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The basil growing just steps from my kitchen has proven to be a powerful inspiration lately. Today I made a delicious bruschetta if I do say so myself! My aunt and owner of Espresso Restaurant in Gloucester has an amazing eggplant bruschetta on her menu and I wanted to try to recreate it myself. Rather than breading and pan frying the eggplant, I let it marinate in a little olive oil, lots of garlic and crushed red pepper then sauteed it. It's a really simple and inexpensive recipe and definitely worthy of serving at a party as an appetizer. With robust flavors of fresh local ingredients, you really can't go wrong!
Tomato and Eggplant Bruschetta (serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 ripe tomatoes
approx. 1/3 eggplant
3-4 cloves garlic, divided
crushed red pepper, to taste (~1 tbsp)
1 handful fresh basil (about 1/4 cup chopped)
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tsp olive oil, divided
1/8 c. vegetable broth
2 tsp grated parmesan cheese
salt, to taste
basil leaves to garnish
Start by chopping the eggplant into cubes. Place in a ziplock bag, add 2 tsp olive oil, 2 large cloves fresh garlic, pressed or finely chopped and the crushed red pepper. I did this about 2 hours before I started preparing the rest of the bruschetta.
When you're ready to start, heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a sauteing pan on low heat and add the eggplant. Stir constantly so the eggplant doesn't stick. Add the vegetable broth and cook until the eggplant softens, about 10-15 minutes. I added a little extra basil in the pan too. Set aside (cool in the fridge).
Next chop the tomatoes into chunks and place in medium bowl. Add a light sprinkle of salt. Then chop the basil and add it to the bowl. Next add two more cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped. And then add the balsamic vinegar.
Once the eggplant is no longer hot, add it to the bowl. Then add the grated cheese. I used Kraft reduced fat grated cheese (it comes in a green container).
The longer the bruschetta sits, the more the flavors will marry and the better it gets!
To serve, I bought a loaf of sliced Tuscan whole wheat bread and I used two slices, cut in half. I sprayed a piece of tin foil with a little cooking spray, spread 1/4 tsp light Smart Balance "butter" spread on each slice, then sprinkled with garlic powder. I cooked the bread at 350 degees, flipped the slices after 5 minutes or so, cooked another 5 minutes then put them directly on the rack for another 2-3 minutes. Just stand close to the oven and watch so they don't burn. This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog thus far, you definitely have to make this!
Calorie Count: Eggplant bruschetta yields approximately 65 calories per serving. If served atop two whole slices toasted Tuscan wheat bread calorie count increases to 240 calories.
With summer comes heat and humidity, very unfavorable conditions for a kitchen. When it's hot and sticky, rather than hitting up a restaurant in lieu of turning on your stove, resist the urge and opt for a salad. The basil in our garden is growing like weeds on steroids so today I made a caprese salad with a balsamic reduction. This is a 6 ingredient recipe and it is full of flavor.
Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction (serves 1)
2 cups spring mix (I like 50/50 blend, half spring mix, half spinach)
3 slices ripe tomatoes
1 oz fresh mozzarella (1/8th of mozzarella ball)
a handful of fresh basil
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Okay, so I don't want to underestimate your culinary abilities but just for good measure, I won't skip any steps...
Slice a tomato cross-wise, cut enough for three thick slices. Next slice the mozzarella the same way. If you are following the recipe and the calorie count, just use one slice of mozzarella (1 oz.) and cut it in half into two half circles. A good rule of thumb when selecting cheese is that the softer the cheese, the fewer calories it has. Mozzarella is comparatively a lower calorie cheese ounce for ounce.
Next pluck the leaves off of the stem of the basil and stack them. Roll it up then slice into strips.
Spread the salad greens on a plate. Sprinkle the basil strips on top of the greens. Next layer the tomato and mozzarella. Put it in the fridge while you reduce the balsamic.
In a small pan heat the balsamic on the stove on low, stirring constantly. Reducing the vinegar simply means evaporating the water. The vinegar will thicken and sweeten up.
Drizzle the salad with a tsp of olive oil and the reduced vinegar. Garnish with a sprig of basil and season with a little black pepper if you'd like. Enjoy!
calorie count: approximately 145 calories per serving.
It's easy to get stuck in a rut with the same old veggie routine. Summer is a great time to mix it up and shop for produce that is a little out of your comfort zone because the grocery stores stalk a greater variety and are usually of better quality. Enter the artichoke-- admittedly quite intimidating with its sharp, tough leaves and unusual shape.
