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Tag: healthy

Healthy chicken fajita bowls
Click here to skip my blah blah blah and go straight to the recipe video (I won’t be offended, I promise).

I have been wanting to get into recipe video production for a while, and now that I have a new DSLR camera (with auto-focus!), there’s no longer any excuses not to do it. Like most folks, I’ve been watching the likes of Tasty go absolutely viral and for good reason – I love watching the short videos that give me daily inspiration when I’m trying to decide “What’s for dinner?”. In my video, that question is answered with a resounding chicken fajita bowls!! Scroll down below to check out my first crack at a recipe video 🙂

Being a visual learner, I definitely prefer following a recipe with a video tutorial, so in the spirit of bringing my readers more top quality content (ie, selfishly, the type of content that I enjoy), I’ve decided to give it a go on little old seefoodplay.com!

The idea of filming a recipe from start to finish was surprisingly intimidating, so I wanted to go for a recipe that would look good on camera (lots of color!), that I make often so comfortable with the recipe, and that I actually wanted to share with readers. Now, the thing that I am absolutely most comfortable with is pasta (all pasta, any kind of pasta – I can make it perfectly al dente practically in my sleep). But in the interest of trying to branch out, I decided to go for another one of my favorites: a chicken & veggie ‘fajita’ bowl. I’m a huge fan of meal prepping, especially the lunches that I take to work, and this recipe is perfect for just that.

In the spirit of the ubiquitous Tasty recipe video, my take on this was to keep it simple and healthy, packed full of fresh ingredients, and easy to make ahead… all in about a minute-long video. I hope you enjoy the video and recipe – it’s filling, super easy, and a great idea to add to your meal prep catalog!

If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to let me know either in the comments below or by tagging a photo of your version on Instagram under #sfprecipes.
Easy chicken fajita bowls
2-3 sliced bell peppers (I used green, red and yellow)

1 small onion (sliced)

4 cups cooked rice

Spice mix: 1 tbsp each of garlic powder (salt, smoked paprika, oregano,)

1 can of black beans

avocado slices

sour crème/crème fraiche

chives or spring onions for garnish
Brown the chicken in a bit of olive oil, but be careful not to overcook

Remove chicken, cut into slices, set aside

Combine the spice mix and veggies

Sauté all the veggies until they’re cooked through but still crisp

Add the chicken back into the pan to soak up the flavors and to warm up

Prepare the bowls: add rice, peppers, chicken, black beans, and avocado

Garnish with fresh lime juice, sour cream, and cilantro or spring onions
August 14, 2018
23 Easy & Healthy Breakfast Recipes

23 Easy & Healthy Breakfast recipes, including drinks & smoothies, savory egg-based meals, and finishing with a list of sweet (but still healthy!) dishes to round out the list.

I’m a firm believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but when I’m rushing to get to work, I don’t usually have heaps of time to mess around in the kitchen whipping up a healthy and hearty breakfast. My go-to in the morning is almost always something I can throw in my bag and eat once I get to work, or something that I’ve prepped in advance that I can heat up and eat while I’m getting ready. Yes, I’m a fan of multi-tasking, especially in the morning…!

Don’t get me wrong – I’m a big fan of a Full English on the weekend, but that’s when I have time to take it easy and make breakfast more of a chill and relaxing experience, than a necessary step to fuel me for my busy day. Since I moved to London, one of my absolute favorite things is that you can get a savory breakfast pretty much anywhere. During my ten years in Paris, a good savory breakfast was probably one of the things I missed the most. I know, I know – I realize that probably sounds blasphemous, given that Paris is home to some of (if not the?) best pastries in the world. But croissants and pains au chocolat have never been my thing. Before the mob starts gathering their pitchforks, there are lots and lots of other French delicacies that I adore – just not the sweet and bready varieties. Now that I’m in London, I can pop into an EAT or Birley’s to grab a quick breakfast, but that gets old fast, and it certainly isn’t ideal for my budget!

