Eggplant Tomato Bruschetta

I am very happy to announce that I have not disappeared from the face of the earth as my blog history may imply! The first few months of 2014 have been a very exciting whirlwind of events, the most joyous of which being our engagement! The amazing man who named me his “Little Piggy” and contributed to the naming this blog years ago popped the question this January on a wintery ski trip and we have been enjoying a blissful start to 2014 ever since! Don’t worry, while I’ve been MIA from these pages I’ve been busy in the kitchen and cannot wait to share all of the recipes we’ve been developing!

With a busy start to the year I’ve been focusing on recipes that I can really be stretched and used in many different ways. My recipe for tomato eggplant bruschetta is extremely versatile and can be turned into a thick pasta sauce, a cold dip crudités or folded into an omelet to brighten breakfast. The possibilities are truly endless with this all-star combination that is high in fiber; vitamins A, B1 and C; cooper, niacin and thiamin. While the two fruits may look very different, tomatoes and eggplants come from the same family, often-called “nightshade,” and their nutrients help fight against heart disease as well as protect against neurological problems.   

While the nutrient profiles of these vegetables are rich, they are both low in calories and fat. This recipe aims to play up the true flavors of the eggplant and tomato with little added fat. My favorite element of this recipe is how roasting the eggplant brings out a creaminess that perfectly complements the acidity in the tomatoes.  

Eggplant Tomato Bruschetta

1 large eggplant

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ cup chopped brown onion

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 28oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes

½ cup red wine (I usually use cabernet sauvignon)

¼ cup pine nuts

⅓ cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup basil, plus some for garnish

Thickly sliced crusty baguette

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Peel eggplant and cut into 1 inch cubes. (I highly recommend using a ceramic peeler for ease.) Generously salt the eggplant and place it in a colander and let it sit for an hour. Next, gently squeeze the eggplant to get rid of additional moisture. Take a damp paper towel and blot the eggplant to remove some of the salt. Salting the eggplant to remove moisture helps the eggplant to absorb less oil during cooking and prevents a soggy texture, which is especially important in this recipe given the amount of liquid the tomatoes add.

Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil then evenly spread the eggplant cubes onto the baking sheet.  Drizzle another 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the eggplant and toss to coat. Roast for 25 minutes, tossing occasionally.

While the eggplant is roasting, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Stir in the onion and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until soft and starting to lightly brown. Add in the tomatoes and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 6-8 minutes. If you have the rind of the parmigiano reggiano available, add it to the tomato mixture to enrich the flavor. Slowly pour in the wine, increase the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the tomato mixture from the heat and let cool (remove rind if used).

Remove the eggplant from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. I guarantee you’ll have neighbors knocking on your door at this point from the delicious smells of the roasted eggplant and tomatoes! Place the pine nuts and breadcrumbs in a food processor and pulse for 5 - 10 seconds. Add eggplant and repeat. Next add the tomato mixture and pulse until well combined; add the basil and pulse again.

Lightly toast the sliced baguette to desired crispness and generously top with the tomato eggplant puree. Garnish with a sprinkle of basil and cracked pepper, pour yourself a glass of the Cab and enjoy! 

5 Days of Pumpkin: Pumpkin Soup

The first spoonful of soup is the best, especially on those crisp and chilly fall days. The steam gently warms your face, bathing you in the aroma of a hearty stock and herbs, and the comforting savory flavors satiate each taste bud. While my boyfriend usually thinks that soup won’t fully satisfy him, my Pumpkin Soup recipe had him (and his two friends) lingering in the kitchen vying for a taste.  I happily reminded him that he had dinner plans with his friends and that my soup was for a girls’ dinner and movie night. I have to admit I relished in the very disappointed look on his face when he had to leave for his dinner plans!

This vegetable laden soup gets a delicious kick from the pasilla pepper and will surely fill you up without any cream! Paired with a glass of vino or two and it makes for a perfect ladies’ night dish, but is also great as a first course!

