Fried Eggplant

It's Sunday night and I should be posting my weekly meal plan, however I'm exhausted from a weekend of 5th birthday festivities, not to mention I have more leftover food from the party than I know what to do with. This week we'll be eating leftovers and cleaning out the pantry. Tonight I decided to post about this fried eggplant that we had for dinner last week. This meal was my daughter's pick. For weeks she's been talking about eggplant, although I have no idea where she heard about it. We've never eaten eggplant in this house. Well, her curiousity about this vegetable...or should I say nightshade plant...this distant cousin to the the tobbaco plant... was satisfied on Wednesday night. I buy much of my produce from a man down the road from us, who grows it in his garden and orchard. On Wednesday, when we pulled up to his stand, she yelled from the backseat, "Look Mommy! Eggplant! Eggplant!" As I selected tomatoes and peppers for the rotini salad that I was making for the party, she examined the eggplants. I decided to humor her and put one into our basket. "For dinner tonight," she told me when she saw that we were taking one home.

This eggplant was round and smooth and white. Just like, well...an egg.



I have never prepared egg plant before and I've only eaten it in casserole, so I was exploring new territory. I was surprised with what I found when I peeled and sliced our eggplant...lots of tiny little seeds. I decided to go the fried route with this because I thought that my family would be most likely to eat it that way and because frying used the fewest, most simple ingredients of any other eggplant recipe I came across. To prepare for frying, I sliced the peeled eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices.



I beat an egg with about 1/4 cup of milk.



Then I mixed together some Italian bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and salt for breading. My thought was that Eggplant Parmesan is supposed to be good, so eggplant covered in Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese should also be a hit. Dip the slices into the egg mixture then toss in the breadcrumbs and Parmesan to coat.



Place the breaded slices into vegetable oil heated over medium heat. You want to fry them slowly so that the inside gets cooked and the outside gets crispy, but not burned.



When the first side is golden brown, flip and fry the other side until it matches.



Drain on paper towels and salt before serving. Now here's the lowdown: if you like eggplant, you'll probably really love this. For me, it was definitely edible, but not great. The breading was yummy, and when dipped into the yummy marinara that I served alongside, I could understand why, if you even remotely liked eggplant, that this would taste really good. I just don't care for eggplant. Not at all. And I've tried, I really have. It's just not happening for me. And my daughter, the one who insisted on eggplant for dinner? She took two bites and declared in her wannabe grown up tone, "I guess I'm just not a fan of eggplant." Not a fan? She is too funny! So, eggplant lovers try this one out. Please, let me know what you think. They look good, don't they?



Fried Eggplant

vegetable oil
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 in. slices
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
marinara for dipping (optional)

Pour enough oil in skillet to make it 1/4 -1/2 in. deep. Heat oil over medium heat. Mix egg and milk together. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, and salt. Dip eggplant slices first in egg, turning to coat. Toss in breadcrumb mixture until coated. Place breaded eggplant slices in the hot oil and fry until golden brown on first side. Turn over and finish frying on the other side. Drain on paper towels. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping, if desired.


Stay tuned: While we're eating leftovers this week, I'll be posting all about my daughter's birthday party. The food, the decorations, the recipes...and especially the cake!

Chili Pie

Tonight's meal from the 5 ingredient challenge was the the easiest to throw together yet! It came together in about 5 minutes and only needed to bake for 15. Best of all, my family loved this! No leftovers for tomorrow.

Here are my 5 ingredients: Fritos, a can of turkey chili, a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, onion, and shredded cheese.



Just put two cups of Fritos into the bottom of a pie plate, then sprinkle with about a cup of diced onion.



Then mix together the chili and 1/2 can of diced tomatoes. The tomatoes were my addition. This recipe originally only called for 4 ingredients. I only added half of the can because they were a little spicy and I wanted to make sure the kiddos would eat it. Pour the chili mixture over the Fritos and onion.



Top with cheese and pop it into the oven for 15 minutes.



And that's it! Dinner! Pictured below is actually the last serving of chili pie. I made a pretty bowl with a dollop of sour cream to photograph and then got distracted with feeding the kids. I totally forgot about taking a picture and sat down to eat. I had just finished my bowl and my husband was re-filling his bowl when he said, "This is really good. Did you get a picture?" Ooops. "No, I didn't. Here, give me that!" I snatched his bowl away. Luckily I snapped this while there was still something left to photograph!



Chili Pie

2 cups Fritos
1 cup onion
1 can chili
1/2 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place 2 cups of Fritos in the bottom of a pie pan. Top with 1 cup diced onion. Mix chili and diced tomatoes together. Pour over Fritos and onion. Top with cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Shrimp Scampi

Day 3 of the 5 ingredient challenge graced our table with this dee-licious Shrimp Scampi. With an afternoon spent entertaining three 5-year old girls (and one tag-a-long toddler), washing windows, and yard work, I was ready for a quick, easy, garlic-laden comforting dinner. This Shrimp Scampi served over whole wheat pasta was just what the doctor ordered.

