Life Behind the Curve

Do you know what is awesome about doing a little blog project with your friend? You get to go on vacation and still have posts go up! Woohoo! This week Mel reincarnates an old favorite with a healthy flare. This is one of those dishes that I’ve never prepared. Heck, I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten Eggplant Parmesan. When I get back from vacation, and I’m ready to start thinking about cooking again, I think I’ll have to give this a shot. In the mean time, get fresh with Mel as she makes it for her and her family.   

- EmmieJ   

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Eggplant is a vegetable I have grown to love. Back when Tim and I first started dating, he would order Eggplant Parmesan and ask me to try it or suggest we make it sometime. I couldn’t be bothered. It just didn’t appeal to me. I would go to the grocery store, see the odd looking vegetable and think, eh…just looks like a purple squash so, um NO. (Squash will be what I tackle next.) So, years past and we had our first daughter, Haley. When she was 2years old, her life was all about pizza and pasta and there was rarely anything else we could prepare for her that she would sit down and eat without a battle. By battle I mean throwing pieces on the floor and me giving up and breaking out the ziti. I just wanted the girl to eat. I knew she wasn’t into chicken and I’m not sure what made the light bulb go off, but I had my “ah–ha” moment. I imagine this little puffy thought bubble appeared above my head with a big purple eggplant inside. I collected recipes and tried with flour coating, breadcrumbs, jarred sauce and then homemade sauce until I found what tasted best and guess what?  SHE ATE IT!  I figured I should give it a try. I did and have been hooked ever since.   

Lately my taste buds have been yearning for some eggplant parmesan. Let me preface this by saying I’ve been making some significant changes to the way I eat. It’s impossible for me to give up carbohydrates completely (as well as other things that I love) without wanting to hurt someone, so I’m eating them in moderation or finding healthier ways to make things. Eggplant has vitamins C and B1 as well as a high fiber content which, along with helping our digestive process, also acts against coronary heart disease. Another benefit of eggplant is its anti-bacterial, diuretic effect due to its level of potassium which also plays a role in regulating blood pressure.   

I searched the web for a bit and found a few recipes for “Healthy Eggplant Parmesan.” I chose this one and worked from it. I will admit I was a skeptic at first.   

Here are some also helpful facts I found online here.   

• Purchasing Eggplant: Smaller, immature eggplants are best. Full-size puffy ones may have hard seeds and can be bitter. Choose a firm, smooth-skinned eggplant that is heavy for its size; avoid those with soft or brown spots. Gently push with your thumb or forefinger. If the flesh gives slightly but then bounces back, it is ripe. If the indentation remains, it is overripe and the insides will be mushy. If there is no give, the eggplant was picked too early. Also make sure an eggplant isn’t dry inside, knock on it with your knuckles. If you hear a hollow sound, don’t buy it. NOTE: Whether or not there is an appreciable difference, I don’t know. 
• Storing Eggplant: Eggplants are very perishable and become bitter with age. They should be stored in a cool, dry place and used within a day or two of purchase. To store in the refrigerator, place in a plastic bag. If you plan to cook it the same day you buy it, leave it out at room temperature. 

Baked Eggplant Parmesan   

Ingredients (I do a good portion of my shopping at Trader Joes, so you can easily find these items there):   

• 2 medium eggplants (1 medium = approx 1lb)(pick glossy purple eggplants. Dull purple it usually means they are over ripe.)
• 3 egg whites (anyone have a clue what to do with the unused yolks?)
• 3 Tbsp of water
• 1 – 1 ¼ cup of breadcrumbs
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt, pepper, dried basil and oregano
• Large Can of TJ’s marinara sauce (about 28oz)
• 3 large handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese (Approximately ½ a bag, but I would just eyeball it to your taste.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat two baking sheets with Olive Oil Spray or whatever cooking spray you have on hand. I peeled the eggplants with a veggie peeler because we do not prefer the skin on. Then cut into about ¼ inch thick slices. Whisk up the egg whites with water in a shallow dish. Get the breadcrumbs ready in another dish. Mine were not preseasoned, so I added salt, pepper basil and oregano. Next you dip the slices in the egg and then cover with breadcrumbs and place on a baking sheet until you have finished. I gave them all another quick spray of olive oil on top as well.   

Bake them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes on each side until golden brown.   

I’m a fan of this process now because I never realized how much work it actually took to stand at pan and frying eggplant so that it was perfectly golden.   

Next take a ceramic baking dish about 8 x 11 ½ (2 inches or so deep) and spray it with olive oil lightly. Cover the bottom with the marinara sauce sprinkle some basil & oregano and add a layer of eggplant overlapping a bit. Cover with sauce, more basil & oregano and a good handful of shredded mozzarella and repeat. I made 2 good layers. Pop it in the oven for about 25 minutes and it’s done.   

