eggplant rollatini

I've been waiting very patiently to make this dish.  I first had it sometime in the 90's all deep-fried & yummy...  I've made a bit of a lightened version of it....

I used Asian eggplant..  You can skip the whole 'salt to remove bitterness' step if you do :)

Start by slicing the eggplant about 1/4 in ch thick the long way

I saved the 'end pieces' ( the part that was all skin) for another dish.  Drizzle the eggplant slices with some olive oil & salt & pepper. The eggplant will act like a sponge    so don't be afraid to add more oil if needed.. 

♥♥♥♥(it's heart healthy)♥♥♥♥

Preheat a grill pan or grill

When grill is good & hot, place the eggplant at an angle on the grill.

let it develop grill marks for a minute then ( don't flip) using tongs Gently move so that the eggplant is angled the opposite way.

( I lost some of the pictures that I took of this somehow , I will try to describe the best that I can..)

*the top eggplant is the first angel that I used, then I turned it so that it is facing the direction that the bottom 2 are.

When you then flip it ( as I have, you will have these very pretty grill marks) *


When all of the eggplant are grilled, set them up like little soldiers to get ready to be filled.. (prettiest side down.. that will end up being the top)

ugh.. the other lost photos were of the filling.

I invite you to use your imagination...

I had about a cup of part-skim ricotta
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 egg
salt & pepper
crushed garlic cloves (crush with the side of a knife..)  this insures that garlic flavor will be throughout the filling without anyone biting straight into a chunk of garlic..

Then, start assembling

Lay some fresh basil leaves a top of your eggplant

then top with sun-dried tomatoes.. ( I used a different brand than I normally do.. they are as pretty and red as I'm used to, but they still tasted good )

next, the imaginary cheese filling

roll each eggplant up & place in a baking dish lined with some Marinara Sauce

top with more sauce & shred some parmesan cheese on top

bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes  then top with a drizzle of olive oil & a drizzle of balsamic vinegar

YUM!'

I served this with a simple tomato& cumber salad..

I used the same idea as Caprese Towers

I just layered an heirloom tomato with a lemon boy cucumber

I grew these just for fun this year....  You can used whatever cuke you like, just peel it first ;)

top with some shredded basil, a diced red onion, salt, Pepper, EVOO & balsamic vinegar...

enjoy!


on another note... is there something that you would like to have a recipe for?  Something that you would like to see me make? I do have a lot of ideas on my own but  I'm open to suggestions....  I love a challenge..

thanks for reading :)


~oxoox ~shel

Chilled Cucumber Soup & homemade refrigerator pickles

Here is what we received this week from Plato's Harvest Organic Farm

Is this not a beautiful rainbow of goodies??? Does it get any better? I think not!

Here is an easy-peasy way to whip up a chilled soup for those lazy hazy dog days of summer..

my super-loyal pup, Fenway on her birthday

6 good-sized cucumbers ( or 8 smaller ones) ; peeled & seeded & roughly chopped
1/2 of a sweet onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & chopped ( it gives just a hint of heat, if you don't like that then only use half)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & smashed
1 cups of plain Greek yogurt (you should be buying this stuff all the time)
3 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon each, cilantro, dill , mint & chives
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
zest of 1 lemon

salt & pepper
chicken stock

Add all ingredients to a blender &  ( yup.. toss them all in there together!) process until smooth. Add enough chicken stock to be a medium-thickness consistency. ( I used about 3/4 cup) Season with salt & pepper.

Chill for at least 2 hours so that flavors can meld together. Serve garnished with chopped chives & a sprinkle of lemon zest.

Ahh!! refreshingly delicious! ( and quite healthy, too!)



Now... with an abundance of cukes, I decided to try to make Rachael Ray's Quick Refrigerator pickles

here is what you need to gather

oh, and a Mason jar :)  There is something about Mason jars that I just love.. I store my sauces, my herbs, my soups.. I just love them :)

I made a few variations to her recipe (don't I always?)

