. With that whole snow storm thing, I was trapped in the apartment for a solid 2 days, which kind of made me feel like a stay-at-home wife. So you know I got my cooking and baking on. When I realized I had a sheet of puff pastry still in my freezer, left from my Christmas Eve vegetable tart, I simply had to find a way to use it. And then when I found a simple recipe on the back of the package, I knew it was primed for some changes to make it even more delish.

Shaun claimed it was one of my best creations ever. So I guess he won't mind if I just come up with dinner on my own after all :)

Spinach & Onion Pinwheels
*Adapted from Pepperidge Farms
1 sheet puff pastry (1/2 of a box)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp water
1 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 C Parmesean cheese, grated
1 onion, sliced
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
kosher salt
flour, for dusting the pastry
butter & olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet, cook the sliced onions in a bit of butter and olive oil on very low heat until they soften and start to brown. Mix them frequently so they don't burn. We are starting the carmelization process here, but I don't think mine got quite that far. Roll out the pastry with a bit of flour. Brush some of the egg over the entire pastry. Stack the spinach and onion on top.

 

Add the cheeses and roll it on up. Carefully.

Slice off the edges so you're starting with clean, sharp ends. Slice up the pinwheels.

 

Lay them on a foil-lined baking sheet, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Brush the tops with the egg mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Though this is a great party food (and will probably make an appearance at our green-themed Jets party this Saturday night), we had it for dinner along with some butternut squash puree (another bystander of my use-everything-in-kitchen-raid).

 

So there you have it. A yummy, easy dinner that took almost no time to prepare. We both loved the sauteed onions in these pinwheels since it gave them an extra, subtle boost of flavor - completely worth the extra time to let them brown on the stovetop. Though I suppose with a dinner this easy, there's no reason to become a stay-at-home wife.

So what do you think? Do you ever go on a kitchen raid to use up what you have? What's the craziest concoction you've ever come up with?