One of my resolutions for 2018 is to eat less prepared food, and focus on homemade and healthy breakfasts and lunches, and I’m always on the lookout for recipe inspiration. So I’ve pulled together a list of 23 easy & healthy breakfast recipes that I’ll be adding into my morning meal rotation. Whether you’re looking to eat healthier during the week, save money on breakfast, or just looking to spice up your morning breakfast recipe catalog, the recipes below should provide some inspiration. I hope you’ll enjoy this Recipe Roundup, and please do check out the blogs linked from each photo in the galleries below for the full recipes!

Drinks & Smoothies [metaslider id=”1329″]

Savory Recipes [metaslider id=”1415″]

If you’re like me and you prefer savory to sweet breakfast recipes, then I suggest taking a look at these ideas! They’re not over-the-top sugary, and pack lots of vitamins and protein and other good stuff, and are a great way to change it up without overloading on sugar.

Sweet Recipes [metaslider id=”1432″]

I hope you’ll enjoy these recipes as much as I do! A big thank you to all of the bloggers who allowed me to include their recipes in this list – definitely check them out for these recipes, and more!

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April 8, 2018
Blueberry & Cashew Greek yogurt bowl
With the weather a bit dark and gloomy, and cold and rainy if you have London-like January weather, it’s very tempting to reach for a heavy and hearty breakfast. I’ve definitely been chowing down on full English breakfasts over the past few months (maybe a few too many…), but after all of the Christmas parties and holiday eating, I’m finding myself longing more and more for simple, fresh and light breakfast options: like fruit and yogurt!

I’ve always preferred savory over sweet food in the morning (and in general tbh), so those smoothie bowls and fruit muffins just don’t do it for me. Poached eggs and avocado toast are my typical go-to for a weekday brekkie, but sometimes that gets old and sometimes it’s hard to get avocados with any flavor (first world problems…).

When I got back to London after Christmas, I a) couldn’t fathom the idea of another full English breakfast and b) didn’t have any food in my fridge anyway, even if did want one. I am cursed blessed with a pretty big Asda grocery store right downstairs my apartment, so I grabbed my reusable Monoprix shopping bag (because who uses plastic bags anymore?) and headed downstairs to stock up my fridge. Instead of heading straight for the turkey bacon (okay, I did buy some, but for a different recipe) I grabbed some Greek yogurt pots and blueberries.

In about five minutes, I whipped up this light, fresh and healthy breakfast snack, that didn’t send my taste buds into a sugary sweet tailspin. If you’re like me, looking for a quick and easy breakfast without all the sugar, then give this a try – hopefully you’ll like it as much as I did! Greek yogurt is a great option because it is higher in protein than regular yogurt, and has less lactose. It’s also thicker and creamier, which I definitely prefer.

Anyone else see a bird’s face on my spoon in this shot…?

Ingredients:
1. Small pot of Greek yogurt (my store sells 200g pots)
2. 5-6 blueberries
3. 10 cashews, roughly chopped
4. Honey to drizzle on top
Add your blueberries and cashews to the yogurt, and drizzle a bit of honey on top. I had a small piece of cheddar on the side, and this made for a very filling and slightly sweet breakfast that kept me going until lunch.

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January 5, 2018
Weekly meal planning: update
It’s Sunday evening (8:10pm, to be precise) and for the first time in weeks I feel ready to take on the upcoming week energized and not stressed out feeling that I didn’t accomplish everything that I wanted to over the weekend. I think there are two types of “weekend people” — some people use the weekend to relax, and just recuperate from a tiring work week, and some (crazy) people view the weekend as the only time they can really get stuff done. I definitely am in the latter group, and sometimes drive myself crazy trying to get through a to-do list of about 45 things (for Saturday morning). I’m often left feeling like I have wasted my weekend if I sleep in (seriously, if I’m still asleep at 7am on Saturday morning…panic). Just “taking it easy” ain’t really my thing, and staying as organized as possible is what gets me through it, and meal planning has definitely become my saving grace throughout the week. Nothing like having a rough day at work, then coming home to a hungry husband, a fridge full of random food, and no idea what to cook. I’m lucky that I loooove Jonathan’s cooking, but I also loooove to cook myself. Enter: weekly food shops & meal planning.

