Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

Had some time on my lunch break and decided I could blog about my dinner last night! I've been on Weight Watchers the last few months and have had great success. One of my favorite dishes to make is Eggplant Parmesan. To make my dish less points on Weight Watchers I grilled slices of eggplant. Make sure to sprinkle salt on them and let sit in a colander. This break down the bitterness and makes the eggplant softer. Dry the slices by patting dry with paper towels and on a well lit grill, cook them up.

I swapped the ricotta cheese for fat free cottage cheese. First time I ever did this and it was delicious!

GRILLED EGGPLANT PARMESAN
By: Fallon Foale

Ingredients:
Grilled eggplant slices (2 medium eggplants)
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (save 1/4 cup for the top)
2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (save 1 tablespoon for the top)
1 large egg
Dried basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper
Your favorite tomato sauce ( I love White Linen Marinara)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl combine cottage cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, egg and seasonings. Set aside.

In a medium sizes baking dish, layer sliced eggplant. Top with cheese mixture and sauce. Repeat till eggplant is gone. On the top add rest of shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle more basil and oregano on top! Place in oven till everything is heated through and cheese browns on top.

For fun we had extra whole wheat penne cooked and in the fridge. I sprinkled it in between the layers. Served with steamed brocolini. This made 6-7 large slices and I counted it as 6 points!

Enjoy,
Fallon

I Keep Saying I’m 25 but Really I’m 26!

Ben and Jerry’s ice cream cake. They make the best!

Birthdays come and go. We all get older and we all say, “Oh I don’t want to celebrate.” Well I know I’m one of them but deep down in my heart I know that it is a good excuse to just go out and have fun. Drink, fun dinners, silly laughs, dancing etc. Just today I had a compliment, someone thought I was 20. Umm thank you! Hehe. I get that a lot actually and I’m taking it!

My birthday was on July 30th and I actually had a weird fear of turning 26. In 4 years I’ll be 30, is what I kept repeating in my mind. Well it happened, I turned 26. I think I will be okay. This birthday was probably one of the best birthdays ever. I felt like a princess the whole day and it was the people I surround myself with. I never felt so good and so loved. Thank you to everyone who came to my dinners and had a few drinks with me. Thank you for the fabulous birthday cards too!

I know it has been a minute since I’ve made a post. I always use the excuse I’m really busy but I’ll just be honest. I don’t have the heart of cooking like I once did. I try to continue loving it and blogging about what I’ve made but I had to force myself to do it. It just wasn’t feeling right. I don’t cook as much as I use too. Thank goodness my mom has learned how to cook because I’d be drinking smoothies for dinner every night! I want to change the feel of my blog. I want you guys to know my personality and who I am. I tend to be very random and my posts will become very random. The blog will still focus on food but I’ll add in other tidbits like workouts and cool projects I’m working on. How does that sound? Perhaps a blog name change will be in the future as well!

Summer Veggie Slaw, from my favorite blog, Proud Italian Cook: http://prouditaliancook.blogspot.com/2012/07/summer-veggie-slaw.html

I sent my mom the recipe and she made it for my birthday dinner. Boy was this delicious!

My favorite Spinach and Mozzarella Turkey Burgers and honey mustard chicken.

Honey mustard glaze: dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. Season raw chicken with salt and pepper, grill and then glaze chicken while grilling.

My birthday meal! The only thing I cooked were the sweet potato fries and protein.

Dessert!

The best ice cream cake ever. It had a layer of vanilla ice cream, brownies, and a buttery toffee ice cream with huge chunks of heath bar and swirls of caramel. Whip cream icing and sprinkles! Oh and my Happy Birthday Fallon was in fudge, not the icky artificial frosting stuff! <3

Adios my friends!
Fallon

Enchilada Casserole from Cooking Light

This is a recipe I’ve had saved from forever ago. The printed date on the copied recipe is 2007 and I’ve never once attempted to make it! I know I’m not the only one that does that, or am I? I knew this past weekend would be the perfect time to make this dish. It has been very cold in Las Vegas and I’m looking for a meal to warm me right up.

What I love about this recipe is the use of corn bread as the topping! I don’t know if you know but I love corn bread. I could eat it everyday if I could. Which in reality I can ;). I used my favorite gluten free mix from Bob’s Red Mill.