Pumpkin Soup

2 tbsp butter

1 medium brown onion, roughly chopped

1 large leek (white and light green parts), diced

8 Cremini mushrooms (button also work), chopped

6 springs of thyme

1 pie pumpkin (Small Sugar Pie), about 1.5 to 2 lbs

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

4 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 cup cooked wild rice (per package instructions)

1 pasilla pepper

¼ tsp ground white pepper

½ tsp cumin

Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

¼ cup chopped scallions for garnish

Roast the pasilla pepper over an open flame on a gas stove or in a broiler until blackened and lightly charred on all sides. I also like to roast peppers on a BBQ at high heat to get some extra smoky flavor. Once blackened, place the pepper in a large ziplock plastic bag for 10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Gently peel the charred skin of the pepper away and dice the pepper (including seeds). Set aside. If you’re handling very spicy peppers I recommend wearing gloves. Trust me, I’ve had to halt meal preparations after rubbing my eyes with some pepper juice on my hands. Not fun! 

In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, continue to stir the butter until it turns a light brown color. Make sure to closely monitor the butter as the milk solids brown. Once the butter is a golden brown hue and emits a nutty aroma, immediately reduce the heat to low. Add the onions, leeks and mushrooms and sauté until softened. Add the thyme and cook for another minute.

Meanwhile, peel the pumpkin with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. I have a ceramic peeler that works wonders and if you have a ceramic peeler or knife this is the time to use it! Before you peel the pumpkin slice off the very bottom to create a flat working surface, but leave the stem, which you can use to help steady the squash during peeling. Once peeled, cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds (but save them to make some delicious roasted pumpkin seeds) and dice the pumpkin into one-inch cubes.

Add pumpkin, carrots and parsnips to the pot and mix thoroughly. Sauté for five minutes and then add white pepper, cumin, salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another five minutes and then add the chicken stock (vegetable stock can also be substituted). Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin has softened and soup has thickened. Add the wild rice and pasilla pepper and simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.

Ladle the soup into large bowls and top with scallions as a garnish. Adding a few roasted pumpkin seeds atop the soup also gives it a nice little crunch.

I love how filling this soup is and how nutritious it is for you, too! The leeks and mushrooms aid cardiovascular and immune functions, respectively, while the carrots and pumpkins are great for your skin. With only two tablespoons of butter in the entire recipe, my Pumpkin Soup is much lower in fat than traditional, creamy fall soups, so you can enjoy a guilt-free evening! 

Petite Paquets - French for "I'll have another"

Happy New Year! In my first full post of 2013, and a long overdue one at that, I want to share a dish that is perfect for nearly any occasion. This favorite recipe of mine satiates any crowd from holiday party goers to dinner guests to potluck attendees to wine night enthusiasts to Superbowl viewers (go 49ers!), these petite paquets or little packages can be served as appetizers, side dishes, or savory brunch pastries.  This is a truly versatile recipe that you should always have on hand.

Best yet, for all of us who promise to strive to stay healthy this year, my petite paquets are packed with vitamins and low in fat. The leafy greens and apples in this recipe add vitamins A, C, and K to your diet, while their high fiber content will fill you up.  This dish leaves your taste buds satisfied and doesn’t require stretchy pants!

Petite paquets on a bed of spinach for a mid afternoon snack

Petite Paquets with Greens and Apples

1 medium brown onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp olive oil

3 medium apples (I prefer Braeburn), diced

4 stalks celery, diced

6 cups baby spinach

3 cups kale, chopped with stems removed

1 ½ tsp butter, melted

½ cup spiced walnuts, finely chopped (recipe follows)

The day before making this recipe remove phyllo (or, fillo) dough from the freezer and place in your refrigerator unopened to defrost.

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Remove phyllo dough from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while you’re making the filling.  I must digress here for a moment while we’re on the topic of phyllo dough. I’m half Armenian and when I was a little girl my grandmother would spend hours making the most delicious pastry desserts called baklava. When I would visit during her Armenian baklava (there a many different varieties of baklava) making escapades I would help her carefully layer the thin dough with a sweet mixture made predominantly of walnut, cinnamon, and orange flower water. It was such a treat to help with the process to create these tiny, but elaborate desserts, and enjoy the melt in your mouth pastries after all that hard work! As I grew up and remembered how much I loved phyllo dough in those desserts I started using it in other recipes. I became even more intrigued by it once I learned how low in fat and calories it is relative to other pastry or pie dough. I encourage you to compare the nutrition facts on the box to other pastry dough!  Now that I’ve whet your appetite and calmed your health conscious fears, back to the recipe.

In a large sauté pan (6 qt is preferable, but 4qt will work), heat the onion garlic and olive oil over medium heat until onions begin to soften.  Add in celery and apples and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Working in batches, mix in the kale and allow it to wilt slightly before adding in the spinach. Reduce heat to low and let the greens cook down for about 5 minutes.

