Eggplant and Veal Parmesan Lasagna

When I went back to visit my parents for Thanksgiving, we had a special treat.  On Wednesday night, we had to pick my baby bro up from the airport right around dinner time, which meant we got to make a trip to Rino's Place, my absolute favorite Italian restaurant.  We've been going there for years, but ever since it was featured on Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives (of which it isn't any of the 3) it's been almost impossible to get a table at Rino's.  Fortunately, we're the only ones crazy enough to want an Italian meal with enormous portions the night before Thanksgiving, so it was relatively quiet.



My family is pretty predictable when it comes to Italian food.  My brother always orders Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli or Lobster Ravioli.  My go-to is chicken piccata, although I tend to be a little more flexible (on this particular night I had an open seafood and vegetable lasagna with huge chunks of lobster and scallops and shrimp, YUM).  Mom and Dad are fans of Veal and Eggplant Parmesan.  At Rino's, they have a dish that has both Eggplant and Veal in one dish, and it's what they both always order.



I was feeling a bit lazy this week, but I knew I really should cook at least 1 night.  Lasagna is always easy to assemble and leaves lots of leftovers, and I loved the idea of an Eggplant Parmesan version.  I knew the Monkey Scientist wouldn't quite be satisfied without meat, so I took a tip from Rino's and added veal!



The original recipe was a little bit confusing, so I tried to simplify it and be super clear for you.  I ended up making a few mistakes changes to mine, including mixing ALL the parm with all the breadcrumbs so I ended up having breadcrumbs in every layer - oops.  It didn't turn out all that different, but my topping definitely didn't bake the same way as the recipe I was following.  I also added an extra layer of lasagna noodles, which wasn't so smart since I used no-boil and there wasn't enough liquid on the last layer to really cook them.  Don't be like me.



Despite my lack of being able to follow instructions, this came out delicious!  I loved the mix of veal and eggplant; it added good depth of flavor.  Per usual, I kicked up the spice a lot, and it made it superbly tasty. I probably used twice the spice that I put in the recipe below, so don't be too afraid, but you can leave it out if you aren't into spicy foods.  The Monkey Scientist said this just might be one of his favorite meals I've ever made (although he still keeps talking about  those stuffed peppers I made last spring).  I've been eating this lasagna for lunch and dinner for a couple days now and I'm not tired of it yet :)



Eggplant and Veal Parmesan Lasagna
adapted from Heather's Dish

Ingredients
1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped into small pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil (divided) + more for drizzling
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy)
1 lb ground veal
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or use homemade if you’d like!)
2 cups low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 cups parmesan (divided)
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs (I used plain Panko with a tbsp of Italian seasoning)
1 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)
~1/2 box pre-boil lasagna noodles (I use Barilla)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and eggplant, salt, pepper, and cayenne and cook until soft and golden brown. Move the eggplant to a large bowl.
3. In the same skillet, add remaining olive oil and veal. Break up and cook until brown.
4. With a slotted spoon, move veal to the same bowl as the eggplant. Add tomato sauce and toss.
5. In another bowl whisk together the ricotta, egg, and garlic powder.
6. In another bowl (sorry for the dishes…big thanks to the Monkey Scientist for helping clean!) mix together 3/4 of a cup of the parmesan, red pepper flakes, and the breadcrumbs.
7. Spray a 9×13 dish with nonstick spray and layer the lasagna:

• a small amount of tomato sauce, a layer of lasagna noodles
• 1/3 of the ricotta mixture
• 1/3 of the mozzarella
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (not the mixture)
• 1/2 of the tomato sauce/eggplant/veal mixture
• a layer of lasagna noodles
• 1/3 of the ricotta mixture
• 1/3 of the mozzarella
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
• 1/2 of the tomato sauce/eggplant/veal mixture
• the last of the ricotta mixture
• the last of the mozzarella
• the breadcrumbs/parmesan mixture

8. Drizzle with a little olive oil, cover with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour.

9. Remove the foil and let bake another 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly. 

10. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes to let the juices set before serving.