I made a minor mistake of not reading the directions because once I started I noticed this is suppose to be done in the SLOW COOKER!! Doh! So I improvised and cooked it on 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. I’m sure it be real tasty from the slow cooker because the corn bread would be a lot more crumbly and moist. Other then that the flavors were spot on and this dish had a good kick. I added pepper jack cheese to the top along with cheddar and mozzarella. I didn’t miss the fact that there was no beef or chicken in this dish. It was a really hearty meal with the black beans and roasted corn.

When I make this again I’m going to try the slow cooker method and see how it turns out. I’m usually really good about following directions.

To get the recipe for Enchilada Casserole please visit Cooking Light.

  

Enjoy,
Fallon

Hummus Burgers

Let me tell you, 50+ hours a week of work is rough. Thank goodness I have a great habit of packing my own lunch for work. The airport location for rental cars has no restaurants, not even a Starbucks. Just a little concession stand that sells popcorn and pre-made sandwiches. Gross! On Sunday, I’ll make a couple of things that I can bring to work during the week. My mom will cook up a ton of chicken and I’ll add that to a salad or wrap for work. I’ve been lacking in the veggie department, so I figure making homemade veggie burgers is a good way to get in more vegetables.

I found this delicious recipe for Chickpea Hummus Burgers at the Daily Garnish. It is so easy to make a homemade veggie burger because all the work is done in a food processor. I had to make some substitutes to the original recipe but other then that, these are amazing! I made 7 burgers and had one for work each day.

    

Hummus Veggie Burgers
Adapted from the Daily Garnish

Ingredients
1/4 cup spelt flour
1/8 cup sunflower seeds
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup green onion
1 medium carrot (10-12 little carrots), shredded/finely chopped
1/2 cup dried parsley
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
In your food processor add the carrots and pulse till finely chopped. Add the flour and sunflower seeds. Add the rest of the ingredients- green onion, parsley, tahini, lemon juice, oil garlic and salt.

Pulse until everything is combined and smooth. Don’t over process or the mixture will be too gummy. Wet hands and form 6-7 patties.

Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-heat and coat with a little olive oil. Cook patties till browned on both sides.

I ate my hummus burgers over a salad or in a wrap. It was delicious and kept me completely satisfied!

Enjoy,
Fallon

Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta with Grilled Chicken Breast, Roasted Tomatoes and Green Beans

Long title but in reality it was the easiest meal ever. Make sure to grill some extra chicken breasts from a previous dinner and save to use for other meals, like this pasta dish. The tomatoes and green beans can be roasted at the same time in a 425 degree oven, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil infused with garlic, sea salt and fresh black pepper. Takes about 20-25 minutes to roast vegetables and in the mean time you can be boiling water and cooking the pasta.

I used a thick noodle like pappardelle and it is infused with lemon pepper. Very light and refreshing. You can find it at my favorite store, Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find it, just use linguine. Boil water and cook pasta till al dente. Strain and add back to pot with chopped chicken, roasted tomatoes and green beans. Mix well and serve with goat cheese.

30 minutes later dinner is ready!

Buon Appetito,
Fallon

In a Jiffy Curry Chickpea Burgers

(This post is originally from July 19th, 2010.)

Whenever I see something curry in the blog world it definitely gets my attention. It is a new spice I've introduced to my pantry and I'm loving it! Like when Ashley from The Edible Perspective posted her recipe for Curry Honey Hummus that was the first time I ever experienced curry. Just recently Angela at Oh She Glows took her jiffy burger recipe and transformed it into a Curry Chickpea Burger.


In a Jiffy Curry Chickpea Burgers
(Adapted from Angela, Oh She Glows)

Ingredients:
15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinse
1/2 cup regular oats
10 baby carrots or 2 carrots ( I used 11 baby carrots for good luck.)
1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1-2 tsp water
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp parsley flakes
3 tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. *I used a pizza stone, I left it in the oven while it was preheating to give the burgers a nice crunchy outside.*

Love the colors.

In a food processor, process the oats, carrots and all the spices/seasonings for 30 seconds or until somewhat smooth. Now add in the chickpeas for 1/2 cup increments and coconut oil, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. If the mixture is still a bit dry, add a teaspoon or two of water to have everything come together smoothly.


