Baked Eggplant Sticks

These were a hit!! I never thought that my husband or my children would eat eggplant but I had to try. It was a success. I've mentioned Skinny Taste before as a great vehicle for finding delicious and healthy recipes (she even tracks WW points and these are only 1 point!!!!!). I get very bored of the same veggies...broccoli, salad, carrots, and asparagus...that's why I had to try something new. Eggplant parmesan is quite tasty as an entree but as a side item?! These were quick to make and fun to eat so I'll definately make these again.

Ingredients
1 eggplant
1 egg white
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs (I added in a little panko as well)
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil (or olive oil spray)
1 cup marinara sauce

Preheat the oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with oil.

Cut ends off the eggplant. Slice eggplant in half length wise, then into 1/4 inch thick slices. Lay each slice on the cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Be sure to cut all the strips the same size so they cook evenly.

Place strips into a bowl with salt, pepper, and olive oil. In separtate dish mix egg white with 1 T water. In 3rd dish mix breadcrumbs and cheese. Dip strips into egg mixture then into breadcrumb mixture. Place onto baking sheet evenly spaced. Spray with olive oil.

Bake for 10 minutes...flip and bake for 7 more minutes. I shaved some fresh Romano cheese on top for a little extra flavor.

Serve hot with the marinara dipping sauce.

Ricotta/Spinach Stuffed Chicken and Cauliflower Fritters

I love spinach! Whether its sauteed, raw in a salad, casserole, or stuffed into chicken...I love it! I like chicken but you have to jazz it up so much for it to have flavor. I've seen spinach stuffed chicken many times before and probably have cooked it before, but didn't blog about it. The recipe is simple and delicious!

Regarding the cauliflower fritters...sounds strange...but oddly enough quite tasty! I can't stand plain cauliflower...I like roasted but thats about it. I was browsing recipes on Skinny Taste and came across this recipe. I thought it sounded pretty good and was healthy. It could take place of the starch (that I always feel like I need to complete my dinner) as well as the vegetable. It uses whole wheat flour which adds a nuttier flavor to the fritter. Anyways, kids liked it and the Hub said it needed a dipping sauce but was good. I'm thinking that you could make a tzatziki sauce for the dip and it would compliment it nicely. Anyway...here's the recipe and I hope you and your family enjoys!!

Ricotto/Spinach stuffed chicken
Ingredients
3 large chicken breasts
1 pkg (10oz) frozen chopped spinach
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
3 T Dijon mustard
1 T Grapseed or Olive oil
Seasoning (whatever you'd like...I used salt, pepper, Tastefully Simple spinach mix)

Preheat oven to 450. Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts. Defrost spinach and squeeze out all excess moisture. In a medium bowl mix softened cream cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Cut a pouch into the side of the chicken breast but make sure you don't go all the way through. Stuff the ricotta mixture until its overflowing. Place in greased baking dish or baking sheet. Put 1 T of mustard on each piece of chicken and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes or until done (I think I did 25 minutes to be safe).

Cauliflower Fritters
1 head of cauliflower, steamed and mashed
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour (i didn't use quite a full cup)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup hot water
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil (I used grapeseed oil)

In bowl mix all ingredients except oil. It will be a thick consistacy. Heat oil in non stick pan and use an ice cream scoop for equal portions. Once oil is hot put scoops of 'dough' and flatten slightly. Let cook for 2 min and flip. Once golden brown, remove to paper towel. I sprinkled a little salt and pepper while still hot for added flavor.

Sesame Noodles

Ingredients

• 12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti or soba noodles
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
• ½ teaspoons Hot Chili Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin
• Sesame Seeds (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with green onions and toss with sesame seeds

Creamy Corn Salad

Summer is known for corn, tomatoes, peaches...everything fresh! I seem to buy an abundance of fresh fruits and veggies and sometimes can't figure out what to do with them all. This was the case this week when I had tons of corn and tomatoes. Instead of snacking on chips or cookies, I would prefer something a little healthier. I decided that a cold corn salad would be good. Its super easy and can even be made with canned corn. I sort of looked at a few recipes and made it my own.

Ingredients

4 cobs of corn, cut kernels into bowl
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup mayonaise
salt and pepper to taste
1 T fresh dill (optional)

Cut kernels off of cobs and mix with remaining ingredients. You may need to add more salt and pepper after it sits for a while. I also added a splash of rice vinegar to give a little added flavor.