Pasta and a Sweet Tooth Treat :)

Sorry for neglecting you for a while! School started not long after my last post, which means my time is much more precious.  I do, however, intend to squeeze a few minutes for this. :)

For the record, I'm quite excited to share this Dinner of the Week with you.  It was SUPER easy, healthy, cheap, and the hubby loved it! Can't get much better than that.  

Pasta Alla Norma (aka eggplant spaghetti) 
from Spicy Food

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
3 cans diced tomatoes
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
5-6 T olive oil
salt alternative
salt
crushed red pepper
pasta of your choice
Parmesan Cheese

Method:

Slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick rounds.  Layer in a strainer, sprinkling each layer with salt, and place a heavy plate on top.  This helps some of the bitter juices to drain out.

In a large cast iron skillet, saute garlic in olive oil.  When it begins to color (it should turn more yellow), drain the tomatoes and add them to the skillet.  Sprinkle with salt alternative and red pepper to taste.  I do about 1-2 tsps salt and 2-3 tsps red pepper.  Allow the tomatoes to simmer, stirring occasionally, for a FULL 15 minutes.  While the tomatoes cook, boil your pasta with a tsp of olive oil until it is "al dente," i.e., done but still a little stiff, not soft. 

Drain pasta,and toss in an oven-safe dish with tomato sauce.  Cover with an oven safe lid or foil and place in the oven on warm. 

Using a paper towel, press and blot eggplant slices.  Saute in the same skillet you used for the sauce, adding olive oil as needed to keep slices from sticking.  Cook them until they are browned on both sides. Place finished slices on a plate while you cook the rest. 

Pull pasta dish out of the oven and lay eggplant slices on top.  GENTLY toss until mixed.  When you serve it, top each plate/bowl with Parmesan. 

Enjoy!! this makes about 4 servings. 

And now for.... Dessert!!!

Easy Lemon Icebox Pie

Ingredients

6 lemons

4 eggs, yolks and whites separated

2 cans sweetened condensed milk
graham cracker crumb crust (bought or made)
cool whip or meringue topping (I'll share how I made my meringue)
1/2 t cream of tartar (for meringue)
1/4 c sugar (for meringue)
Method:

If making your own crust:

place about 8-10 whole graham cracker squares in a large ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin.  In a bowl, mix with 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/2 c melted butter (add only a little more melted butter if it's too dry.  However, it should be crumbly).  Carefully press into a pie pan, and bake at 300 for about 10-15 minutes, until the edges are golden and it's very fragrant.  Place on countertop and allow to cool.

Zest and juice all 6 lemons in a large bowl. Whisk in sweetened condensed milk.  In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks until the color changes (this may take up to 10 minutes, but the improved texture and richness is worth it.)  Whisk in egg yolks.  Pour into crust.  If making meringue, follow below directions.  If not, bake 15 minutes at 350.

For Meringue topping:

Using about 3/4 of the egg whites, and cream of tartar, beat egg whites on high until they form soft peaks.  add sugar one Tbsp at a time, continuing to beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Spread over pie filling, sealing the edges to the crust.  Bake at 350 10-15 minutes, until tips are lightly golden.

Allow pie to cool at room temperature, then store in the fridge.  If using cool whip topping, top AFTER it's cooled. 

What's your favorite pie?  or favorite pasta?  Please share via email or comment, I'd love to hear what you have to say!


till next week, 

Jess

Dinner of the Week and Double Green Tip Numero Uno :)

Hi again! I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth and enjoyed their long weekend!


So, as promised, the first week of the month I'm sharing the first ever


Double Green Tip!!!


Rags VS. Paper Towels


While paper towels may be convenient and easy to use, they aren't exactly earth/wallet friendly.  We use them for spills and cleaning in nearly every room in the house, and for a big cleaning job, I've often used between half and a whole roll.  And while they're not the most expensive thing on your grocery list, they ARE a constant cost that adds up, especially when you use them frequently. 


