Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 large globe eggplant, cut into eight 1/2"-thick slices
8 1/2"-thick tomato slices
4 crusty Italian type rolls, split in half
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 bunch fresh basil
Olive oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper

Heat grill to medium.

Brush both sides of eggplant and tomato with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill eggplant on both sides until soft and marked with grill lines, about seven minutes. Add cheese to the top of the eggplant slices, then add the tomatoes to the grill (they shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes each side, max).

Add the buns to the grill and grill lightly.

Build it this way: bun, 2 slices eggplant, basil leaves to cover, 2 slices of tomato and the other bun.

Serves 4.

December Menu II

Items to use:
sweet potatoes, butternut, 1 acorn, banana squash, spaghetti squash, lettuce, spinach,, persimmon, pears, onions, yellow potatoes, pomegranates, cranberries, bok choy, 1/2 cabbage, tomatoes, lots of celery, citrus fruits, apples

• Eggplant sandwich

• Eggplant parmigiana

• Wild Rice Stuffing

Eliza's Squash Soup
Lettuce Wraps
Fajitas
Creamy tomato gnocchi (or pasta if I don't get around to gnocchi)

• taco salad

Southwest stuffed peppers

Bean Curry

This is another from Melskitchencafe.com. Some of the commenters made it with black beans. I used dried black eyed peas because the canned ones I bought walked off somewhere. I needed 1 cup dried beans and an extra teaspoon of salt for the dry beans. We served it over naan. My boys called it macaroni and cheese soup. I have no idea why, but they ate it. That's all I ask.
Bean Curry
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (see pictures of grating ginger here)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
pinch cayenne, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
3/4 cup half and half
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken broth
1 can black-eyed peas, lightly drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned. Stir in garlic and grated ginger root; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add tomato; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in turmeric, cayenne, salt, paprika, and garam masala; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add half and half, stock, and black-eyed peas. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro. Serve immediately with rice, chapati, or naan.

Creamy Vanilla Pudding

Last night I wanted ice cream, but I wanted it warm. This fit the bill. Make sure to really stir well to keep from burning, constantly scrapping the bottom of the pan. Top with whipped cream.


Creamy Vanilla Pudding

Submitted by Erin ~ www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com

Printable Recipe

1/3 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2 c. milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 T. margarine or butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a 2 quart saucepan. Stir in milk gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks. Blend into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat; stir in margarine and vanilla. Pour into dessert dishes. Cool slightly and serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 4 servings.

December Menu

Items to use:
sweet potatoes, butternut, 1 acorn, banana squash, spaghetti squash, lettuce, spinach, carrots, 1 parsnip, 3 brussels sprouts, persimmon, pears, mushrooms, onions, yellow potatoes, pomegranates, cranberries, bok choy, 1/2 cabbage, tomatoes, lots of celery, citrus fruits, apples

Pear and gruyere panini

• Tortilla soup

• bean Curry

• Bruschetta

Goat Cheese and wild rice stuffing, yellow squash on the side

• ham and spinach stuffed bread

• Sloppy joes and sweet potato fries

taco salad

• white bean chili

• corn chowder blts

Onion and Bacon Soup

Somehow I've got three giant bags of onions this month. This recipe was a good use for a few of them. From Everyday Food Magazine.

6 slices of bacon cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces
3 large yellow onions, halved and thinly slices lengthwise
4 cups of low sodium broth (I used my favorite vegetable broth concentrate)
baguette sliced 1 inch thick
grated gruyere or swiss cheese

In dutch oven cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, reserve 1 Tbsp of grease. Reduce heat to medium. Cook onions in grease stirring occasionally and scraping brown bits from the bottom with wooden spoon, until soft and brown, about 1 hour. Add broth, bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Broil baguette slices with 1/4 cup of cheese each until bubbly and slightly browned. Top soup with baguette and serve immediately.

Squash Enchiladas

Recipe from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook

I am thrilled again to find a winter squash that my family will eat, especially to find one that Dave will race me home from to get the leftovers. My notes in red.

1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 16 oz can white corn (I used frozen)
butternut squash, cooked and drained well (I needed half of a large squash for a 9x9 pan, quartered it, put in a casserole dish with an inch or two of water, covered with plastic wrap with holes punched in it, and microwaved for 10 minutes)
salt and pepper
chili powder
cumin
green enchilada sauce (used 1 recipe of Amy's sauce for a 9x9 pan)
corn tortillas
pepper jack and cheddar cheese

Saute onion and garlic on olive oil. Stir onion mixture into corn and squash, and season to taste with s&p, chili powder, and cumin (I found it frustrating that no measurements were given, but I didn't take note of what I used either). Heat enchilada sauce and dip tortilla in the heated sauce to soften (this did not work for me, I softened them in the microwave wrapped in a wet dish towel). Fill tortillas with squash mixture, sprinkle with cheese, and roll. Place seam side down in a casserole dish. Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with extra cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly, about 30 minutes.