Attack of the eggplant

One of my goals this year was to use eggplant in a meal. I've never liked eggplant and had a couple bad experiences with it, but it's such a pretty looking vegetable that I wanted to give it another try. We didn't love this recipe, but we also didn't hate it so I think it turned out alright (for eggplant).

Also, please ignore the weird font issues in this post, I can't get the formatting to work properly.

Best Eggplant Parmesan
recipe from GOOP

Ingredients:4 eggplants (I used 2 because they were fairly expensive)
Salt
1 cup flour
Olive oil
2/3 cup tomato sauce
1 ball fresh mozzarella
Small handful basil leaves
3/4 cup parmesan

Directions:
Slice the eggplants into about 1/3" discs. Sprinkle slices with a small pinch of coarse salt on each side and place in a single layer between two clean kitchen towels. Place a cookie sheet on top and weigh down with something heavy (a few cans of beans or tomatoes will do). Let the eggplant sit for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly dredge the eggplant slices in the flour. Heat 1/4" of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When a pinch of flour sizzles on contact, add the eggplant slices in a single layer, turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about one and a half minutes on each side or until dark golden brown. Drain the eggplant on paper towels and repeat in batches until all of your eggplant is cooked, adding more oil as necessary.

In a 13" x 9" baking dish, arrange as many slices of eggplant as can fit snugly in a single layer. Top each slice with a small spoonful of tomato sauce, a few small pieces of torn mozzarella, a bit of basil and a dusting of parmesan. Continue the layers, evenly distributing all the ingredients, until everything is used up. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is melting and bubbling.

Chickpea and Tuna Salad

This salad is fresh and light, and perfect for summer. I fully cooked the tuna, as I don't like even slightly raw fish.

Chickpea and Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cup(s) (two 15 1/2-ounce cans) chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup(s) chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup(s) chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoon(s) chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup(s) olive oil
• 1/4 cup(s) white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt (omitted)
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound(s) Ahi tuna steak

Directions:

1. Combine the chickpeas, onion, red pepper, and cilantro together in a large bowl.
2. Whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, 3/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together.
3. Toss with chickpeas, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.
4. Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil. Season both sides of the tuna with remaining salt and pepper and place in the skillet. Sear -- about 2 minutes each side.
5. Remove tuna from the pan, cool slightly, slice and serve over the chickpeas.

Taquitos

Most people hear taquitos and immediately think of the frozen section of their supermarket. This recipe is sooo much better than storebought, and you can be happy that you're eating a healthier version that is lower in sodium and actually has pronounceable ingredients. We LOVED this recipe, I can't wait to make it again! I added spinach to the filling to increase the veggies in this meal.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

¼ cup salsa

1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. onion powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp. chopped cilantro

1-2 green onions, chopped

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

10-12 6-inch flour tortillas

Cooking spray

Kosher salt (omitted)

Spinach

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, cilantro, green onions, chicken and shredded cheese. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

Briefly heat the tortillas in the microwave to make them soft enough to roll easily, about 20-3o seconds. Place a tortilla on a work surface. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling mixture down the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, spacing the assembled taquitos evenly on the baking sheet. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.