Yummy Healthy Food

Ingredients:
-4 shallots or 1 onion, chopped
-1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
-1 red pepper, chopped
-3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 lb lean ground turkey, chicken or lamb
-2 cooked brown rice (1 cup raw); you can use rice in a bag & cook in microwave
-2 cups canned tomatoes; pureed in mini food processor
-1/2 - 1 tsp red chili flakes (depends on how spicy you like food)
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1 TBS dried mint
-1 TBS ground cumin
-1 tsp salt, pepper to taste
-3 large eggplants
-1/4c flat leaf parsley, minced
-1/3 c parmesan cheese (optional)

Steps:

Roast Eggplant
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Wash eggplants & cut in half lengthwise
3) Score surface in crisscross pattern no more than 1/2 inch deep
4) Lightly oil roasting pan, place eggplant in side & lightly brush with olive oil
5) Bake for 45 minutes until flesh is soft when you press into it

While eggplant is roasting prepare stuffing
1) Prep all remaining ingredients
2) Saute shallots or onion over medium low heat in 2 TBS olive oil until it starts to soften (about 5 minutes)
3) Add red pepper & cook for another 10-15 minutes until soft but not brown
4) Add garlic & stir for a few minutes
5) Remove vegatables from skillet
6) Raise heat to medium high & add meat
7) Cook until browned 
8) Return veggies to pot & add 
8) Remove excess oil from skillet
9)Return onion/pepper/garlic to skillet
10) Add pureed tomatoes and all the seasonings
11) Mix well until sauce has thickened
12) Remove skillet from heat & mix in rice & parsley

Make stuffed eggplants
1) Remove eggplants from oven & with a fork push down flesh
2) Pile stuffing on top of flesh
3) Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees
4) Add 1/2 inch of boiling water to roasting pan
5) If using cheese, sprinkle a little over each eggplant
6) Bake for 15-20 minutes until tops are brown

Enjoy!!

This is great as a dip.  It also can be using if you're baking white fish -- just spoon on top.

Ingredients:
-2-3TBS olive oil
-1 medium onion
-3 Japanese eggplants or 1 Italian eggplant
-3 peppers (red, green or hot peppers)
-2 large tomatoes
-2 cloves garlic

Steps:
1) Heat olive oil to medium in cast iron skillet or large frying pan

2) Add onions & saute for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally until they soften

3) Add eggplants & continue cooking until they are lightly browned

4) Add peppers & saute another 5 minutes

5) Add garlic & saute another 2-3 minutes stirring constantly

6) Be sure to cook long enough so that all the veggies soften into a jam like consistency.

7) Serve with pita or rice cakes.

​8) Enjoy!

​There is just enough heat in this recipe so that the spices linger in your mouth.
This takes 45 minutes to prepare start to finish and serves 4 people.

Ingredients:
-1 c of Israeli couscous
-1 eggplant
-1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
-1/2 red pepper
-olive oil for roasting and sauteing
-1/4 c chopped parsley
-2 TBS lemon juice
-2 cloves garlic
-1/4 tsp ground cumin
-1/4 tsp group coriander
-1/8 tsp cayenne

Steps:
1) Roast eggplant, tomatoes, red pepper
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Put eggplant in the oven for 30 minutes
-Remove seeds from red pepper & chop into 1 inch pieces
-Place red pepper and tomatoes in baking dish
-Toss with olive oil & put in oven
-Check on tomatoes and pepper every 10 minutes; stirring to keep from burning
-Remove tomatoes and pepper when they are browned but not burnt
-Remove eggplant when until soft when poked
-Slice eggplant in half & let cool
 
2) While veggies are roasting, prepare couscous
-Boil 1 1/4 c water in a saucepan
-Add 1 c couscous and 1/2 tsp salt
-Lower heat & simmer 15-20 minutes until water is absorbed
 
3) Saute herbs, tomatoes & peppers
-Mince or grate garlic
-Spoon out inside of eggplant
-Chop by hand or in food processor
-Chop tomatoes & pepper in food processor
-Chop parsley
-Add about 2TBS to skillet and heat medium low
-Add garlic & let soften (not brown)
-Add tomatoes, peppers, cumin, coriander & cayenne to skillet
-Saute for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently
-Add eggplant, lemon juice, parsley, salt & pepper
-Remove from heat & mix with couscous
 
Enjoy!

A  good roast chicken makes almost anything possible.  It's great for company or a comfort food meal at home.  This is one of my favorite recipes. It's a whole meal in one roasting pan.

This takes about 20 minutes of prep time, requires 1 1/2 - 2 hours in the oven and serves 4 people.

Ingredients:
-whole chicken
- 2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
-1 lemon
-few sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme or oregano
-8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
-1 lb small, new potatoes
-1 eggplant
-1 red pepper

Steps:
1) Prepare chicken
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
-Rub chicken all over with olive oil
-Place 1/2 of the lemon & 1-2 sprig of herbs inside the cavity of the chicken
-Please bird breast side down in large roasting pan
-Roast for about 30 minutes

2) Prepare vegetables
-Chop eggplant into 1 inch pieces
-Remove seeds from red pepper & cut into 1 inch pieces
-If potatoes are on the larger side, cut into quarters
 
3) Add potatoes to chicken
-Remove chicken from the oven & season with salt
-Turn chicken over
-Paste with juices from pan
-Add potatoes to roasting pan, pour enough olive oil to coat
-Roast for an additional 30 minutes

4) Add vegetables
-Add eggplant, red pepper, garlic cloves, remaining sprigs of herbs to pan
-Slice remaining 1/2 lemon and add to pan
-Drizzle vegetables with remaining olive oil
-Season with salt and pepper
-Return to oven for additional 30-50 minutes
-Baste and turn vegetables every 15 minutes
-Chicken is finished when meat thermometer is at 165 degrees or when juices run clear
 
5) Serve and enjoy!!