I did a little research in preparation to this post and it turns out artichokes are allegedly one of the oldest foods known to man. They're actually the flower bud of a plant, if allowed to grow they turn into a big violet colored flower. A lesser known aphrodisiac, this green leafed veg is packed with fiber, vitamin C, and folate. And side note: although they may be an aphrodisiac, I would exactly recommend them as a "date food"-- I feel a little koala-esque when I'm scraping at the leaves. Check out this video if you're unfamiliar with this leafy veg. Seriously, if you have never eaten or seen anybody eat a real artichoke, watch the video!
Garlicy Grilled Artichokes (serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 artichokes
3 tbsp olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves
crushed red pepper, to taste
salt and pepper
Start by trimming the sharp tips of the artichoke leaves, you can do this with either a paring knife or a good set of kitchen scissors. Peel back some of the leaves by the stem and cut off the end of the stem. Don't cut off the whole stem though, that along with the heart is the best part. Next add the artichokes to a pot with an inch or two of water and cover. Cook them on high for about 10-15 minutes or until the stem softens.
While the artichokes are steaming, add the oil to a small dish. If you don't already have a garlic press, I think they're well worth the investment. If you are sans garlic press, just chop it finely and add it to the oil, then add the crushed red pepper, I used a generous pinch.
When the artichokes are ready, take them out of the pan and slice them in half lengthwise.
That stringy stuff is known as the choke, don't eat it! Using a paring knife, cut out the choke and the purple leaves like so...
Using a marinating brush, brush the garlicy oil onto the artichokes, making sure you get in between the leaves.
Then cook them on the grill, just a few minutes on each side. They've already cooked in the steam bath so now you're just adding a nice char and smokey flavor.
Season with a little salt and pepper after you take them off the grill. Just pluck the leaves off one by one and get your koala on :)
This recipe contains approximately 130 calories per serving and is rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals with healthy fats from the olive oil.
The temperature has finally dropped a few degrees and I know longer fear the wrath of the oven. So for dinner tonight I made stuffed green peppers, overflowing with brown rice, ground turkey, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, tomato and peas. It's loaded with veggies boosting the fiber content-- helping you feel full without loading up on unhealthy calories.
I must admit though, unlike most of my recipes I don't think this falls under the quick and simple category. Because stuffed peppers is a multi-step process i.e. cooking the rice, then the turkey, mixing everything together, then baking the peppers I did some of the work last night to shorten my cooking time today. I prepped all my veggies and cooked the rice last night, leaving only cooking the meat, mixing it all up and baking for tonight.
Stuffed Peppers (serves 6)
Ingredients:
3 large green peppers
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes, No Added Salt if available
1 8 oz can tomato sauce, No Added Salt if available
~1 lb raw lean ground turkey (97% lean)
1/2 zucchini, chopped (about a cup)
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
cooking spray
optional: grated or shredded cheese
Start by chopping the zucchini, mushrooms, and onion. After I did this, I put them all in the same container along with the frozen peas and stuck it in the fridge until I was ready for it. Next, cut and clean out the peppers. I was undecided so I cut one pepper length-wise, one width wise, and one just trimming the top. If I were to make these again, I'd probably just trim the top on all the peppers to get 1 serving per pepper rather than 2, which in turn would boost the calorie content of each serving.
Next cook the rice and set aside. In a big skillet brown up the ground turkey on medium heat and add the fresh garlic. Drain any excess liquid from the meat then add all the veggies to the skillet.
Stir to mix up then add the stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Break up any big tomato chunks. Add the rice, reduce to low and simmer. Add a pinch of salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cook on low for about 10 minutes then remove from heat.
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a large baking dish with a little cooking spray. Stuff each pepper with a heaping scoop of filling and place in baking dish. Set aside any extra filling.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and poke a few holes to allow steam to escape. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until peppers soften. Quickly reheat the extra filling in the microwave or stove-top and top each pepper with another hefty scoop of the rice mixture, evenly atop each pepper until left overs are gone. Top with a little grated or shredded cheese if you like!
NEW FEATURE:
The recipe (serves 6) contains approximately 200 calories per serving. If you cut the top off each pepper and make 1 serving per pepper rather than 2 servings, the filling (as is) will stuff 4 large peppers and boost the calorie count to 310 calories. This recipe is low in fat and high in fiber.
Note: calorie count does not include cheese.