I had fallen off the weekly meal prep wagon for the past few weeks, since we had house guests and were eating out so much, but I’m back on track and am even more resolved than I was before to keep up with it. As is always the case when I plan out my weekly meals, my grocery costs are way down and my “intelligent recipe-based shopping” is preventing me from wasting food, too! No more buying random stuff and trying to figure out what to cook as an after-thought.

It took me a little over an hour to plan out this week’s meals, another hour to order the groceries (hello, distracting internet), and then about 30 minutes to wash all the fruits & veggies when the groceries arrived this morning. I’ve kept the recipes pretty simple this week, and will probably add in some salads here and there to keep things fresh.

So, here’s what’s on our menu this week:

Monday
- Breakfast: Apple slices & peanut butter + copycat McMuffins
- Lunch: Carrot sticks w/hummous + BLT Bagel
- Dinner: Roast chicken
- Dessert: Giada’s lemon & ricotta cookies
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Cottage cheese w/berries + sliced swiss cheese
- Lunch: Black bean soup + English muffin grilled cheese
- Dinner: Baked salmon & asparagus
- Dessert: Mousse au chocolat
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Copycat McMuffin & fruit
- Lunch: Greek salad & homemade pita chips
- Dinner: Oven roasted garlic chili shrimp, avocado, cilantro rice
- Dessert: Homemade salted caramel popcorn
Thursday
- Breakfast: Bagel w/turkey & swiss cheese & granny smith apple slices
- Lunch: Homemade chicken & vegetable soup
- Dinner: Turkey meatballs w/marinara sauce & pasta
- Dessert: Cottage cheese w/sliced fruit
Friday
- Breakfast: Avocado toast w/soft-boiled egg & cherry tomatoes
- Lunch: Leftover spaghetti & meatballs
- Dinner: Homemade pizza w/bresaola + portobello mushrooms & garden salad
This week’s grocery bill was a little over £100, but mainly because we had a few pricy items to stock up on..like..ahem…tequila. As usual, I don’t really plan out the weekend’s meals since we often go out to eat, or just eat leftovers. Besides, this Saturday is my birthday 🎉 so maybe Jonathan has something planned for me…that involves him taking me out to a nice restaurant and showering me with gifts? 😉

Anyway, I hope you all had a productive weekend (or a relaxing one, if that’s your thing!) and are also looking forward to this beautiful new week. Enjoy!
July 12, 2015
Easy baked salmon
Ok y’all, so I need to keep it real for a few minutes on what goes on behind the scenes on any given weeknight in my kitchen. When I’m working on blog posts, I try to organize my weeknight dinners around what I’m writing about that week, so I can write, photograph and actually enjoy the recipes that I publish. This takes time, though, by the time I’ve gathered all the ingredients, shot the photos that I want, and actually prepared the food. Even when I’m not cooking for any particular blog post, I love spending an hour or so bringing dinner together: it’s my daily “me time” and I love having a creative outlet to try new things and explore different flavors.

Sometimes though, after a long day at work, I just don’t have the energy to do anything more than throw a bunch of ingredients together, pop them in the oven and hope the result comes out delicious. It can be really tempting to make an easy go-to dish when I’m too busy or not in the mood to really cook, and fast is usually synonymous with pasta.

When I want to get a healthy meal on the table, packed with flavor and nutrients, without having to give it too much thought, I really need a quick recipe that packs a big punch. This simple baked salmon recipe is just that type of dish: comes together in under 5 minutes, then bakes for about 12-15 minutes, so it can be on the table in easily under 30 minutes! You can serve it with my creamy mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus or just with some rice and a side salad.

No need to bother with any fancy marinades or bread-crumb toppings. Just a few ingredients that you’re likely to already have on hand and you have a perfect 20-minute weeknight meal.

Ingredients:
- 2 salmon fillets
- 2 teaspoons of butter or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optional: serve with spinach & basil pesto
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400° F
2. In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and sugar together.
3. Place your salmon fillets in your baking dish, topping with 1 teaspoon of butter (or olive oil) on each fillet.
4. Next, drizzle the lemon juice + sugar mixture on top of the fillets.
5. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, then bake for 12-15 minutes.
Note: The sugar is optional, and is mainly used to help caramelize the salmon a bit.