I burnt my mouth right after this picture digging in with a fork. I couldn’t help it!!!

The recipe makes enough for six servings. I’m posting the nutritional information because I imagine it’s pretty accurate and it doesn’t make me feel so bad about eating its cheesy goodness.   

Per serving: 203 calories; 6 g fat (3 g saturated, 2 g mono unsaturated); 13 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 12 g protein; 8 g fiber; 563 mg sodium; 777 mg potassium.   

I did this late Tuesday night. Tim asked what I used the baking pans for and I told him to bake the eggplant first. He made a face, naturally, and I shoved a fork full at him. He hadn’t even finished chewing and said “THAT is WICKED good!!!” and then a swallow followed by “Fucking awesome!! I’m gonna have some of that right now with a salad.” My thoughts exactly.   

The kids ate the leftovers heated in the microwave Wednesday for dinner. Haley gobbled hers up and although Rory gave me a “what the hell is this” face at the start, she signed “more” and threw a fit when I told her “all gone.”   

I have to admit it was actually even better the next day and didn’t have that greasiness that fried eggplant leaves in the dish after it sits. 

- Mel

I have a lot of fond memories from college, but most are not typical of today’s college student. I transferred to Rutgers as a junior to be close to Scoot, who also had just transferred to accept a football scholarship. (He became my fiancée about ten minutes after I landed in New Jersey. He’s a smart man.) Instead of hanging out with our peers, we spent a considerable amount of time with faculty and staff with whom we had become friendly. The group of them that we spent the most time with included a number of Africans. We’d occasionally go to a local Ethiopian restaurant and, once, were invited over to one of their homes for an African meal. It was during this meal that I was introduced to peanut butter collard greens. For this week’s experiment, I decided to attempt to recreate them.     

- EmmieJ    

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Like I normally do, I turned to Chef Google and, wouldn’t you know it, the first recipe I found was for African-inspired collard greens in peanut sauce. I headed off to the store to buy two bunches of greens. Collard greens are low in calories and rich in vitamins B, C and beta carotene. A recent study by researchers at UC Berkeley also found that a chemical common in greens like collards exhibits anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties.    

Fresh collard greens

Like other greens, collards cook down so two bunches ended up being just right for about four moderately sized servings.    

When I went to pull up the recipe, the link was broken. Luckily, I have a near photographic memory and could recall most of what I was supposed to do. The one thing I was unsure of was the cooking time. Here is how I made them:    

• Rinse greens. Cut off end of stems (I cut just above those white ties to make things easy). Chop greens into thin strips.
• Boil 1 – 2 cups of water in a large pot. Add greens. Cover. Steam for 5 – 10 minutes.
• Drain greens, reserving cooking liquid into a bowl. (Warning: The liquid looks like pee. You’re welcome.) Return greens to pot.
• In a separate bowl, add 1/2 cup peanut butter. (I used mass-marketed reduced fat peanut butter. If you have the chance, I highly recommend the most natural peanut butter you can get, as it’ll keep the flavor more true to those of African cooking, since there won’t be as much added sugar.)
• Mix cooking liquid into the peanut butter, a small amount at a time, until it’s the consistency of sour cream or yogurt.

Creating the peanut sauce

• Once it reaches the desired consistency, add the peanut sauce into the greens, stirring to coat.
• Add a bit of freshly ground sea salt to taste.
• Turn heat on to low and cook uncovered for another 10 – 15 minutes. (My greens ended up being somewhat al dente. If you’re used to southern style greens that have been simmering for a long time on the stove, you may want to increase the cooking time.)

Collard greens in peanut sauce

 I love to have thematic meals but in all honesty, dinner last night was just a mishmash of random stuff that we had in our fridge. The greens were a hit with me and Scoot. The boys did not like them. Even D, who loves the canned collard greens that we’ll buy on occasion, did not like them. Like he went over to the trashcan and spit them out. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Guess we’ll just have to ship the boys off somewhere so Scoot and I can enjoy them again.

Allow me to introduce one of my BFFs, Mel. She rocks. Seriously. You may know her as @agirlnamedmel (or as the Tweeter formerly known as @bostonmama79). Mel doesn’t have a blog. Yet. I’ve convinced her to join with me on this quest to force her to blog. (Shhh…don’t tell her.) Unfortunately I only convinced her to talk about vegetables and not all things Friends, hip hop or Converse. She also rocks almost as much as Dr. Google. Alas, the day will come. In the mean time, please welcome My Girl Named Mel to mi casa and show her how awesome you all are. (Oh, and excuse her wicked Bahston accent though in all actuality I’ve never heard her speak. But I hear it in my head when I read her since she even writes with an accent…and a whole lot of commas.) Love you, Mel. Thanks for getting fresh with me.   