My second share of fish brings Gadus Morhua, otherwise known as Atlantic Cod. I've heard conflicting opinions regarding the ease of filleting this fish. After meticulously watching every move of the knife my uncle made last week, I thought I had built up the confidence to work the knife myself. He reassured me that bigger fish like cod and haddock are an easier fish to work with. I talked to a friend who disagreed, saying he preferred filleting smaller fish. Regardless of which fish I was to receive, I knew I had to try to fillet it myself. So again I trekked, cooler in hand to pick up my weekly share.
And there he lay, gilled and gutted staring me in the eye, taunting me with his gaze. With my new filleting knife in hand I got to work. Never before had I seen a cod filleted before-- I used a little common sense and a few techniques I'd picked up last week, first removing the head and tail, then slowly pulling the flesh from the bone.
Let me emphasize the "slow" in the previous sentence. With only one minor injury to my right index finger, I was very proud of my work. Although it wasn't the cleanest knife work, at the end of the day, I got the job done.
After cleaning up the fillets, removing any lingering bones and skin they were ready to be cooked! Feeling proud of my amateur work and eager to taste the fresh catch, I decided to whip up a quick dinner right away. I wanted to taste the fish in it's simplest form so I opted to use the grill.
Seasoned Grilled Cod
2 large cod fillets
~1 tbsp olive oil
cooking spray/extra olive oil
spices of choice (cayenne, crushed red pepper, garlic, dill)
This recipe really couldn't get any simpler. The only issue is that most Atlantic flaky fish are fragile and will fall through the standard grill rack. If you have a contraption with smaller grates, then use that, otherwise aluminum foil will suffice. Which ever you choose, be sure to use ample non-stick spray or healthy oil so the fish doesn't stick... I'm speaking from experience here, I had a very messy clean up because I didn't spray enough! Note: If you use spray, spray the equipment, not the fish and do it before you turn the grill on, that stuff is flammable!
Drizzle the fish with a little bit of oil then season it with spices of your choice. I used the spices above but use which ever flavors you like.
Cook the fish on medium heat on the grill with the lid closed. Flip the fish when it starts to turn white, about 5-7 minutes. If you are using foil, no need to flip, cook it for about 10 minutes or until the fish is tender and flakes with the touch of a fork.
I also grilled zucchini and red onion chunks, seasoned with the same spices. Flip the veggies when they start to soften and get some nice grill marks.
We also cooked some cod in foil too. Same spices with a little bit of sliced tomato on top. No need to seal the foil, unless you want steamed fish. The fish cooked in foil came out a little more tender and juicy because it trapped all the juices. They were both great!
Stay tuned because I have big plans for potato-fish cakes, spicy fish stew, and creamy fish florentine!
Happy 4th to you!! It was a great holiday weekend, lots of cookouts and very little cooking in. So I'll pick up where I last left off... I had just received my first Community Supported Fishery (CSF) share from the Cape Ann Fresh Catch at the Cape Ann Farmer's Market. Cape Ann Fresh Catch boasts "Local, Sustainably-caught, wicked-fresh fish direct to you"-- cutting out the middle man so all proceeds go directly to the fisherman. The CSF promises a wide variety of North Atlantic fish including Cod, Haddock, Whiting, Monkfish, and Pollock. Just two days before my pick-up I read an article in Edible Boston written by Roz Cummins, in which she pointed out some of the flaws of the CSF last summer, one of which being the lack of variety, stating "By the end of the summer I had eaten enough cod to last a lifetime."
I started to question if this was maybe the wrong decision but being the optimist I am, I headed to the market cooler in tow anxious and excited to receive my first share. My first pick-up included 5 whole Grey Sole fish, a nice and unexpected surprise. It's very thin, mild-flavored white fish, and an intimidating fish for my first lesson on filleting. The fish weren't very big either, only making the task more challenging. Luckily my Uncle Danny was kind enough to offer his knifing skills and fillet it as I watched. First he trimmed off the fins and tail, then cleaned each fish to the bone.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. It is done when the fish flakes with the touch of a fork.
Drizzle with a little lemon juice and serve with a fresh ear of corn on the cob and you have a deliciously local and sustainable New England meal!
Note the little morsel of fried fish on my plate... there was some left over sole that my mom decided to make into real fish sticks. She coated the fish with a layer of flour, dipped it in egg, coated with another layer of flour and fried in a shallow pan of canola oil. I had to try it and they were WAY better than anything you'd find in the freezer section! Stay tuned throughout the summer for weekly local fish recipes!