Optional: serve with my basil & spinach vegan pesto (as pictured).
July 6, 2015
Spinach lasagna rolls
Hey ya’ll! I’ve really been looking forward to making lasagna because it’s one of my all-time favorites, and it was also one of the first recipes I really learned to do well. Besides, it’s just one of those feel-good comfort foods that you can make anytime, so you never need to justify this dish — just do it!

Before I got married, my lasagna recipe was pretty much tomato sauce, a bit of cheese, spinach, mushrooms and lasagna noodles. I almost never used meat, and always jam packed it with as many veggies as possible. Alas, now that I need to work with Jonathan’s more meat-loving palette, I’ve integrated more meat into the mix, albeit in small amounts.

This recipe is a somewhat lighter version than your classic lasagna because it’s not smothered in cheese and cream, but doesn’t skimp on flavor as a result — it’s perfection. In France, lasagna is usually made with a béchamel sauce… soo good, but soo much butter! My version can also be made without the sausage and it’s pretty good, too, for a vegetarian option. I just double the spinach and add about a cup of chopped cooked mushrooms to the filling instead of the chopped sausage.

Give this one a try and let me know what you think! And if anyone knows where to find curly-edged lasagna noodles in the UK or France, then please leave the details in the comments below 😉

Also you guys, I’m super excited to tell you that I have teamed up with a few other bloggers to post about 4th of July & summer entertaining recipes and ideas!
- Renee @ joyineveryseason.com has started off the series with her fabulous baked beans recipe (plus some gorgeous red, white & blue decorations), so please check that out on her website here: http://www.joyineveryseason.com/side-dishes/the-best-baked-beans4th-of-july-decor/
- Phoebe @ theolivetreekitchen.com just followed-up with her delightfully refreshing and fruity summer ice and drinks, here: http://theolivetreekitchen.com/2015/07/02/summer-ices-and-bbq-drinks/
- This Friday, we will also be sharing a vegan recipe from Sam @ itdoesnttastelikechicken.com so keep an eye out for that!
As for me, I’ll be back on Saturday with a few more 4th of July ideas to wrap up the series! See you then 🙂

Ingredients:
- 3 cups of homemade marinara sauce
- 1 cup of ricotta cheese
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup of parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 200 grams of ground sausage (any sausage is fine, though I use only turkey or beef).
- 1 cup of fresh spinach
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Topping:
- ½ cup of shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup of tomato sauce
- Basil for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
1. Put a pot large enough for your lasagna noodles on high heat to boil.
2. Prepare your baking dish with a layer (about an inch) of the tomato sauce. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble the rolls.
3. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
4. Combine the three cheeses in a bowl, then add in the egg and garlic powder. Stir until uniform.
5. Heat a skillet on medium heat, then add in the olive oil and minced garlic. Sautée for 1 minute, then add in the fresh spinach. Continue to sautée for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the spinach has cooked down, then add the cooked spinach to the bowl with the cheese mixture.
6. In same skillet used for the spinach, add in the ground sausage.
7. By this time, your water should be boiling and it’s time to add in the noodles. Boil them until they are al dente – not mushy! For my noodles, this takes around 6-7 minutes.
8. Once cooked, drain the pasta well into a colander removing all excess water & pour on a very small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking. Don’t add too much oil, otherwise your rolls won’t hold together when you bake them!
9. While you allow the noodles to cool down a bit, lay down a piece of wax paper (or a clean & oiled cookie sheet) to place your noodles on for assembly.
10. Once cool enough to not burn your fingers, place the noodles on the wax paper.
11. Thinly layer on the cheese & spinach mixture evenly, all the way to the edges of the noodles.
12. Spoon on the ground sausage in the middle of the noodle – if you go too close to the edges, it will just fall out.
13. Roll up each noodle and place it in the prepared baking dish.
14. Once all of your rolls are in the dish, spoon more sauce on top of each roll, then sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella.
15. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is browned.
Notes: The options for non-pork sausage are quite slim where I shop, so I usually get whatever they have available, which are usually in the form of sausage links. To mince them, I just throw them in my stand blender and pulse a few times to get a nice uniform ground sausage. I hope you enjoy, because these spinach lasagna rolls are the bomb!
July 1, 2015
Kale & red berry smoothie
It’s Monday, and if you’re anything like me, then you need a little boost of energy after the weekend. Enter: the kale & red berry smoothie! ☀️