SO, to save a few trees and a few dollars, I've transitioned over to using T-shirt rags.  To make these, I simply take old T-shirts (i.e., my husband's high school band shirts or cheap thrift store finds) and cut them into large pieces, like so:

1.  Cut the sleeves off.
2.  Cut off the top of the shirt (it's easiest to cut through both the back and the front at the same time).
3.  Cut up the middle of the shirt (again, going through both sides).
4.  Cut slits in the sleeves.


I have been keeping a store of T-shirt rags in my laundry room, and am about to make more to keep in my kitchen.  So far, they work just as good or better than paper towels for dusting, cleaning bathrooms (including mirrors!), wiping up spills and wiping down counters.  The best part is, they can be wrung out and reused to finish a job, and then washed and reused indefinitely.  And it's a good way to recycle stained/torn T-shirts!


And now, the Dinner of the Week!


Whole Wheat No-Rise Crust Chicken Pizza

Sauce:

2 small cans low sodium tomato paste
1 large family size can of diced, stewed tomatoes (low sodium)
1 medium can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 t chopped garlic (fresh or dried)
3 T Italian herb mix
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1 t crushed rosemary
1 t salt alternative

Method:

Combine all in a large saucepan and simmer for about 1/2 an hour. I always cook a large amount, and freeze my extras in freezer ziplocks.  This makes it easy to break off a chunk and defrost it later. 

Crust:

1 c all-purpose flour
2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c grated parmesan
1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1 t low salt alternative like "No Salt"
2 T Italian herbs
1 t crushed rosemary
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1 t garlic powder or chopped fresh garlic (optional)
2 T oil
1 c warm water

extra: cornmeal and canola butter (a blend of 1/2 canola oil and 1/2 butter) for later.

Method:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.  Then, mix in the oil and water using a spoon or the lowest setting on a mixer.  Once dough forms a ball, flour your hands and gently knead it for a few minutes. Either hand stretch or roll dough out to a large circle.  Sprinkle cornmeal on your pizza pan and place the dough on top of it.  Sauce and top it as desired and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.  It rises in the oven, so you can bake it right away!  As soon as it comes out, brush the crust with canola butter.

Suggested toppings:

chopped cooked chicken (great way to get rid of some leftovers!)
chopped onions
chopped canned jalapeno peppers
sliced mushrooms (fresh or canned)
hand shredded fresh spinach leaves
turkey pepperonis
parmesan (SO much better put on before you bake it!)
diced tomatoes

I hope you enjoy!!  See you next week!  :)

busy-ness

So, I could go into this long spiel about how my life is crazy-insane, and how this week has been the craziest yet, but I'll spare you the details.  Just know that I'm sorry if this little blog gets neglected, but sometimes I actually have to prioritize... and that means NOT procrasti-blogging.  

BUT, I do have a few moments this evening (Happy April Fool's, by the way!) and thought I'd share one of the low-stress meals I made during this week's madness.  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Meat (I usually use 80-20 or 90-10 ground turkey, but I used ground chicken this time, and liked it better!) 

1-2 cans low sodium red kidney beans (use 2 if you like bean-ey chili, 1 if you like it meaty.)

1 can diced tomatoes, low sodium

1 small can tomato puree, low sodium (can you tell we're on a low-sodium diet at my house?)

1 can chicken broth, low sodium

1/4 c chopped yellow onion

chili powder

garlic powder

red pepper

cinnamon

Directions:

Brown the meat with the onions.  Drain the pan of any excess grease.  Stir in a tablespoon each of garlic and chili powder, and a teaspoon each of cinnamon and red pepper.  Allow to simmer on very low heat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Pour the beans into a colander and rinse. Pour diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and tomato puree into a crockpot and stir until well mixed.  Add beans and meat and stir.  Simmer on low for 3-5 hours, stirring occasionally, and adding spices to taste.  

I personally enjoy eating my chili with sweet cornbread crumbled into it!