Good afternoon everyone. I'm sitting here on my couch looking out on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon with the doors hanging open relaxing and enjoying the waning smells and sounds of early fall.
I spent Friday night and all day Saturday at a women's conference at the local sports arena, and sad to say the food choices were far from optimal, so this week I'm focusing on foods that are soothing to the system.
Menu #1
Tizza Soup
This soup recipe comes from a show I feel in love with some time again called French Food at Home, and she brings the history and lifestyle behind the food in the recipes. This recipe came from an episode she did on French dieting, which they don't actually believe in dieting. They believe in increasing movement in your life, and eating foods that are quality foods that are good for your body and everything in moderation. But when you over do it, and you need to drop a few pounds, or get your eating back in balance enjoy this simple soup for a day or two until your system returns to normal. They make little adjustments as needed to maintain the healthy lifestyle they embrace. So after a week of poor eating and indulgences, I'm having my Tizza Soup to start me week and set me up for a good week.
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/laura-calder/tizza-soup.html
Menu #2
Eggplant Lasagna
This is one that I have done for myself and family many times and is a bit time intensive to assemble, but is can be easily done the night before and reheated when you are ready to serve.
Grab a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, ground beef (or an assortment of ground meats of your choice) mozzarella cheese (grated), ricotta cheese, a large eggplant (two if you are feeding a larger family), and carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bell pepper (pulsed in a food processor to get a fine chop) .
Peel and thin slice eggplant, spread out on cookie sheets, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, and bake in oven for about 10 minutes to dry out some of the moisture but don't let them get too soft. While the eggplant cooks, start sauteing finely chopped carrot, onion, pepper and celery, and set aside once veg has softened. Brown ground beef, add softened veg and sauce in with the meat and heat through. Mix grated mozzarella into ricotta and set aside.
To assemble, lightly grease baking dish (I'm using a loaf pan since I'm feeding only two and we will still have leftovers). Spoon a layer of sauce on bottom, add a layer of the eggplant, a layer of sauce, then a layer of the the cheese mixture (small glops, yes that is the technical term, spread across the sauce layer, and repeat, eggplant, sauce and cheese until your baking dish is full, ending with a cheese layer. Bake for about an hour in a 325 degree oven until cheese browns and the sauce is bubbling along the sides. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving to allow it to set.
Serve with a fresh green salad and rich garlic bread.
If the need arises for an additional meal, I have a ham hock in the frig and a quart of split peas that can be tossed in the crockpot in the morning that allows me to come home to a ready made pot of soup. But I'm expecting to have enough leftovers this week, so I might get the split peas next weekend.
I spent Friday night and all day Saturday at a women's conference at the local sports arena, and sad to say the food choices were far from optimal, so this week I'm focusing on foods that are soothing to the system.
Menu #1
Tizza Soup
This soup recipe comes from a show I feel in love with some time again called French Food at Home, and she brings the history and lifestyle behind the food in the recipes. This recipe came from an episode she did on French dieting, which they don't actually believe in dieting. They believe in increasing movement in your life, and eating foods that are quality foods that are good for your body and everything in moderation. But when you over do it, and you need to drop a few pounds, or get your eating back in balance enjoy this simple soup for a day or two until your system returns to normal. They make little adjustments as needed to maintain the healthy lifestyle they embrace. So after a week of poor eating and indulgences, I'm having my Tizza Soup to start me week and set me up for a good week.
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/laura-calder/tizza-soup.html
Menu #2
Eggplant Lasagna
This is one that I have done for myself and family many times and is a bit time intensive to assemble, but is can be easily done the night before and reheated when you are ready to serve.
Grab a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, ground beef (or an assortment of ground meats of your choice) mozzarella cheese (grated), ricotta cheese, a large eggplant (two if you are feeding a larger family), and carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bell pepper (pulsed in a food processor to get a fine chop) .
Peel and thin slice eggplant, spread out on cookie sheets, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, and bake in oven for about 10 minutes to dry out some of the moisture but don't let them get too soft. While the eggplant cooks, start sauteing finely chopped carrot, onion, pepper and celery, and set aside once veg has softened. Brown ground beef, add softened veg and sauce in with the meat and heat through. Mix grated mozzarella into ricotta and set aside.
To assemble, lightly grease baking dish (I'm using a loaf pan since I'm feeding only two and we will still have leftovers). Spoon a layer of sauce on bottom, add a layer of the eggplant, a layer of sauce, then a layer of the the cheese mixture (small glops, yes that is the technical term, spread across the sauce layer, and repeat, eggplant, sauce and cheese until your baking dish is full, ending with a cheese layer. Bake for about an hour in a 325 degree oven until cheese browns and the sauce is bubbling along the sides. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving to allow it to set.
Serve with a fresh green salad and rich garlic bread.
If the need arises for an additional meal, I have a ham hock in the frig and a quart of split peas that can be tossed in the crockpot in the morning that allows me to come home to a ready made pot of soup. But I'm expecting to have enough leftovers this week, so I might get the split peas next weekend.
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