You might remember that I’ve recently changed my mind about kale and I’ve got a bunch of the stuff just begging to be used in some delicious recipe, sitting right in my fridge.

I’ve been on a health kick lately. Okay, confession: I’m always on a health kick of some sort! I love trying out new healthy recipes, and trying to turn my favorite dishes vegetarian. I’m not a big sweets lover, and would live off of just fresh veggies (and fruits, if you’re counting tomatoes) if I could. But I can’t because I also have a big strong husband to feed, and he needs a lot of protein and carbs to get through his day. And truth be told, so do I! It takes work to eat a fully veggie-only diet and still get all of the nutrients you need, and I certainly don’t have enough discipline for that. When I was single, I lived off of foods with a marina sauce base. Lots of pastas and salads, and more salads and pastas, and from time to time fish or meat if I had dinner guests or went out to eat. One of the reasons that I’ve really been wanting to start this blog is to archive my recipes for inspiration on those days when I’m just not quite sure what to make for dinner. Because lack of inspiration always leads to one meal: spaghetti! But I can’t always have pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner… ! When I need to change it up with a more conventional way to start off my day, I’ve gone a bit crazy for smoothies.

They’re super fresh, mega flavorful, and pack a big punch of energy. All of this, with just a few ingredients and ready in about 5 minutes – what’s not to love?

My first smoothie attempt was a huge success so that motivated me to work on a second fruitier masterpiece. I tweaked it a bit to get the right proportions, so this was the perfect mix of sweet and sour that I was going for. Go ahead and give it a try – don’t be afraid of playing around with the ingredients until it’s just like you like it!

Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of greek yogurt
- 1 cup of kale
- 1 cup of frozen mixed red berries
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon of honey
Instructions:
1. Blend all ingredients until uniform in color and smooth (about 1 minute, depending on your blender). Drink this awesome kale smoothie immediately 🙂
Notes: If seeds in your drinks gross you out like they do for me, then just pour your mixture through a sieve to filter out the seeds!
June 22, 2015
Black bean kale quesadillas
Happy Friday, y’all!

This recipe was meant to be “Black bean quesadillas” but then I thought… what if I had something other than beans & cheese for dinner, you know, to healthify this recipe a little bit? Then I looked over to the two uneaten bags of kale sitting in my fridge and I realized that I should stop avoiding them and see if I could sneak them into this recipe. The only reason I even bought them is because they were on sale, and I thought I should finally give Kale a try.

See, I have had a bit of a hang up with Le Kale, until only very recently. I know it’s supposed to be a super food, and be super good for you, but something about just how fashionable it became turned me off. When I was living in Paris, Kale was pretty much the coolest thing ever! Parisians were obsessed with le Kale, and were putting it in everything. Everything! People are even out here walking around in t-shirts with “Kale” printed on them! So naturally given all the hype, I thought this was another food fad that would come and go. You see, I’m a spinach lover, and I’ve resisted this food trend for a while thinking that Kale and Spinach offer essentially the same benefits and nutrients (which is more or less true). Then, I tasted a kale Mac ‘n cheese recipe. And everything changed. The stuff’s delicious, y’all!

For a pretty good breakdown on the Kale vs Spinach debate, check out what Huffington Post has to say about it:http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/02/kale-vs-spinach_n_3534191.html

So here’s how I transformed my classic black bean quesadillas to a nutrient-packed (and trendy 😉) vegetarian meal, perfect for getting dinner on the table in under 20 minutes and still keeping it totally healthy. You guys — these black bean kale quesadillas are legit!! Easy, filling and healthy – make these now…! 🙂

In other blogging news, I’m super excited to announce that I’ve started building a Yummly recipe catalog (which you can check out here) and have also become a Yummly publisher! It’s super convenient to have all of my recipes in one place, and I can also look up other amazing recipes from other sources — win win!