Delicious and healthy greens! 

While the filling is cooking down, lightly and I mean lightly – think like you’re trying to pet a butterfly – brush the cups of a muffin pan with butter. You don’t want to add too much butter or the paquets will be soggy; you should have melted butter leftover.

Carefully unroll the thawed phyllo dough. If you find the dough difficult to unroll take a slightly damp tea towel and wrap it around the dough for approximately 15 minutes. Taking 4 sheets of phyllo at a time (layered on top of one another) place them on a dry cutting board and using a sharp knife cut into 5”x 6” rectangles. Lay the rectangles into each muffin cup and repeat until you have filled the muffin tin. Note: the filling of this recipe will make 24 individual paquets when using a standard muffin tin.  

Once the filling has cooked down, fill each of the muffin tin cups with the greens mixture. Sprinkle desired amount of spiced walnuts on top of the mixture. For those of you who want to take these to the next level of decadent, crumble some bacon on top of the paquets along with the walnuts! Carefully bring all 4 corners of the dough into the center, but do not press completely closed. Brush the tops of the paquets lightly with the remaining melted butter.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until paquets are golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. The petite paquets are also delicious cold or room temperature. This dish truly is versatile and you can incorporate any other veggies or ingredients you have on hand. Some of my favorite variations include adding mushrooms, leeks, or fennel, or replacing the apples with pears!  Savor sinlessly!

What other combinations would you use for the filling?

Spiced Walnuts

1 cup walnut halves

1 tsp walnut oil (olive oil will also work)

1 tsp agave syrup (or honey)

1 heaping tbsp brown sugar

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of cinnamon

½ tsp kosher salt

These spiced walnuts are even more versatile than the petite paquets! Serve them as snacks, sprinkled on butternut squash soup, in muffins, or on top of oatmeal. The options are really endless.

In a large skillet, heat walnut halves, oil and agave over medium heat, stirring frequently. If the mixture appears too sticky, add a half teaspoon of warm water. Add sugar, cayenne and salt and mix thoroughly until the nuts are well coated and a rich brown color. For those of you with a high heat tolerance, feel free to add a little extra cayenne. Remove from the stove and spread into a single layer on a parchment lined cutting board or cookie sheet.

Note: this recipe will make more than the require amount of walnuts for the petite paquets. 

Day 2, Dip of the Day: Spicy Mango Salsa

Being a southern California native, there is seldom an occasion where salsa or guacamole is not out on the table for some snacking before the main course.  With summer in full swing it’s the perfect time to deviate from the traditional tomato salsa base and try some sweet 

mangos. Continuing my Dip a Day countdown to the 4^th of July, I’m making mango salsa to satisfy my snacking needs and brighten up the cloudy San Fran day!

Mangos are high in vitamins C and A, low in calories and provide a healthy does of fiber so there’s no need to curb your snacking when indulging in this spicy and tropical recipe!

Mango Salsa

4 mangos, diced

1/3 cup red onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 jalapeno, finely diced

½ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp cumin

½ cup cilantro, chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Kosher salt to taste

Mangos can be a bit tricky when it comes to slicing, but with this easy technique all mango-cutting fears will be gone! With the narrow end facing up, slice mangos parallel to and on both sides of the pit. Score the mango flesh vertically and horizontally to create small squares. Using your thumbs push the skin of the mango out to invert the scored flesh, then use a spoon or paring knife to scrape out the cut mango pieces. If you need a little extra help, check out this video to get a full tutorial.  

In a large bowl, mix together diced mangos, red onion, crushed garlic, jalapeno, red pepper flakes and cumin. When cutting the jalapeno be careful to remove the seeds and wash your hands after cutting and touching the jalapeno to avoid any uncomfortable skin/eye irritations. If spice is a prime enemy of yours try using an Anaheim pepper and cut back on the red pepper flakes.

After thoroughly combining the first 6 ingredients, add the cilantro, lime juice and zest. Season with kosher salt to taste. Chill the salsa for about 20 minutes. Try pairing this salsa with Pretzel Crisps, which are lower in fat than most tortilla chips, or large, wide slices of jicama.  To make things a little more interesting toss about a ¼ cup fresh cut corn in the salsa for some extra crunch! 

Pretzel Crisps did not sponsor or provide Katie with any compensation for this post.