Zucchini and Eggplant Parmesan

During the summer month’s zucchini and eggplant roll in faster than most gardeners can use them. My parents neighbor gave us 2 nice eggplant and my parents had a zucchini. So, what better to make than Eggplant and Zucchini Parmesan? 

First cut the zucchini and eggplant into 1/8 to1/4 inch slices depending on desired thickness.

Beat two eggs with salt and pepper and dip zucchini and or eggplant into eggs.

and then into Italian seasoned bread crumbs.

Fry in vegetable or canola oil until golden brown on each side.

Place fried pieces on a paper towel to drain.

Add homemade sauce to the bottom of a 9 x 13 or casserole. Add zucchini and eggplant top with more sauce and then mozzarella cheese. I used both zucchini and eggplant in one casserole so that I could have a little bit of each.

Bake at 350 until cheese is golden brown.

Serve with your favorite pasta and sauce. For meat eaters you can make Chicken Parmesan or serve the Eggplant and Zucchini Parmesan with sausage or meatballs.

Summertime Kebabs

Grilling with a few friends in the summer is always a fun time and kebabs make it even better! I love the taste and smell of grilled veggies, for me there is nothing better, ok I still do love the smell of meat on the grill, but grilled veggies have my heart.

For the meat eaters we made chicken and steak, for the vegetarians, ok just me, we made veggie kebabs.

I must mention that the old way of doing kebabs was mixing the meat and veggies, but the possibility of cross contamination due to differing cooking times is likely. Now it is better to grill the veg on their own skewers and the meat on their own as well.

The first trick is to soak your kebabs in water for about a half hour before you skewer the food on them and throw them on the grill. The second is to marinate your meat or veg for a half hour as well. You can use whatever marinade you like, ours are below.

Veggie Kebabs

Always use an assortment it’s much prettier that way. We used onions, green, yellow, orange, and red bell peppers, cherry and plum tomatoes. Once again marinate with Italian dressing and salt and pepper, or grill seasoning.

 

Chicken Kebabs

Cut chicken into manageable pieces for skewers. Marinate with Italian dressing and grill seasoning making sure all of the pieces are coated.

Steak Kebabs

Cut steak (almost any kind will do) into manageable pieces for skewers. Marinate with grill seasoning and A1 steak sauce making sure all of the pieces are coated.

Warm Indian Spiced Potato Salad

I’ve made this potato salad a few times and I loved it. I just keep forgetting to write an exact recipe down. This is still not an exact recipe because I tend to measure by taste and smell, but this is as close as I’m going to get. When I was a meat eater this went well with chicken or steak. Now I can just eat a bowl full with a side of veg and be completely satisfied. I love all of the spices with the vinegar, oil, and warm potatoes, it is a bit indulgent but I love it. It just makes me feel warm and comfortable.  

6 large red skin potatoes skin on

few dashes of red wine vinegar

few dashes of olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dehydrated onion

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Start by boiling your cubed potatoes for about 15 minutes or until tender. Once the potatoes are cooked coat with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Do not add too much liquid only enough to keep the mixture moist. Then add your spices and mix being careful not to break up the potatoes too much. Serve warm and enjoy.

Angel Hair Frittata

The other morning I got a craving for eggs, but I had leftover angel hair pasta that I had to use so I figured I’d make a frittata. The angel hair had homemade marinara so I didn’t have to add much, but you can add sundried tomatoes, meatballs, sausage, mozzarella, daiya mozzarella, olives, pretty much anything you can think of. I made a small sized frittata for one but I had enough to eat it for leftovers the following day.

I started by heating the pasta in a small pan and then scrambled 2 eggs with a bit of milk, salt, and pepper. Poor the egg mixture over the pasta, make sure the egg mixture and pasta is even. Now once you’ve cooked the egg thoroughly on one side you can either toss it under the broiler (the way you make a traditional frittata) or flip it like an omelet. I sprinkled some pecorino romano and fresh cracked black pepper and then topped it with fresh basil.

I haven’t made one of these in a long time but it was a fantastic way to finish leftovers and enjoy my eggs!