Eggplant, Eggplant! Crostinis and Pitas.

Hello friends! To those of you who are regular "Krista's Kitchen" readers, I want to apologize for my absence of over two weeks. Nothing too exciting going on, I've just been working more (scroll to the end of this post for upcoming cooking class dates), plus dealing with the seasonal "sickies" (as I type this I have one child on an antibiotic and inhaler and another on the couch with a stomach flu). Lately, at the end of the day, I've found myself un-inspired to try anything new and too tired to write about it even if I had bothered to try a new recipe. I'm going to try to do better this week. I'm thinking about easing back in with two fall favorites: chicken pot pie and a shrimp and sausage stew this week, so stay tuned!

My last post, back in September, was about Eggplant Parmesan. Well, my grandma sent still more eggplant last week. When my husband noticed that I was snapping pictures while preparing this dinner Thursday night, he pointed out, "Your last post was about eggplant."
"Yeeees," I answered. And your point is?
"And now you're writing about eggplant again?" It sounded like more of a judgement than an observation....

I made some crack about changing the focus of my blog to only eggplant recipes. "All Eggplant. All The Time. You better learn to like it, because we're going to be eating a whole lot more. I ordered a truck load just this morning...."

He was not amused. Neither were my children.

I thought that both of these recipes were good. The crostini was my favorite. Totally yummy. And while he is clearly not a fan of the eggplant, I'm pleased to announce that my husband liked it too. But our daughters politely asked for plain bread after taking the required one-bite-to-try-it. At least they weren't repulsed and gagging. They just gave me the "Ummm. No. No thank you." I'm counting this as a small victory.

I found the following two recipes in the August 2010 edition of Cooking Light magazine- one for each eggplant. While my family would have probably been better served with a pot of my homemade chicken noodle soup, it was really time for me to try something new. It has been too long. Below are the results of the only 2 new recipes that I have tried this month.

Both recipes used eggplant prepared the same way- grilled.

To prepare the eggplant for grilling, I sliced them into 1/2" slices. Then I placed the slices in a colander and sprinkled them with salt to draw out the moisture. Let them sit like this for 30 minutes to drain.

While the eggplant drained, I prepared my bread slices for the crostini recipe. I forgot to purchase a whole grain baguette (recommended by the recipe) on my big shopping trip this week, so I ran to the corner store for the bread before preparing the recipe. I could only find French bread. I opted to slice it and brush with olive oil.

Then I toasted the bread between my Pampered Chef Grill Pan and Grill Press.

It worked beautifully!

By the time the bread was all toasted, the eggplant was ready to go. I rinsed off the excess salt and then pressed out more of the moisture with paper towels.

Brush the eggplant with olive oil on both sides,

Then into the grill pan, until golden brown and soft.

While I had the grill pan fired up, I went ahead and grilled the red onion slices for our eggplant pitas.

Now for the sauces. Both the crostini and pitas had Greek yogurt based sauces that started out almost exactly the same. Each sauce called for 1/4 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt.

And freshly squeezed lemon juice.

I know that I've bragged about my Pampered Chef juicer here before, but it really is easy to use, and I love that it strains out the pulp and seeds.

Also into both sauces with the yogurt and lemon juice: garlic, salt, and pepper.

After this, the sauces differ. For the crostini recipe, one of the grilled eggplants is mixed into the sauce. I used my immersion blender, but a standard blender or food processor would work as well. I really enjoyed this "sauce". Really it is more of an eggplant hummus. It was delicious on the crostini, but I'd be happy to just dip in some pita chips and eat it as a snack.

The pita sauce received freshly chopped oregano.

As you can see, these two sauces that started out exactly the same yielded two very different finished products.

With all of the components for both recipes prepared, it was time for assembly.

I'll begin with the crostini, since it was my favorite.

Arrange bread slices on a serving platter.

Top with the eggplant hummus.