Once the chickpeas are mostly processed and smooth, take the mixture and place in a medium sized bowl. *I left mine in the food processor, don't forget to remove the blade if you do this.* Stir in the sunflower seeds and pepita seeds.


Wet your hands and shape into patties. Makes about 6-8 patties. Bake for 20 minutes and then flip over for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool and enjoy as a burger or on top of a delicious salad!


And a delicious salad it was. I had made a tomato, radish and artichoke heart salad earlier with an orange champagne vinegar. Topped on a bed of romaine and a generous portion of crumbled goat cheese, this salad was popping with flavors! The curry chickpea burgers were the perfect topping to this salad. While the burgers cooked, it also toasted up the nuts that left a great flavor to counteract with the sweetness of the carrots and the tang of the curry spice.


I'll be making these again because they took minutes to put together and minimal kitchen mess!

Fallon
PS: I think this is the year I'll be getting a new camera. Can you see how poor quality some of my photos have been lately? Blurry, grainy.. It is driving me nuts!

Vegan Bean Burgers

I’ve been in the mood to make some homemade veggie burgers. I finally finished the frozen ones I had in my freezer from when we first moved here. Since these burgers were fresh and homemade they were going to be dinner for the both of us. My boyfriend was raised eating meat all the time unless the meal was heavily focused on pasta, then it might be okay. These bean burgers were made up of black beans, gluten free rolled oats, pistachios and delicious spices. To make the burgers more interesting I made my delicious guacamole and used it as a burger topping. I left the cheese off to continue with this being an entirely vegan meal.

My boyfriend’s burger was placed on some whole wheat Tuscan pane bread from Trader Joe’s and huge glob of guacamole. Served with some crinkle cut fries from Alexia and organic ketchup. I opted to enjoy my burger on a bed of spinach and yellow bell peppers. Guacamole for the dressing and a serving of crinkle cut fries.

This meal was DELICIOUS! The burgers were very easy to put together and the leftovers freeze beautifully. My boyfriend liked it but he said,” It wouldn’t be something I’d ask to have but would eat once in a while.” Blah blah blah! ;)

The Vegan Bean Burgers recipe came from the Daily Garnish. The burgers have been around the blogosphere for quite some time and I’m glad I’ve finally had the opportunity to make them. I ended up using salted pistachios in place of the pepitas and left the coriander out and used smoked paprika instead.

Vegan Bean Burgers with Guacamole
Adapted from Daily Garnish

Ingredients
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/4 cup pistachios, salted
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Add the oats and pistachios to the food processor and grind until coarsely chopped. Let it run for roughly 10 seconds. Transfer to mixing bowl. Next add the carrots and pulse in the food processor till finely chopped. Add back the oats and pistachios. Add 3/4 of the beans, all the spices and the oil. Once all of this is in the food processor, give it a whirl and mix it all together.

Spoon mixture into a mixing bowl and fold in the rest of the saved beans. Wet your hands and form into 6 medium sized patties. Place patties on a non-stick baking sheet or pan, and bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, turning once in the middle.

Cool until lightly brown and remove. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy,
Fallon

Roasted Eggplant Hummus

Tara who owns the blog The Foodie and The Family has recently changed her ways of eating by going grain-free and sugar-free AKA a primal diet. I’m really proud of her and her efforts to trying something new. If you check out her blog she has come up with some amazing recipes following her new primal diet. I don’t follow a primal diet but I’m all about changing it up once in a while. I know I need to incorporate more protein into my diet and her recipes have been very helpful.

She calls it eggplant hummus but it could also be called babaganoush. My father makes the best babaganoush (or eggplant salad as we like to call it). It has been a while since I had my father’s delicious eggplant salad and Tara came up with eggplant hummus. My father uses olive oil and real mayonnaise (this is probably the ONLY exception where I have mayo, I can’t stand mayo). A real babaganoush uses tahini which is ground up sesame seeds. Hummus also uses tahini to give it that nutty and creamy texture.

Since I didn’t have turmeric, I opted to use curry powder instead. I also thought 2 teaspoons of garlic wasn’t enough, so I used 2 huge cloves instead and made it extra garlicky. Our digestive system will thank us later. ;)

Roasted Eggplant Hummus
Adapted from The Food and The Family

Ingredients
3 small eggplants or 1 large
1/4 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (coconut oil would be good too)
Optional: whole sesame seeds and smoked paprika for garnish

Direction
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prick the eggplant(s) a few times with a fork and coat them in a bit of olive oil. Every 10 minutes turn the eggplant for 30 minutes and/or until fork tender. Cool in a plastic shopping bag or in a bowl covered in plastic wrap. This will create condensation and will help the skin peel away from the meat of the eggplant.