For the sauce you need butter, garlic, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Melt the butter in a skillet, saute the garlic until golden, then add the lemon juice and hot sauce.



Now toss in the shrimp and cook for a few minutes until...



the shrimp are all curled up nice and pink.



We tossed our scampi with some whole wheat pasta. I followed the recipe to begin with, but upon tasting the shrimp and sauce, they lacked the garlicky, buttery-ness that I prefer my scampi to possess. I had to play with it a bit, adding more butter and then more garlic, a little salt, and then finally I caved and broke the "5 ingredient rule" and stirred in some Parmesan. And then it was perfect. We ate this with garlic bread and broccoli. YUM!



Shrimp Scampi

1 1/2 lbs. medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 stick butter
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
hot sauce, to taste
salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, if desired
pasta, cooked according to package directions

1. Melt butter and saute garlic. Add lemon juice, salt and a few dashes of hot sauce.
2. Add shrimp. Cook and stir until shrimp are pink. Stir in Parmesan.
3. Toss with hot cooked pasta.

Beef Up Your Ramen Noodles!

Okay, so...day 2 of the 5 ingredient challenge and I may have already found a winner! Not only did this dish come together easily, but it was a big hit with my family. I was lovin' it! Here's how it came together:

First, I browned a pound of hamburger with salt and pepper. Then I drained it and moved it to a bowl to keep warm.



Then I dumped a bag of stir fry veggies into the skillet and cooked according to package directions. I used Green Giant 19 oz. Schezuan stir fry mix, because I had a coupon. Now, I'm a new fan. The veggies were frozen with sauce, so I stir fried until the sauce melted.



Then I added two cups of water, some ginger paste, and two packages of ramen noodles, broken up, with their seasoning packs. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook for 3 minutes, until the noodles are tender.



Now, add in the browned ground beef and a chopped green onion. Stir to combine and heat through.



And that's it! Totally satisfying and yummy and only 5 ingredients!



Asian Beef and Noodles adapted from the Cooking with 5 Ingredients cookbook

1 lb. ground beef
2 packages oriental flavor instant Ramen noodles
1- 19 oz. package stir fry mix (Green Giant Schezechuan style works well)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or ginger paste
1 large green onion, sliced

1. Brown beef with salt and pepper. Drain. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
2. Add package of stir fry veggies to skillet. Cook according to directions. Add 2 cups water, 2 packages of Ramen noodles and seasoning packs, and ginger. Bring to a boil. Cover and boil for 3 minutes, until noodles are tender.
3. Add in beef and green onions. Heat through.

Chicken Ole

Chicken Ole was an excellent way to kick off the 5 ingredient challenge. My feet hit the floor running this morning and I didn't stop all day. I even ate my lunch standing up, trying to feed the kiddos and load the dishwasher between bites. I threw this together while my youngest napped this afternoon and then put it in the fridge for my husband to pop into the oven while we were at my daughter's dance class. I have to say that when we walked through the door tonight after 7 pm, the smell of Chicken Ole cooling on the stovetop made my day. I thought this was really good. I mean, by now I was starving and tired, so I probably would've thought that dirt stuffed mushrooms tasted good...but my family liked it too, so I guess it wasn't "just me".

Pretty easy to prepare, you just mix together 8 oz. of cream cheese, a jar of picante sauce, about a cup of sliced green onion, and 2 teaspoons of cumin in a bowl.



Then flatten boneless, skinless chicken breasts to about 1/4" thickness and season with salt and pepper.



Spread a tablespoon full of the cream cheese-picante sauce mixture onto each breast and roll em' up.



Place the chicken rolls, seam side down into a casserole dish.



Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken. You can put it right into the oven, or prepare it the night before or early in the day that you want to serve it for dinner. Just refrigerate until you're ready to bake it.



And there you have it, dinner with 5 ingredients. Okay, one confession: my husband put his own touch on this dish while we were out, and sprinkled the top with shredded cheddar after it finished baking. Then he put it back under the broiler for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese. So technically, we used 6 ingredients. We had ours with chips and salsa and corn. Yummy!



Chicken Ole from Cooking With 5 Ingredients cookbook

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. package cream cheese
1- 16 oz. jar picante sauce
2 teaspoons cumin
1 cup fresh green onion, sliced

1. Pound chicken breasts to flatten to 1/4" thickness. Combine cream cheese, picante sauce, cumin, and green onions. Beat until smooth. Place a spoonfull of cream cheese mixture onto each chicken breast. Roll up. Place seam side down in shallow baking pan.

2. Pour remaining sauce over top of chicken rolls.
3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.