- EmmieJ  

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Like a lot of people, I’m usually rushing around pressed for time, so that can make putting together healthy well-balanced meals a challenge. I love me some veggies, but preparing them in a way that tastes good to me and the rest of the family, which includes my two girls, Haley (9 years) and Rory (16 months) is a struggle. Then there is Tim, my “better half,” who, unless it’s a potato, basically force feeds himself for the sole purpose of being a role model to the kids and not getting *the look* from me. But we won’t go there today. Generally my kids are good eaters. I can’t complain because they will eat fish, turkey, chicken, and a decent variety of veggies with minimal complaints. It’s just that every night we are either rushing to fix dinner in-between activities or not eating until 7pm (sometimes later), so it’s come down to pizza with veggies thrown on just so I don’t feel like a complete failure. They are getting bored and to be quite honest, so am I.   

I’ve always wanted to learn how to cook cauliflower outside the frozen version covered in cheese sauce. Cauliflower contains a high amount of vitamin C, folate, fiber, and complex carbohydrates. I knew I had to find the right recipe because if the results were horrible, my family would immediately write it off.  

I thought I would go simple this first time around and chose this Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower recipe.  

I didn’t follow the recipe exactly because I’m one to eyeball rather than measure. The ingredients I worked with were:  

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

I peeled the leaves off the bottom of the cauliflower and then cut off the head from the large thick stems at the bottom. I then broke it up into bite size pieces. I spread it onto a baking pan, drizzled with some EVOO and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then I hand tossed it a bit and threw it in the oven at 425 degrees.  

It took about 15 minutes for it to start to brown and soften up. I have to admit that I tried a piece and it was pretty damn tasty at this point in the cooking process. I drizzled the cauliflower with about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and sprinkled over some parmesan cheese and put it back in the oven for about 7 more minutes until it was fork tender.  

Balsamic and Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

The brown color is partially from roasting, but mostly the balsamic vinegar. After the picture was taken I tasted it and was really surprised with the flavor. The balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese together are really delicious. Tim agreed. The kids did eat it, but preferred the pieces that didn’t have as much vinegar. Haley suggested that next time I only sprinkle it on half of the cauliflower, and I agree it would be just as good that way.  

- Mel

This weekend, my friend Mel (@agirlnamedmel) and I were talking about health, nutrition, weight loss and cooking. We’re pretty smart ladies, “wicked smaht” as Mel would say, and we know how important it is to eat fruits and veggies. As working moms, however, we both find it challenging sometimes to incorporate fresh vegetables into our meals. We get in a rut, serving the same boring things every week, or worse serving nothing at all. We decided that we’re going on a quest to discover new vegetables and new ways to prepare the vegetables we already eat.     

Each week, one of us will try something new and share it with you all here. We’ll let you know how easy or difficult it was, whether our kids liked it and if we plan to make it again.     

If you have any ideas or recipes you think we’d like to try, email us at lifebehindthecurve@gmail.com or link to it in your comments and we’ll give it a shot.    

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Last weekend when I was at my parents’ house, my mom sent us home with a bag full of locally-grown, organic vegetables from their co-op. In that bag was a bunch of Rapini, also known as broccoli rabe. This particular broccoli rabe was from a family farm in Capay Valley, not at all far from where we live.

I’ve never cooked broccoli rabe and though I know that I’ve had it at restaurants (based on a vague memory of seeing it on a menu or two), I don’t remember anything about how it was prepared. I headed over to Epicurious and sure enough, there was a really simple recipe for it.    

Fresh broccoli rabe

Basically, you boil salted water, add the broccoli rabe, cook for 3 minutes, plunge in ice cold water, drain, then sautee in (too much) olive oil and garlic and toss with freshly ground sea salt.This broccoli rabe had been in a fridge for over a week and, though fairly impressed with the longevity of the veggie, I’m pretty sure that the little yellow flowers starting to bloom indicated it was getting a bit long in the tooth.  Updated: Mom says the yellow flowers were there when she got the broccoli rabe straight from the farm. Woot!

Overall, the recipe was quite simple and took less than the 20 minutes or so it took D to make the pigs-in-a-blanket he insisted on having for dinner.   

Broccoli rabe is a bit bitter but the garlic and olive oil were a nice touch. I am a huge fan of salt so I’ll be a fan of almost any recipe that calls for adding freshly ground sea salt.      

Broccoli rabe is a good source of vitamins A and C and folate and provides 112 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin K.      

Sauteed broccoli rabe

I’ve never looked to see if broccoli rabe is sold at my local Safeway but it’s definitely a vegetable I’d look for in the future. It was easy, gave some variety to our meal and tasted good.