Peel the eggplant(s) once cooled and remove the stem/seeds. In a food processor, puree the eggplant(s) until smooth. Add in the garlic, tahini, curry powder, salt and pepper. Puree until combined. While the food processor is running, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until combined.

We’ve been enjoying this dip on sandwiches as a spread or with fresh vegetables! I love adding it on top of salads and using it as a dressing. I topped it with raw sesame seeds and smoked paprika to bring it up another level! Plus it looks pretty. ;)

Enjoy,

Fallon

 

Broccoli, Mushroom and Cheese Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust

I’m at it again with another quiche for dinner. It is so easy, delicious and very high in the protein department. I love not using a pie crust and using potatoes instead. I decided to try it with sweet potatoes this time and it was a very nice contrast. Definitely sweet but went well with the savory. I didn’t add any ham or other meat this time, just extra vegetables. My boyfriend didn’t complain, which is a good thing. Isn’t it always? Heh. He really enjoyed it. I’m glad I can make a vegetarian dish for dinner some nights because it helps with my small income and it is a healthy and light dinner for me!

Broccoli, Mushroom and Cheese Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust
By Fallon

Ingredients
1 huge sweet potato, sliced very thinly
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 sweet Vidalia onion, diced
6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
2-3 cups broccoli florets
1 roma tomato, sliced
1-2 green onion stalks, chopped
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
10 large egg whites, beaten
1/4 cup of milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
Optional: avocado, sliced

Direction
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a pie pan with cooking spray. Layer thin slices of sweet potato in the pan, overlapping, to completely cover the bottom and sides. Spray with cooking spray again and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 7-10 minutes in the oven. Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and season to taste with salt. Saute the onions and mushrooms for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Add in the broccoli and cook till slightly tender.

In a separate bowl beat the egg whites and milk together and season with salt and pepper. Distribute the saute vegetables onto on the sweet potato crust. Add the egg mixture, sliced tomatoes and sprinkle the cheese on top. Sprinkle green onions on top and place the quiche in the oven for 30-40 minutes. To check for doneness insert a knife into the center of the quiche and when removed comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with sliced avocado on top and enjoy! Serves 8

Fallon

PS: I have my mom in town with me till Monday, so I’m going to enjoy my time with her. I still need to recap 4th of July and several other recipes. If we have some downtime I’ll try to get those posts out but if not… always next week!

Eggplant Ricotta Bake

This is a dish I’ve made many times back home with my family and a little before I started my own blog. I found the recipe for Eggplant Ricotta Bake from the Proud Italian Cook. Her food is absolutely fresh and always delicious. I love this dish she created because it is light and so easy to put together. After we enjoyed several leftover nights of eggplant parmigiana, I still had 2 massive eggplants to cook or else I’d have to throw them away. You know me, I don’t waste food at all. I whipped up this fabulous meal in no time, served with some flatbread crackers and artichoke dip from Trader Joe’s and a huge green salad with chickpeas to round out the entire meal.

 

To get this wonderful recipe please head on over to one of my favorite blogger’s the Proud Italian Cook and get her recipe for Eggplant Ricotta Bake. I of coursed used my homemade red sauce for this recipe and I encouraged you to do the same. Unless you know a store brand that taste just as good as homemade. Then go for it!

Buon Appetito!

Fallon

Another HOT and Delicious Dinner

I swear I thought I was done with baking huge dishes in my oven after having this baked pasta dish because I was practically sweating while eating dinner that night. Now that eggplants are in season I couldn’t help myself when my boyfriend mentioned that eggplant parmigiana sounded kind of good. That is of course one of his favorite meals and he actually likes my version! My sauce making skills are going pretty well too. This time around I added in some beef spare ribs with the Italian sausage. It added a nice flavor to the sauce, that was lacking in my last red sauce when I couldn’t find beef spare ribs. I let the sauce simmer for a few hours, easy as that! Might as well make plenty extras of sauce to freeze for future meals and that way you aren’t always cooking red sauce.

