Quick Roasted Potato Slices

Crunchy around the edges yet soft and tender in the center – the perfect roast potato. This is yet another quick and easy way to serve my favorite side dish. It takes about 15 minutes with just 4 ingredients – Potatoes, olive oil, salt, and paprika. I used a mandolin to slice the potatoes very thin (be careful with that blade!), tossed with the remaining 3 ingredients, and let the oven do the rest.

Roasted Potato Slices

3 russet potatoes

olive oil

paprika

salt

1 Prepare a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and preheat oven to 500 degrees.

2 Wash the potatoes and use a mandolin to slice them thin.

3 Lay potatoes in a single layer, some overlap is ok; brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and paprika.

4 Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Easy Eggplant & Olive Tomato Sauce

I know that I've said my favorite way to eat pasta is plain with olive oil and feta, but this is one of the few sauces I will tolerate in my pasta, other than this one. It is a wonderful sauce that takes less than 30 minutes to make. It is especially excellent over rigatoni, a wide tube-shaped pasta, where the chunks of tomato and eggplant nestle inside the pasta tube for the perfect bite — yumm! It has greek flavors because of the olives which provide the perfect amount of salt to balance the sweetness of the tomatoes. I can't remember if I used capers or not in this sauce, but if you happen to have it in the fridge, pop 'em in!

I know I just posted an eggplant recipe but I just found this deep in my photo folder and had to share it asap!

Eggplant & Olive Tomato Sauce

1 medium sized eggplant, cubed

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cans fire roasted tomatoes with garlic (be sure to look for the one with garlic, it adds tons of flavor)

Green or black olives, kalamata work great too

salt 'n' peppa

1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cube up the eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes until tender.

2 While the eggplant is roasting, prepare a saucepan over medium heat and saute the diced onions until translucent.

3 Dump the two cans of tomatoes, sauce and all, and stir. Add in the olives and simmer until heated through.

4 When the eggplant is tender, put them in the sauce pan and give a good stir.

Serve on pasta with grated parmesan cheese.

Bite-sized Eggplant & Goat Cheese Appetizers

These baby Indian eggplants are so cute! And even better, bite sized! Ok, maybe two-bite sized but nonetheless a great size for an appetizer. I washed and cut the eggplants lengthwise, leaving the stem so that it is easy to pick up and bite. I brushed them with an olive oil, garlic and paprika marinade and roasted them in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. Afterwards, I spooned some goat cheese on top. I didn't do anything fancy with how I put it on, I felt that it looks more natural and homestyle just slapped on.  Just pick it up by the stem and take a bite of the warm roasted garlicky eggplant paired with the cool soft goat cheese...mmmmm. Enjoy!

Indian Eggplant & Goat Cheese appetizers

6-8 indian eggplants

5 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tsp paprika

goat cheese

salt 

1 Wash eggplants and cut lengthwise. Salt and let sit for 15 minutes.

2 Prepare a bowl with some olive oil, garlic and paprika. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and brush the garlic olive oil onto the open face of the eggplants. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes and don't let the garlic burn.

3 Once the eggplants are soft, prepare a platter and scoop some refrigerated goat cheese onto the eggplants. Sprinkle with salt, pick up by the stem and bite!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I've been on a 101cookbooks kick lately. Heidi's recipes are so simple, healthy and delicious ever time. I wanted a healthy version of a classic lunch style soup — Broccoli cheddar soup. Potatoes are normally used to give a thicker consistency as an alternative to cream, as this recipe does. This is a must for your fall soup collection and a great way to get your veggies in. In the photo above I used mozzarella cheese as a topping because I used all my cheddar for the actual soup, but if you have cheddar leftover use it!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup- I omitted the croutons

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

3.5 cups broth

1 large head broccoli cut into small florets (I used two small ones)

2/3 cup cheddar, shredded

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

1 Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot, saute the onions until softened with some salt. Stir in the potatoes, cover and cook for about 4 minutes until tender.

2 Uncover, stir in the garlic and stock. Bring to a boil and stir in the broccoli. Simmer for about 5 minutes until tender.

3 Remove the soup from heat and blend with an immersion blender. Add the cheese and mustard. Add more water or stock if needed for desired consistency.

The underestimated Brussel Sprout

Have you ever had a brussel sprout? I mean, I know people hear brussel sprouts and say "blech, gross!" but have you actually eaten one before?? I admittedly have not until I ordered it at a restaurant as a side dish. I asked the waiter what he recommended, as I always do, and I was surprised when he replied "the brussel sprouts." At first I was apprehensive but he talked me into it, and I am so happy he did. It was a delicious, slightly bitter tender green that melted in my mouth. The sprouts at the restaurant were sauteed in butter, but I opted for a slightly healthier version at home. I found this recipe at 101cookbooks. The golden sprouts were a great side dish to a fillet of fish.

You can even sprinkle them with grated parmesan cheese!

Try these as a side dish and I promise you will see brussel sprouts in a whole new way!

Golden Brussel Sprouts

1 pack brussel sprouts, around 20 sprouts

olive oil

salt

grated parmesan cheese, optional

1 Wash sprouts well and cut stems off. Slice each sprout in half from root to tip.

2 Heat a large skillet over medium heat with some olive oil, enough to coat the pan. While the oil in the pan is heating up, pour some olive oil on a plate and dip the cut side of each sprout into the oil and then place onto the heated pan.

3 Arrange the sprouts in a single layer in the pan (I had to do it in two batches) so none overlap. Sprinkle with salt and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, taste one to test if tender enough.

4 Serve with grated parmesan, optional.

Flank Steak

After running errands all day, I couldn't wait to have a delicious Sunday night dinner — flank steak was on the menu. I like flank steak because it lends itself well for leftover sandwiches the next day because it is so thin. This recipe only calls for 30 minutes or more of marinading time. Of course the longer you marinade it, the better, but I only had time for 30 minutes and it still had tons of flavor. I then boiled the remaining marinade into a sauce which was fantastic spooned over the steak. A perfect start to the week ahead!

Flank Steak

Marinade:

2/3 cup red wine

2/3 cup soy sauce

6 gloves of garlic, minced

1/3 cup chopped parsley

ground pepper

Flank steak, about 2 lbs

1 Whisk together the marinade and pour over flank in a large ziplock bag. Seal and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Remove and pat dry when ready.

2 Heat grill (I used my george foreman, of course!) and cook on about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove and place on a cutting board to rest. 

3 While the meat is resting, pour the remaining marinade from the ziplock bag into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. The reduce to a simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.

4 Once the meat has rested, slice diagonally against the grain and serve with sauce.