Skinny Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

With the holiday season just around the bend, it's time to kick those healthy habits into high gear! It takes lot of work for me to focus on eating healthy and exercising as the weather turns colder and the opportunities for eating junk pile up.



This weekend, we took advantage of a gorgeous sunny day and went hiking on Bear Island in Potomac, MD.  We ended up doing the most challenging path, Billy Goat Trail A, which surprised us both in length and challenges!  It wasn't so much climbing uphill but tricky footing and small ledges that kept us on our toes!



Of course one of the best places to start a healthy kick is in the kitchen, so we've been trying to make healthy meals when we cook at home.  I loved this recipe because it is a classic comfort food but healthified.  Even though it's been reduced in the calorie and fat departments, it's still loaded with meat and cheese so it remains a filling dinner.



We really enjoyed this recipe.  I ended up eating it for lunch and dinner a few days in the row.  I enjoyed getting my cheesy kick without the guilt of the full fat version.  Even the Monkey Scientist was able to fill up on this for dinner.  Plus I love when you put pasta in the oven and it gets a little crispy around the edges.  It's one of my favorite things :)



Skinny Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce
from Gina's Skinny Taste

Ingredients:
27 (9 oz) jumbo pasta shells
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb 99% lean ground turkey
32 oz crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper
2 cups fat free or part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
16 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed well
8 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions:
1. Boil water and cook shells according to package directions, make sure to make them al dente.
2. Meanwhile, saute onions and garlic in oil. Add turkey and salt and brown until cooked, breaking up in small pieces. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper and basil, then simmer on low, covered, about 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, egg, spinach, mozzarella, and parmesan.
4. Once shells are cooked and cool, fill each shell with (about 2 heaping tbsp) cheese mixture and place on a large baking dish, or two smaller dishes, covering the bottom of the dish with a little sauce.
5. Top shells with half of the sauce, cover with foil and bake 40 minutes; uncover foil and bake 5 more minutes. Serve with additional sauce on top.

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Galette

I love goat cheese. Every once in a while, Chavrie will send me a coupon and I'll feel inspired to make a great goat cheese based dish.

Yes, $1 off inspires me.  Don't judge.


I searched on foodblog search for a good goat cheese recipe but wasn't finding exactly what I wanted until I came across a mushroom tart that reminded me of one of my favorite recipes ever.  So I decided it was time for some seasonal adaption to our summer favorite.

Something I used to hate about this recipe but now love - the time it takes to refrigerate the dough.  It forces me to go down to the gym or do my laundry - things I always tend to procrastinate because I have to finish making dinner.

YUM YUM YUM!  The only issue is that it had a thin layer of water/liquid on top when it came out of the oven.  I soaked it up with a paper towel - but there has to be a way to prevent his from happening.  Maybe you could try drying out the mushrooms like Deb did the zucchinis.  I think there is probably liquid in the onion and spinach that would need to be soaked up too.  Any suggestions?

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Galette
adapted from smitten kitchen and insanity theory

Serves 6

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water

Filling:
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
6 oz fresh spinach
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Glaze:
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Make dough: Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Make filling: In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil over medium high head.  Add the onion saute until almost soft, about 5 min.  Add the spinach and continue cooking until spinach wilts, about 2 min. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and the garlic together; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, goat cheese, and 1 teaspoon of the garlicky olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add in the onion and spinach mixture.

Prepare galette: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (though if you line it with parchment paper or a sil-pat, it will be easier to transfer it to a plate later). Spread the cheese and onion mixture evenly over the bottom of the galette dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Shingle the mushrooms attractively on top of the ricotta in concentric circles, starting at the outside edge. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of the garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the mushrooms. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.

Bake the galette until the cheese is puffed, the mushrooms are slightly wilted and the galette is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.