The ribs and sausage cooking away, making my red sauce taste delicious.

Oh yes, back to my eggplant parmigiana. I followed my favorite recipe here, with a few tweaks to the original version.

Baked Whole Wheat Eggplant Parmigiana
By Fallon

Ingredients
4-5 eggplants, sliced slightly thick (I ended up using 1 HUGE eggplant, it was HUGE.. trust me)
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
100% Whole wheat flour
Salt and pepper
Whole wheat Italian style bread crumbs (homemade works too)
Extra virgin olive oil
Red sauce (homemade is the best or use your favorite store brand)
Goat cheese (or mozzarella cheese)
Grated parmesan cheese
Fresh basil, julienned

Direction
Begin by washing your eggplant and slicing thick slices with skin on. Place in a colander and generously sprinkle salt to release the eggplant bitterness. After 30-40 minutes rinse eggplant off and lay on paper towels to dry.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, to prevent from sticking and make extra crispy eggplant. Make your assembly line for eggplant dipping. Start with the flour seasoned with salt and pepper, whisk the eggs with salt and pepper and the bread crumbs. Take a slice of eggplant, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg and into the bread crumbs. Shake off any excess flour, egg and bread crumbs respectively and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all eggplant has been breaded. You may need to prepare an additional baking sheet. I don’t recommend smashing it altogether onto one sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly brown. Usually 15 minutes into baking I will flip them over, so both sides are nice and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool. Continue to keep the oven on to finish the dish.

 

In the mean time you should already have the red sauce warmed up and ready. Sauce up a glass casserole dish or lasagna pan to bake the eggplant parmigiana. I decided to use goat cheese over mozzarella. It was a nice change and added that creamy, pungent flavor goat cheese is known for. It felt like a summer dish with the addition of the goat cheese. Start with a layer of eggplant, top with sauce generously and sprinkle goat cheese on top. Continue until all eggplant is used up and your last layer is cheese.

My favorite brand!

Top with a handful of shredded parmesan and place into oven for at least 10-15 minutes. When the cheese is bubbling the dish is done. Remove from oven, garnish with basil and let cool before serving.

 

The blue placements just don’t work for meals with red sauce, sorry!

I cooked up some spaghetti to serve alongside. My boyfriend enjoyed Italian sausage and beef ribs with his meal as well. This was a winner once again! He doesn’t even know I used whole wheat flour and bread crumbs or that I added in some egg whites instead. I love how versatile this meal is and I didn’t feel like a slave to the kitchen. It was a quick, healthy and delicious meal for a Sunday night dinner. This was worth the extra sweat once again. ;)

Enjoy,
Fallon

PS: I also just learned how to avoid double spacing whenever I hit the enter key on Windows Live Writer. I have to hit shift and enter at the same time. DUHH FALLON!

Broccoli, Mushroom and Ham Quiche with a Potato Crust

I FINALLY got around to making a quiche for dinner. I’ve literally been craving one after seeing so many people make them in the blog world. It is so easy to put together, inexpensive and you basically just add whatever you like to it as you would in an omelet. Most of the time you will see a quiche made in a pie shell and all I think about is calories, calories, calories. It takes away from the best part, the eggy part with all the vegetables! I’ve made a crustless quiche before that was delicious.

The quiche I share with you today is made with a potato crust. Looks elegant and hey more vegetables! Quiche for dinner is really easy and when you add fresh vegetables and good seasoning, a boyfriend who is against eggs for dinner will actually REALLY enjoy this dish. I served it with a side salad and we both went back for seconds on the quiche. I found inspiration on the potato crust from Thinkfood. I changed it up by adding in egg whites and less cheese.

Broccoli, Mushroom and Ham Quiche with a Potato Crust

Adapted from Thinkfood

Ingredients

3-4 red potatoes, sliced very thinly

Cooking Spray

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 sweet onion, diced

1/2 cup button mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

3/4 cup ham, diced

1 cup broccoli florets

2 slices fontina cheese, cut in half

4 whole large eggs, beaten

4 large egg whites, beaten

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

Sea salt and fresh black pepper

Direction

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a pie pan with cooking spray. Layer thin slices of potato in the pan, overlapping, to completely cover the bottom and sides. Spray with cooking spray again, season with a little salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet oven medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and season to taste with salt. Sauté the onions and mushrooms for 5 minutes. Add in the broccoli and continue sautéing for for another 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms and onions are golden brown. Distribute onions, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, and diced ham in the potato crust.