Toss some arugula, tomatoes, and fresh mint with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and a little salt and pepper.

Arrange the "salad" over the hummus and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Slices of fresh Parmesan would be wonderful here, but I just had the grated stuff from a can this week. Still good!

Let's zoom in...

Mmmm. I loved all of the flavors working together here.

Now for the super easy pita assembly.

Just spread some of the yogurt sauce in a pita.

Stuff with eggplant and onion slices.

Add in more of the arugula salad.

And tah-dah! Dinner. Or lunch.

I ate one pita for dinner, then wrapped one for lunch the next day. For the record, I liked it better the next day. Maybe because it's one of those recipes that just tastes better the next day or maybe because the next day, it wasn't in competition with that delicious crostini.

Here are the recipes:

Eggplant Crostini from August 2010 Cooking Light
Ingredients
1 (1-pound) eggplant
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
16 (1/2-ounce) slices multigrain baguette
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1/4 cup whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup arugula
1 cup red, orange, yellow, and green cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, torn
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
Preparation
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Slice eggplant into 1-inch-thick slices; brush both sides evenly with 1 tablespoon oil. Place eggplant in a single layer on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until eggplant is tender. Brush both sides of bread slices evenly with 2 tablespoons oil. Place bread slices in a single layer on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 1 minute on each side or until toasted.
3. Combine eggplant, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon juice, and next 3 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon eggplant mixture on each bread slice.
4. Combine arugula, tomatoes, and mint in a bowl. Drizzle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons juice and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Divide salad mixture evenly among bread slices; top evenly with cheese

Amount per serving
Calories: 175
Fat: 9.5g
Saturated fat: 2.1g
Monounsaturated fat: 5.3g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g
Protein: 6.2g
Carbohydrate: 17.7g
Fiber: 5.9g
Cholesterol: 4mg
Iron: 1.2mg
Sodium: 330mg
Calcium: 195mg

Notes:
I used slices of French bread, toasted, in place of whole grain baguette. Also, I substituted the quartered cherry tomatoes with cut up Roma tomatoes.

Grilled Eggplant Pita Sandwiches with Yogurt-Garlic Spread from August 2010 Cooking Light
Ingredients
2 (1-pound) eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup plain reduced-fat Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Cooking spray
4 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
2 cups arugula

Preparation
1. Place eggplant slices in a colander; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Toss well. Drain 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly; pat dry with paper towels.
2. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, yogurt, and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl.
3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
4. Brush eggplant and onion slices with oil. Place eggplant and onion slices on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned.
5. Fill each pita half with 1 1/2 tablespoons yogurt mixture, one quarter of eggplant slices, one quarter of onion slices, and 1/4 cup arugula.

Amount per serving
Calories: 311
Fat: 8.2g
Saturated fat: 1.6g
Monounsaturated fat: 5g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.2g
Protein: 12.7g
Carbohydrate: 50.6g
Fiber: 9.2g
Cholesterol: 1.7mg
Iron: 3.5mg
Sodium: 697mg
Calcium: 117mg

Notes: I doubled the "salad" recipe from the crostini recipe and used it in place of plain arugula in these sandwiches. Enjoy!
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I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I've been busy with work lately...

If you're reading this from Northern Ohio or Northern Indiana you can see what I've been working on in person! There are 5 remaining stops on the Krista's Kitchen Fall Cooking Class Tour and it's not too late to sign up! The remaining dates/locations:

Wednesday October 19th Dream Dinners at Home Strongsville, OH

Wednesday November 9th Tortellini alla Panna Strongsville, OH

Saturday December 3rd Canning Quick Bread (Holiday Gifts) Medina, OH

Thursday December 8th Company's Coming- Holiday Brunch Warsaw, IN

Saturday December 10th Gingerbread Cookies Nappanee, IN

To get more details and/or register for a class email me at krista@kristaskitchen.com

Oh, and if you're in these areas and are interested in booking a Pampered Chef party (click HERE to check out the benefits you receive from hosting a show) please email me at the same address.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Build-Your-Own-Sub Night

My family loves it when I plan for DIY dinners like build-your-own tacos or nachos, make-your-own pizza, baked potato bar, and now submarine sandwich assembly. I love it too, because all of the family members take an active role in dinner preparation and everyone gets exactly what they want- which means no complaints at the dinner table!