All you need to do is browse the picture index on my Yummy publisher page, and when you see a recipe you like just click it and yummly will bring you back to the recipe here on seefoodplay.com.

If you want to add one of my recipes then just click the “Yum” button to share 😉

Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 1 cup of Kale, sautéed in olive oil & a dash of garlic powder until tender
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 flour tortillas
- 1 cup of homemade salsa (or jarred salsa if you are in a hurry!)
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions:
1. Mix together your kale, beans, salsa and cheese in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Add some olive oil to a large frying pan and heat on medium for about 30 seconds.
3. Place your tortilla in the pan, then add a few ablespoons of the bean mixture to half of the tortilla, then fold over the other half to create a half-moon shape.
4. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until nice and golden.
5. Repeat steps with the remaining tortillas and bean mixture.
6. Serve with a few cherry tomatoes and some fresh chopped cilantro.
June 19, 2015
Oven-roasted asparagus with garlic
Hello, my name is Veronica, and I’m addicted to asparagus. Seriously, we eat the stuff several times a week and just can’t get enough of it! It used to be my “weekly splurge” when we lived in Paris because it was oh so expensive there, but I buy it like it’s going out of style now that we live in London and I can get enough for two at around £2! Google tells me that it’s often thought of as a “luxury vegetable” – I didn’t even know such a thing exists…! I totally understand why, though, because whenever I make them I feel like I’m feasting on some precious food treasure that I don’t want anyone too many people to know about, lest there be an international shortage of these delightfully green weird-looking things. Asparagus is one of those foods that can be really amazing, or horribly offensively disgusting. Can you tell that I feel strongly about this vegetable?

Lots of people do know about asparagus and how amazing it is, though, and everyone has their own way of preparing it. I’m just going to put this out there: there’s a right way and a wrong way. I try not to be too “my way or the highway” when it comes to cooking, but some things are just oh so wrong.** Boiling is the wrong way, and grilling/roasting is the right way.

My husband Jonathan wasn’t really a big veggie fan when we first started dating and this was a serious cause for concern for me: about 99% of my favorite recipes have either tomatoes or mushrooms in them (this is only a slight exaggeration) and these are two things that he used to despise.

Most of my veggies are prepared in the oven, though (or grilled) and this made all the difference! Whenever I ask which veggies he wants for dinner these days, his answer is almost always: broccoli, asparagus or corn! Yes, miracles do happen. He tolerates mushrooms now but still won’t go near a tomato (except for when I got him to eat green tomatoes once, after convincing him they were cucumbers. I know..terrible wife, but it worked and he liked them!).

Anway, on to the good stuff: how to make perfect asparagus the right way.

Ingredients:
- 150 grams of Asparagus
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of Good Olive Oil*
Instructions:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil, and preheat your oven to the maximum temperature or broil feature.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, use a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife to peel about 1 inch of the bottoms of your asparagus.
3. Once the water is boiling, throw in your asparagus for 15 seconds. Yes, 15. Not 30 and certainly not longer. The blanching process will essentially only cook the very outer layer, and will leave the inside nice and crispy.
4. Strain your asparagus well, and transfer to a baking dish large enough so that the asparagus stalks aren’t touching.
5. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper and garlic powder and drizzle on the olive oil.
6. Roast for 10 minutes, then serve immediately.
They will come out crispy on the tips and softer but not mushy on the stalks. Otherwise known as perfect oven-roasted asparagus with garlic. Enjoy 🙂

*you can taste the quality of your olive oil in this recipe, so now’s the time if there ever was one to use your good stuff.