Beat eggs and milk together, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the egg mixture on top of the veggies and ham. Top the quiche with the slice pieces of cheese. Place the quiche into the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing.

Roasted grape tomatoes will burst in your mouth full of sweetness. This was a great addition to the quiche.

   

The potato crust was crisp and added a touch of elegance to this dish.

Enjoy,

Fallon

Chicken Sorrentino Penne

Usually on Sunday I like to have a drink while I cook! I think it makes the food taste extra better. ;) My choice was rum and coke, one for me and one for my babe!

Sundays around here are lazy days for us! We all sleep in and end up lounging around the house the rest of the day. The girls are cleaning, doing laundry and thinking of what to make for dinner. While the guys well, they play video games the majority of the time. I try to get in a workout, bake something and/or get dinner going. Like this meal for Chicken Sorrentino Penne (I couldn’t find fusilli, so penne it is). My favorite Cake Boss now has his own TV show called Kitchen Boss. I love his show because he makes original Italian recipes and his taste is right on when it comes to flavors.

This particular recipe he made called Chicken Sorrentino Fusilli immediately caught my eye because it is casserole style, has a good amount of protein, breaded eggplant and pasta. This meal has everything and more you could ask for. The only thing is, it is VERY time consuming. I literally spent 5 hours making it (with prep work involved) and we spent 30 minutes eating it. This meal is so delicious but be prepared to spend most of your day in the kitchen making it. It requires several steps but in reality it is simple to prepare once you do get through all the steps. My favorite part about this meal was the breaded eggplant, prosciutto and fresh mozzarella cheese. I also made the Roasted Asparagus with Crispy Breadcrumbs to go with it and a caprese salad minus fresh basil (it was bad at all the stores we went too). I can’t wait to make this meal again when I have extra time for it.

Cut tips and use a potato peeler to peel the ends a little. No strings!

The theme of this show was Date Night. It clearly was only enough for 2-3 people. I ended up doubling this recipe so it could serve at least 6 people.

Chicken Sorrentino Penne

Adapted from Kitchen Boss

Ingredients

2-3 halves boneless, skinless chicken breast

3 crushed clove garlic

2 small eggplants

4 thin slices prosciutto

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

4 cups marinara sauce (homemade or a favorite store brand)

1 pound penne pasta, cooked al dente

Few leaves torn fresh basil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with foil and cooking spray to bake the eggplant on.

Sprinkle the chicken breast halves with salt, pepper, drizzle with olive oil and turn to coat with the crushed garlic. Let rest while you prepare the sauce and eggplant.

In a small saucepot, heat the tomato sauce and warm through.

 

Peel the eggplant and slice across the width into 1/4 inch rounds ( I ended up cutting them horizontal). Please the breadcrumbs and the flour each in two shallow plates. Crack two large eggs into a bowl; separate the yolk from the two large egg whites and beat. Dip each piece of eggplant first into the flour, tapping off excess, then into the beaten egg, allowing excess to drip off, then lastly, coat in crumbs. Place the eggplant onto your baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray into the preheated oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until lightly brown and crisp edges. Take out and set aside while finishing the chicken.

Heat a cast iron grill or skillet pan oven medium high heat. Grill or sear the chicken breast on each side until nicely marked but not cooked through. Set aside.

In a bowl, toss the penne with 1/2 of the marinara sauce- enough to coat well and sprinkle with a little grated parmesan. Place in the bottom of a 9 x 13, lightly oiled baking dish. Place the chicken pieces side by side on top of the pasta. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of prosciutto, then place the eggplant on top and the sliced mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through- approx. 10 minutes. You can brown the cheese with a quick turn under the broiler. If desired, top with remaining sauce, parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

To make the Roasted Asparagus with Crispy Breadcrumbs click this link HERE.

 

As you can see I slightly prepared my eggplant a bit differently from Kitchen Boss’s version. I simply used whole wheat flour, added some egg whites and baked it instead. If you want to fry up your eggplant go ahead, it will be extra delicious!

I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as we enjoyed it here on our lazy Sunday.

Buon Appetito,

Fallon