The preparation for this dinner is pretty simple. I just start cleaning out my refrigerator. I already had washed leaf lettuce and sliced tomatoes leftover from our weekend cookout. Plus I had a package of already fried turkey bacon, that I use for my oldest daughter's school lunches. (She loves bacon wraps with fresh spinach for lunch). After that I started pulling out cheese slices, cold cuts, and condiments.

With the ingredients at the ready, I called in the troops and assisted everyone as they tailored the subs to their tastes.

No need for a step-by-step or a recipe here, so instead I have a couple of pictures of the finished product.

This is the creation of my youngest daughter. She starts pre-school tomorrow!

And here's my super-stacked sub, made complete with a layer of those home-canned pickle slices that I put up last month. YUM!

Now that I've got my family to help with dinner, I just need to figure out how to make them clean up after...

Grandma's Cukes n' Onions PLUS a Yummy Cucumber-Pastrami Panini

My grandma's marinated cucumbers and onions were a summer staple through my childhood. The recipe is so good that it has become a time-honored tradition. My family is still eating them today. A July trip home to the farm just wouldn't seem right if I couldn't take a bite of this crunchy cucumber concoction. I have a whole list of foods in that represent summertime in my mind. Just off of the top of my head: strawberry shortcake, corn on the cob, rhubarb cream pie, fresh green beans with potatoes and bacon, caprese salad, and Kentucky Grilled Chicken are all foods that I look forward to each and every summer.

I can't remember a summer that I didn't enjoy the sweet and sour crunch of these cucumbers alongside whatever we pulled off of the grill. The funny thing is, I also can't remember ever preparing this dish for myself. I always just find a jarful in my mom or my grandma's fridge each summer.

Considering that my one hill of cucumber plants has already produced dozens of pickles, I decided that it was time for me to make a batch of cukes n' onions for my very own fridge. I've already canned pickles and made a delicious cucumber ribbon salad and more tiny little cucumbers keep showing up on the vine in my garden! It was definitely time for this nostalgic recipe. One of the great things about grandma's recipe is that when you eat all of the yummy pickles from the marinade, you don't need to start over. You can just add more sliced cucumbers to the vinegar-sugar-cream mixture.

Many of you probably use or have tried a recipe like this. I've also tried a few. But I'm biased. I like Grandma's the best.

You want to start out by peeling the cucumbers. I forgot this step the first time that I made the recipe. Live and learn! I realized that Grandma probably always peeled the cucumbers first because the skins seem to grow tougher as they marinate.

After the cucumbers are peeled, thinly slice and add them to salted water. Let them marinate in the salt water for "as long as it takes you to make dinner". Not very specific, I know, but those were grandma's instructions. I think that I let them sit for about an hour. Grandma claims that this helps to remove some of the bitter taste from the cukes. I'm gonna have to back her up on that one, because like I said, her cukes n' onions are the best!

Remove the cucumbers from the brine and rinse thoroughly, then drain.

While the cucumbers drain, add equal parts of vinegar and sugar to a quart-sized canning jar or Tupperware for the marinade. I used my new favorite storage container- a Ball 32 oz. re-usable freezer container.

Then pour in some cream or half and half. I've seen similar recipes that use mayonnaise instead of cream, but this is how Grandma does it and it works!

Next, drop a thinly sliced onion into the marinade.

Then add the cucumber slices (please ignore the peel on some of those cukes in the picture. This was my first batch...before I realized the error of my ways...). Now put a lid on your container and "shake it like crazy".