Her 'eyeball' of 1/2 cup vinegar was not nearly enough.. maybe my super-awesome Mason jar was too big, but I needed about 1/3 cup more vinegar.

I also chopped the garlic and didn't add it to the vinegar mixture until I was about top turn off the heat from the mixture. I really don't like the taste of over-cooked garlic.. By adding it at the last minute, the sharp garlic flavor was able to mellow without any trace of bitterness.

I also cut my cukes into rounds rather than angles. I'm a rebel like that :)

The last change that I made was adding some whole black peppercorns. I'm a pepper fanatic, so the thought of my pickles a-marinating without pepper brought me to tears. *snif*

I ran the jar under warm water before I added the cucumbers and the halfway cooled liquid just so the there wasn't any issue with the pouring hot into cold & glass breaking nightmare.

These came out really good. I recommend letting them sit overnight in the fridge before eating them.. it took that long for the flavors to come together  in that perfect sweet/ sour flavor.


And as fast as I typed this blog, my zucchini in my garden has grown another 4 inches.....  it's pure magic!


xoxox

♬♬ Bikinis,zucchinis, martinis, yeah!♬♬

Ok, I know.. not the REAL lyrics of this summer's most overplayed song, but this week, in my house, it works!

This week at CSA was very exciting ( actually, they are ALL exciting),  but this week we got to pick flowers!!

Here is a picture of my favorite BIG girl, Leah..  Her mommy likes orange flowers, go figure? Just kidding!

this is my basket of Flowers & greens... we also received corn on the cob!! 12 ears!!  Of organic straight off of the stalk sweet summer corn.  ♬Heaven♬

In addition to this, my own zucchini plants in my garden have produced beautifully. I welcome any zuck recipes that anyone has to share..

I made Paula Deen's Chocolate chip zucchini bread

Ryan rolled his eyes when he heard zucchini bread, but let me tell you.. he was the first to DEVOUR this bread!! It is so tasty.  The chocolate chips seemed to sink, so I think that when I make it again I will use that blueberry trick where you roll them in a bit of flour first.

 I drizzled melted chocolate on top just because I thought that it needed it.  There are an additional 8 mini muffins that are already missing form this picture (everyone enjoyed them).  They were perfect for make-ahead form Scott's breakfast for the week. I'll be making these again and often!

Next I made stuffed zucchini. I just kind of made up my recipe as I went along based on what I had.

I took leftover whole grain bread from the CSA & crumbled it in a bowl & added milk until the bread was absorbed. Then I drained excess milk.

I brought a large stockpot of water to a boil & salted it. I boiled the zucks whole for about 5 minutes. Drained, cooled, halved the long way & scooped out the center with a melon baller. I cut them into 3 inch zucchini boats

I heat a skillet with olive oil, added a chopped onion, garlic & squash innards. I sauteed for a few minutes, seasoned with salt & pepper, let cool & added to the bread mixture. I added 2 eggs, scrambled & some parmesan cheese.

I filled each boat with filling them sprinkled a bit more cheese. I cooked them in a 375 oven until the tops were  bubbly & brown, then drizzled a bit of EVOO on top.

VIOLIA!

I usually try to make these a bit healthier, but I was feeling all wild, so I went with it. They were so light and delicious!


I'm sure that I'll be posting more squash recipes.. I've also been just slicing & grilling them.

And now, teenie time!!!

I made cucumber martinis. It was so hot this week that the thought of a cool, crisp cucumber martini just sounded SO good!!

I peeled, seeded & pureed 2 small cucumbers with about 1/3 cup of water & a tablespoon of agave syrup ( if you don't have agave, you can use honey or make a simple syrup, the idea is just to add a bit of sweetness)

Then I strained it over ice, pressing the pulpy mixture through a fine sieve..  I added a healthy shot of vodka, then strained into a chilled martini glass, & garnished with a cucumber slice.

this was pure refreshment in a glass...

perfect at the end of a very hot July day :)  AHH!!

now sing me out...♬♬♬♬♬

oxoxo

 ( you didn't think that I'd post the bikini shots here, did you?? This is a family show :)