**Funny story… as I was writing this post, I thought “hmm I wonder if there are actually people out there saying that one should in fact boil asparagus? And if so, who are these crazies?” The number one recipe that came up massively surprised me, and even caused me a moment of self-doubt. Have I been getting it wrong all this time?? Nahhh – I stand by my belief that asparagus should never be anything-but parboiled. Can you guess where the first recipe for boiled asparagus is from, though? Google it for yourself and see if you’re as surprised as I was… 😉
June 17, 2015
Eggplant parmesan rolls
Spring is finally (kind of, sometimes) here, and all I can think of making are veggie-filled recipes that are light and fresh. This is one of those recipes that I really hesitate before making, because Jonathan doesn’t eat 95% of the ingredients (ie, eggplant and tomatoes). Being the lovely and supportive husband that he is, however, he always at least tastes my tomato-mushroom-eggplant-random other vegetable he’s never heard of recipes and sometimes he even likes them! (remember those Stuffed portobello mushrooms?). This one definitely falls into the category of recipes that Jonathan didn’t think he would like, but did. Add one point to Team Vegetable.

I’m not even a big fan of eggplant myself, but I luuuvvvv eggplant parmesan and this: aubergine millefeuille (or my take on it: eggplant parmesan rolls). It can be served as a starter or main dish, is vegetarian-friendly, and only takes a few minutes to prepare.

Sometime last year on one of me & Jonathan’s “date nights” we went to La Bouteille d’Or, a fabulous little Parisian restaurant with views on Notre Dame. When we got there I remember thinking that I’d fallen into a tourist trap because I was surrounded by groups of…well… tourists. The lighting was a bit too bright for my tastes and the atmosphere wasn’t really that cosy chic that I was hoping for. As soon as our waiter arrived at our table, however, we knew we were in for a treat: he was super professional and attentive, making sure everything was perfect during our meal. When we looked at the menu, we had our second pleasant surprise: the prices were great (especially for the neighborhood!! Hello there, view of Notre Dame), and there was a fixed price menu for even better deals. All of our food was good, but my entrée was really the star of the show: mille-feuilles d’aubergine. I remember forcing Jonathan to taste it and even he said it was good! The recipe is very simple (like a lot of French cuisine) and comes out extremely flavorful with just a few basic ingredients. It’s kind of the French version of eggplant parmesan and it is sooo good. Tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, mozzarella, eggplant… yes, please!

Ingredients:
- ½ eggplant*
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Bread crumbs**
- Marinara sauce***
- 10 cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1/4 cup spinach, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan
- Extra olive oil (to drizzle on top)
- Fresh basil (for garnish)
Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350degrees F // 180 degrees C.
2. Spread about 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce in a small baking dish, set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic powder and olive oil.
4. You eggplant should be cut in half vertically, in 1/4 inch thick slices (using a mandoline if possible).
5. Layer on the following for your eggplant rolls:
  - A spoonful of marinara sauce
  - A spoonful of chopped spinach & basil
  - A spoonful of mozzarella
  - A spoonful of breadcrumbs
6. Carefully roll up the eggplant slices, and place them crease-down into the baking dish.
7. Drizzle a bit of the olive oil & garlic powder mixture over each one, then season with salt and pepper.
8. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and some extra mozzarella on top, then add a halved cherry tomato to each roll.
9. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and golden.
10. Garnish with more fresh basil, and serve immediately.
*What to do with the rest of that eggplant, you ask? Well, you could double the recipe and make some extras for your lunch or freeze them. Orrrr… you could make Roasted eggplant caviar
(I’ll be adding the recipe for that, soon! Picture the easiest and most flavorful (vegetarian) eggplant dip…ever!).

**I don’t use pre-packaged breadcumbs, but they’re of course fine. If you want to go the fully homemade route, then try this: Place 1 cup of corn flakes, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried basil, and a tiny pinch of hot cayenne pepper, then grind in a food processor until about the size of breadcrumbs.

***If using my marinara sauce, no need to cook the sauce: simply combine all of the ingredients and then spoon the cause onto the eggplant slices. You might want to run the sauce through the food processor first to get it nice and smooth.

This makes two servings as a starter, but can be doubled to make a main dish.

If you don’t usually like eggplant then I suggest giving this recipe a try – it might just convert you!
June 12, 2015