I like to let mine sit in the refrigerator overnight before eating them.

Yum! For such a simple recipe, it sure packs a flavor punch. The cucumbers and onions are sweet, salty, sour, AND creamy!

Grandma Shirley's Cucumbers n' Onions recipe written based on a phone conversation with my grandma. (Translation: I had to do some guesswork. If this isn't to your liking, "tweak" the ratios to perfection in your own kitchen.)

2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cups water
2 tablespoons salt
1/2-3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2-3/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup half and half or heavy cream
chopped parsley for garnish

In a medium bowl, mix the salt into the water until dissolved. Soak the peeled, sliced cucumbers in the brine for about an hour. Rinse under cold water and drain. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, vinegar, and cream. Add in the sliced onion, then the rinsed cucumber. If the marinade does not cover the cucumbers, add additional vinegar and sugar (in equal parts) until the cucumbers are covered. Place a lid over the container and shake well until everything is combined. Refrigerate overnight. Serve with your favorite summer dinner.

After enjoying Grandma's Cucumbers n' Onions on their own for a couple of days, I found a panini recipe that used marinated cucumbers in the sandwich. Perfect!

Our family has succumbed to a panini addiction this summer. I attribute it to my new Pampered Chef Grill Pan and Grill Press. This cookware duo turns out perfect paninis every time. I've had fun coming up with panini combinations over the last couple of weeks. I know that I mentioned this in an earlier post, but the Grill Pan and Grill Press are on special this month if you're interested. Click HERE to see the deal.

I began this recipe, (which was inspired by a recipe in the November 2003 issue of Better Homes & Gardens) by creating a mustard spread. The original recipe called for honey mustard and prepared horseradish. I didn't have either. I ended up mixing together some honey mustard salad dressing, some Gulden's Spicy Mustard, and a little wasabi (for that horseradish kick). It seemed to work really well!

Lesson: if you don't have the exact ingredients on hand for a recipe, improvise with similar ingredients. But DO taste the ingredients or mixture of ingredients first before applying them to the entire recipe.

Spread the mustard over one side of each bread slice.

Top half of the bread slices, mustard side up, with cheese. I used Muenster. Swiss would be really good here too. Arrange some of the marinated cucumbers over the cheese. Then top with some diced onion.

Another tip: during the summer burger-and-hotdog months, I like to keep a screw-top jelly jar of diced onions in the fridge for use as a condiment. Dicing onions once a week or even every two weeks cuts down on the tears!

Back to the sandwich...

Pile on some sliced pastrami. (I used turkey pastrami).

Top with another slice of mustard-"schmeared" bread. Then brush liberally with olive oil.

Place the sandwich in a pre-heated grill pan. Apply the pre-heated grill press or a brick wrapped in foil to the top of the panini.

Cook for a couple of minutes, until golden brown on one side, then flip the sandwich and cook on the other side.

Now slice that sammie in half! But don't take a bite just yet.....

You're supposed to dip it in Thousand Island dressing. At least, that's what the original recipe recommended.

Okay. Twist my arm...

Oh man. That's good stuff. This was a great panini!

Here's the recipe:

Pastrami-Cucumber Panini

3-4 tablespoons honey mustard
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
8 slices hearty wheat or rye bread (I used both whole grain white and light wheat)
1/2 cup Grandma's Cucumbers n' Onions (see above)
2 tablespoons diced red or white onion
6 oz. thinly sliced pastrami (I used turkey)
4 oz. Swiss or Muenster cheese slices
Olive oil
Thousand Island Dressing (for dipping)

Directions:
COMBINE HONEY MUSTARD AND HORSERADISH. SPREAD SMALL AMOUNT ON ONE SIDE OF EACH SLICE OF THE BREAD. CREATE SANDWICH IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER: BREAD WITH SPREAD, CHEESE, PASTRAMI, CUCUMBER WITH ONION, MORE CHEESE, AND ANOTHER SLICE OF BREAD. BRUSH WITH OLIVE OIL. GRILL UNTIL CHEESE IS MELTED.

