Pushed Out Of My Comfort Zone
Now I have to admit that eggplant is not something that I would normally purchase, I have several other vegetables that I like better, but one of the things that I have learned from picking up produce in the CSA bag is that I have someone, unknowingly pushing me to try things that are out of my comfort zone. So this week I dug through my books and magazines and found a recipe that looked pretty simple and should have enough flavor to please everyone in the house.
Simple Eggplant Parmesan
| 1/2 cup flour | 1/2 tsp pepper |
| 2 eggs, slightly beaten | 1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices |
| 2 cups dry bread crumbs | 4 Tbsp olive oil |
| 1 tsp dried basil | 25 ounces marinara sauce |
| 1/2 tsp dried oregano | 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese |
| 1/2 tsp salt |
| Place flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls. In another bowl combine the bread crumbs, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Dip eggplant slices in flour and then in eggs; coat with crumb mixture. | |
| In large skillet, cook eggplant in oil in batches until golden brown on both sides; drain. Arrange in greased 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Top with marinara sauce and cheese. | |
| Cover and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown. |
I was pleasantly surprised to find another simple but timely recipe when I picked up my CSA bag last week. I modified it just a bit for our taste buds and for the seasonings that I had on hand. I liked it because it was not like the other stuffed hot pepper recipes that I have tried that have a base of cream cheese. It is one that I will put with my do again recipes, maybe next time I will try a pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar.
Stuffed Sweet Banana Peppers
| 8 banana peppers | 2 tsp Chipotle seasoning |
| 1 lb ground beef | salt and pepper to taste |
| 1 onion, chopped | Tube of Crescent Rolls |
| 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese |
| Cut ends off peppers and slice down one side lengthwise. Remove seeds. Drop peppers in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Remove from water and drain. | |
| Brown ground beef and onion. Add seasonings. Drain well. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. This will hold the ground beef together to make stuffing easier. Stuff the banana peppers with the hamburger mixture and roll each pepper in a crescent roll triangle. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the crescent rolls are brown |
Even though a lot of our blog recipes for the CSA Bags have been cooked and consumed as a side or main course, this week I received Empire Apples. Honestly I had never had them before so in researching them I found out the following information: Nice cross between Red Delicious/McIntosh; sweet/tart combination; juicy-crisp with a white flesh; excellent for eating and to use in salads. The Empire Apple was a hit at our house and thoroughly enjoyed as an afternoon and late night snack.
Stayed tuned to next week when Carrie will share with you some of the wonderfully fresh produce that she will get in her little blue bag.
