eggplant pizza on naan.

i bought an eggplant recently and had absolutely no idea what to do with it! to be honest, eggplant kind of scares me-- it just seems so dry when you cut it open, and i know you have to salt before using it which always seemed a bit too complex for a vegetable i wasn't completely convinced i was a fan of. turns out, eggplant is delicious. i'm sure all of you already knew this, but some realizations you have to come to on your own. 

we roasted our eggplant, put it on naan and called it pizza. if you don't already buy the naan from costco, you really should. i have no idea how to make naan, but maybe i'll do some research and try that next. for now, seriously the stuff at costco is gooooood.

eggplant pizza

makes 2 pizzas

ingredients:

2 pieces of naan

2 tbs. olive oil

1 small eggplant, diced

salt & pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

1. lay the eggplant out on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil and generously salt. let sit for 30 minutes.

2. preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

3. drizzle one tbs. olive oil over the eggplant and roast until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

4. brush the remaining olive oil evenly on the two pieces of naan. layer the garlic, eggplant, tomatoes, then mozzarella on top of the pizzas. lightly salt & pepper them.

5. bake at 400 degrees until the cheese has melted and the edges of the naan are a light golden brown.

enjoy! and if you have other ideas of what to do with an eggplant, let me know!

beet hummus.

i am likely the last person in the world to jump on the pinterest bandwagon, but it's happened. i don't feel as guilty about spending unnecessary amounts of time on pinterest, because, unlike facebook or instagram, it actually inspires me to get up and do things-- like make beet hummus. i admit, i'm not in love with beets just yet, but i want to be, because they're just so good for you (i hear). i have a hard time getting past the fact that they taste a lot bit like dirt, but i keep telling myself the more you eat something, the more you grow to like it. disguising beets in hummus and eating it with goat cheese and good bread is working for me for now though.


beet hummus

makes 2 cups

adapted from simplyrecipes.com

ingredients:

3 large beets

the juice and zest of one large lemon

2 tbs. tahini (sesame seed paste)

2 tsp. cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

salt, to taste

1. preheat the oven to 400 degrees. cut tops off of beets & scrub them. set inside a baking dish with 1/2" water and cover. bake until easily poked with a fork, about 30 minutes. let cool.

2. once cooled, peel the beets. the skin should slide off pretty easily using just your hands. cut into large chunks.

3. puree the beets with the lemon juice and zest, tahini, cumin, garlic and salt until smooth.

4. serve at room temperature or chilled. we spread a thin layer of goat cheese on top of baked crostinis and topped them with the hummus. enjoy!

onion rings.

i'm not exactly sure what came over me last sunday that inspired me to make onion rings, but for whatever reason, i was set on it. after church, chase & i came home to make sweet potato & white bean burgers with thai sweet chili sauce and onion rings on top. of course we ate a dozen onion rings before our burgers were even ready, and we both felt extremely sick afterwards. but still, these were extremely delicious. 

onion rings

ingredients:

1 medium white onion

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups panko

olive oil & vegetable oil, for frying

salt & pepper, to taste

1. cut off the ends of the onion and peel off first layer. slice onion into rings and separate.

2. combine flour, baking powder and salt. dip the rings into the flour and set aside.

3. pour half vegetable oil & half olive oil into frying pan 1" deep. heat over medium heat until small bubbles start to form.

4. add egg and milk to flour mixture and combine. put panko onto a plate.

5. one at a time, dip the rings in the flour mixture, transfer to plate and cover in bread crumbs, then place in frying pan. fry one ring by itself first to make sure oil is the correct temperature-- the rings should turn golden on one side after 1-2 minutes. once one side is cooked, use tongs to flip them over and cook the other side. 

6. when finished, transfer to a wire rack or baking sheet lined with paper towels. salt & pepper to taste & serve immediately. 

shrimp sandwiches with guava butter.

ted's bakery on the north shore makes the yummiest shrimp sandwiches with guava butter dipping sauce. they aren't on the menu, likely because the orange grease that runs down your forearm when you pick one up marks them as a brazen health risk. greasy? maybe. delicious? definitely. this was mine (and chase's) attempt at recreating those sandwiches at home. six tablespoons of butter later, and i don't think we've even come close to what ted's must use. but these were yummmmmy. i just wish i knew how to make pumpkin haupia pie like ted's.

shrimp sandwiches with guava butter

(makes 2 sandwiches)

ingredients:

4 slices french bread or soft white bread

1 cup cooked shrimp, diced

6 tbs. butter (3 tbs. softened)

salt & pepper, to taste

3 tbs. guava jam

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1. melt 2 tbs. butter in a small pan over medium-high heat. add the shrimp, salt, & pepper, and cook for minutes.

2. combine the 3 tbs. softened butter with guava jam and spread evenly (& generously) on 2 slices of bread. spoon the shrimp on top of the guava butter. don't put the other two slices of bread on top yet.

3. whisk the egg & milk together, and pour onto a plate. melt last tablespoon of butter on griddle over medium heat. dip the bottoms of the sandwich in the egg and throw them on the griddle. dip one side of the remaining 2 slices in the egg and place them on top of shrimp. cook both sides until browned, about 3 minutes.

mango shrimp salad.

this salad is so fresh & summer. it's a perfect lunch or light dinner. i was craving it last week, and i searched four different stores looking for mangoes to no avail. finally i compromised and bought a papaya, the mango's (less desirable but still) delicious cousin. a couple days later i tracked down a mango & made it the right way. measurements are going to be estimated here, because this really is just a throw-it-together dish.

mango shrimp salad

(for 2)

ingredients:

1 avocado, diced

1 mango, diced

the juice of 1 lime

1 tbs. cilantro, minced

2 tbs. red onion, minced

10 cooked shrimp, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

1. throw it all in a bowl & eat it! we fried a couple tortillas into chips to scoop it up with. it would also be good wrapped in a burrito, cradled like a taco, or scooped up in some of those tostito's "scoops." (total advertising plug for tostitos. no big.) or hey, it's also just good with a spoon.

goat cheese & bean quesadillas.

this is one of my favorite lunches! just a little twist on the traditional quesadilla. chase & i love them.

goat cheese quesadilla

(makes 2)

ingredients

4 tortillas (the uncooked kind from costco are the best!)

1/2 cup refried beans

1/4 cup goat cheese

salt & pepper to taste

1 tbs. olive oil

1. spread half of the beans on one tortilla, and the other half on another.

2. evenly crumble the goat cheese between the two tortillas and sprinkle with salt & pepper.

3. place another tortilla on top of the beans & cheese, & brush with olive oil. cook on the stove on medium heat (or on a griddle) until golden. brush the uncooked side with olive oil, flip, and cook until golden and the filling is warm. slice it and serve with guacamole or salsa.

brie & asparagus sandwiches.

a sandwich is only as good as its bread. and this homemade rosemary french bread was the perfect carrier for these simple fillings.

brie & asparagus sandwiches

(for 2)

ingredients:

4 stalks asparagus

2 tbs. olive oil

salt & pepper, to taste

4 slices french bread

1/4 cup brie

1. preheat the oven to 450 degrees. cut off the bottom of the asparagus stalks, place them on a baking sheet & drizzle with olive oil & salt & pepper. roast until tender, about 15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the stalks). cut the stalks in pieces to fit on your bread.

2. spread the brie evenly on two slices of bread and top with pieces of asparagus. throw on the griddle in a tbs. of olive oil over med-high, and cook until both sides are golden brown.