Tip: If you don't have a grill pan and press or a brick wrapped in foil, try using a George Foreman Grill to press and grill the paninis.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

If you're following the meal plan this week, you were probably expecting a rosemary pot roast to be featured as tonight's recipe. Unfortunately, I forgot to remove the roast from my freezer to thaw (don't you just hate it when that happens?!). So I bumped tomorrow's post about these wonderful Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches to tonight. Stay tuned tomorrow to read how that pot roast turns out.

While I had originally planned to make these sandwiches for dinner, I made them for lunch instead. Lately, our summer days are so busy that lunch is a rushed affair. I'm turning out cold cut sandwiches or heating up leftovers as quickly as possible before we are off and running to the next daycamp, swim lesson, or playdate. However, last week, we found ourselves stuck in the house on a stormy summer day with nothing planned. Ahhh. I don't know about you, but I need a day like this every once in a while to re-group (and fold laundry). Since I had the time, and I was craving something different from our usual round-up of lunchtime staple foods, I decided to make these sandwiches.

Here's how they came together:

First, I thick-sliced some zucchini (fresh from our garden!) and a red onion. Then I halved a lemon.

Next, I cut some rolls (purchased from the bakery at our local supermarket) in half and brushed them with olive oil.

To the remaining olive oil, add some balsamic vinegar.

Liberally brush the zucchini, onion, and lemon with the oil and vinegar mixture. Sidenote: if you're wondering about those spots on my sliced zucchini pictured below, it's because they had started to freeze. Someone "accidentally" altered one of the temperature settings inside of our fridge. I had lots of frosty stuff the next day. I'm just glad that I figured out what was wrong before I called a repair person! Gotta love those mischievous 3 year olds!

This recipe was designed for the grill, but because of the rain, I enlisted my Pampered Chef Grill Pan.

Sales pitch time... I love this grill pan! It arrived in my kit when I became a PC consultant back in February. Paired with the grill press, which is one of the first items I purchased with the points I earned after my first Pampered Chef show, I use it way more than I ever imagined for everything from grilled chicken and burgers to paninis and bacon. This month, the Grill Pan Set is on special. You can get the grill pan, press, scraper, and recipe cards for $34 off! If you're in the market for a grill pan/press you can check out the deal HERE. The grilling season is too short for me here in Northeastern Ohio, so I'm all about being able to bring the grilling inside!

I grilled the veggies until they were tender-crisp and had some of those beautiful grill marks on them. Oh, and I put the lemon halves on, cut side down, to grill too.

I removed the veggies and then placed the cut side of the rolls down on the grill pan until they began to toast.

Once toasted, place the bottom half of each roll on a plate. Now we're ready to build a sandwich!

First, the zucchini.

Then the onion.

And now for some feta cheese. I used a tomato-basil feta that I had leftover from the cucumber ribbon salad I made a while back. YUM!

For a finishing touch, I squeezed a little of the grilled lemon over the top.

Wow! These flavors were wonderful together. I felt like I was dining on a bistro's patio when I sat down on our deck to polish this sandwich off.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches adapted from yummly.com

4 ciabatta or other sandwich rolls (split)
1 lemon (halved)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 zucchini (summer squash cut lengthwise in 1/2 inch slices)
1 red onion (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
2 oz tomato-basil feta cheese (crumbled)

Method
1. Lightly brush one tablespoon olive oil on the cut sides of the rolls and lemon halves; set aside.
2. Combine remaining oil and vinegar in a small bowl.
3. Brush a little of mixture on zucchini and onion, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Grill zucchini and onion, over medium heat, until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
5. Meanwhile toast rolls, cut side down, about 3 minutes.
6. Place vegetables on rolls, top with feta and drizzle with remaining vinegar and oil and squeezed lemon juice.