RECIPE: Veggie and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

I bought a LOT of spinach at the market the other day. Some much that I was worried it would go bad before we could eat it all, so I started looking for new ways to prepare it. I already had mozzarella cheese for the zucchini dish last night, so I wanted to incorporate the remained into the dish. I found a recipe for spinach mozzarella egg bake on Kalyn's Kitchen, so I decided to see what else I had in the fridge that needed to be used. With my modifications, here's what I came up with ...
VEGGIE & CHEESE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
6 packed cups of organic baby Spinach
1 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
4 ounces Mushrooms - chopped
1/4 of a sweet onion - chopped
Sea Salt
Pepper
Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute
8 Eggs

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 X 13 casserole dish with olive oil.
2. Heat a large skillet, lightly coat with olive oil, and add all spinach at once. Stir spinach often until it's all wilted. Spread evenly in casserole dish.

3. Add a little more olive oil to your skillet and sauté the mushrooms and onions. Stir them often. You dont want them to brown - just soften.

 4. Layer the vegetables on top of the spinach, then cover with grated mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle with seasonings.

5. Beat eggs, salt, and pepper well, then pour evenly over the vegetables and cheese. 

6. Using a fork or spoon, blend ingredients lightly to insure even distribution.
7. Bake for 35 minutes. The mixture will be completely set and starting to brown. Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

8. Cut. Plate. Serve. Enjoy!

(I served this with my  Crunchy Chewy Fruit and Nut Bars , fresh strawberries, and a Carrot Spice Smoothie!)

RECIPE: Zucchini filled with Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Herbs

To go along with the Moroccan Marinated Chicken, I decided to stick with something rather Mediterranean. I love zucchinis, but Conrad's never been a big fan of them. I figured if I disguised them under some of his favorite foods (grape tomatoes and cheese ...) He might be able to choke them down. Little did I know that he'give them not just one, but TWO thumbs up! SCORE!! 

ZUCCHINI WITH TOMATOES, MOZZARELLA, AND HERBS

INGREDIENTS:

1 large Zucchini

Olive Oil

Grape Tomatoes

1/2 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Italian Herb Blend

Sea Salt

Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wash zucchini and cut in half length-wise. 

3. Cut a trough in the middle of each half, removing the seeds. Lightly drizzle (brush or spray) olive oil on tops so the don't dry out. 

4. Cut grape tomatoes in half and place in the troughs. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. 

5. Place in oven-safe baking dish and roast for 30 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese over each half, then season.

7. Let rest for a couple of minutes, then return to the oven for 10 more minutes or until mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

8. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and serve!

RECIPES: Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant

It has literally been at least a decade since I've had eggplant. As a child growing up in the South I remember my mom cutting it into slices, soaking it in milk, then rolling it in some sort of floury mixture before frying it in vegetable oil **STOP** What were we thinking back then??? My body cringes at the thought! As is visible in the photo of the vegetables I bought for the week, there's an eggplant among them. It has plagued me all week as to what to do with it. Upon my 'exploring' on the Internet I came across this recipe for food.com's Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant, so I figured I'd give it a try.

I am very glad I did! It's an amazing recipe and one I will definitely use again and again. As a matter of fact, I bought extra mushrooms in hopes of having some stuffing left over, so guess what's for dinner tomorrow night? You guessed it! Stuffed mushrooms!

Ingredients

• 1 lb meatloaf mixture ( ground pork, veal, beef)
• 1 tablespoon lard
• 1 small onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon organic butter
• 1/2 pint white mushrooms, chopped
• 2 small eggplants, halved and contents scooped out and chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins, chopped
• 1/4 cup almond meal ( or finely chopped almonds)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 pinch cayenne powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese**Please note** The photo shows a jar with some bacon fat. I was going to use it instead of olive oil and butter but changed my mind. 
  

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, cook ground meat in lard until well browned, scraping bottom with a wooden spoon periodically to avoid burning.
  3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onions in butter, with a little salt, until translucent (about five minutes). Add chopped mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms have softened.
  4. Add onion and mushroom mixture to meat in skillet, and stir to combine. Add chopped eggplant to skillet, stir to combine. Add seasonings, raisins and almonds. When eggplant softens, add water to skillet, and deglaze bottom of the pan.
     
     5. Add olive oil to the empty saucepan. Lightly salt eggplant cavities, and place eggplant in the saucepan, cut side down. Cook eggplant this way for about 3-5 minutes. Flip eggplant, exposing cavities. Cook eggplant in a 400 degree oven for another 5 minutes. Remove eggplant from the oven.
     6. Add cheeses to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Check for seasonings, and add salt if necessary. Divide meat mixture evenly, and stuff into the 4 eggplant halves.
        
        7. Bake until delicious, golden brown, and bubbly, about 5 more minutes.
        
        8. Serve.
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        ***NOTE*** This is by far the best way I have ever eaten eggplant. It's amazing! (Even Conrad raved about it!!)