vegetable bake | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Category: vegetable bake
- Moroccan Cauliflower
  
  Posted at 8:03 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 23rd
  Moroccan Cauliflower
  
  Roasting vegetables enhances the flavor without losing the nutritional benefits. Cauliflower, basically bland, is the chameleon of the vegetable world assuming the flavor and taste of spices pared with during cooking. A perfect companion for creating an array of interesting vegetable dishes. Adding a Moroccan melody of spices to cauliflower with a touch of honey and pistachios the cauliflower is transformed into an exotic side dish bursting with flavor.
  
  1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size florets (about 8 cups)
  
  1/4 cup olive oil
  
  1 teaspoon ginger
  
  1 teaspoon coriander
  
  1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
  1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
  1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  
  1/2 cup golden raisins, Sun-Maid
  
  1/2 cup chopped pistachios
  
  1/4 cup green onions, diced
  
  1 tablespoon honey
  
  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Toss cauliflower with ingredients and place in a baking dish. Roast for 20 minutes until tender and golden.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Easy recipes, family meals, Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, vegetable bake, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged Cauliflower, Easy recipe, Moroccan spices
- Baked Eggplant Parmesan
  
  Posted at 4:17 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 20th
  Autumn quietly arrives in New England – crisp mornings turn into warm sunny afternoons with the glorious fall sun setting a few minutes earlier each day: Farmers markets stocked with the last of nature’s bounty before the first frost ends harvesting. Beautiful plump eggplant beckons me as I fill my market basket with copious quantities perfect to make my Baked Eggplant Parmesan. Coming from a long line of Italian cooks I’ve eaten and made this southern Italian dish my entire life. Like my mother I don’t fry my eggplant – I prefer to bake – forgoing the extra fat from frying. And I’ve updated the recipe using Panko bread crumbs for a lighter breading. I love to taste the eggplant, not the breading. One more item – I only use San Marzano tomatoes. I like my sauce sweeter with less acidity. The San Marzano variety of plum tomato grows in the rich volcanic soil of the Sarno River valley, near Mount Vesuvius, resulting in a sweet flesh with low acidity. Its thick skin makes it easy to peel off. Plus, it’s meatier than Romas and other plums, and has fewer seeds: all good things for making sauce. Like French Champagne, San Marzano tomatoes are grown under strict rules designed to protect and promote regional agricultural products. In Italy, D.O.P. or Denominazione di Origine Protetta rules ensure that only growers within a defined area adhering to specific farming and canning methods can sell tomatoes labeled San Marzano. I assure the extra cost is worth producing the most delectable sauce for all your cooking dishes that require canned tomatoes.
  
  BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN
  
  INGREDIENTS
  
  Marinara
  
  ¼ cup olive oil
  
  1 head of garlic, cloves crushed
  
  1 large red onion, chopped
  
  ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  
  1 tablespoon tomato paste
  
  ¼ cup dry white wine
  
  2 28-ounce cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes *
  
  ¼ cup torn basil leaves
  
  ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  
  Kosher salt
  
  Eggplant and Assembly
  
  4 pounds Italian eggplants (about 4 medium), peeled, sliced lengthwise ½–¾ inch thick
  
  Kosher salt
  
  3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  
  1½ teaspoon dried oregano
  
  1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
  1½ cups finely grated Parmesan, divided
  
  1½ cups all-purpose flour
  
  5 large eggs, beaten to blend
  
  ½ cup finely chopped basil and parsley, plus basil leaves for serving
  
  6 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, grated (about 1⅓ cups)
  
  8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
  Marinara
  
  Preheat oven to 350°. Heat oil in a large heavy ovenproof pot over medium. Cook garlic, stirring often, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add onion and red pepper flakes, cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste stirring until combined. Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, breaking up with your hands, and their juices; add basil and oregano and stir to combine. Swirl 1½ cups water into one tomato can, then the other, to rinse, and add to pot; season with salt. Simmer for 2–2½ hours stirring occasionally.
  
  Let sauce cool slightly. Pass through the large holes of a food mill or process in a food processor until mostly smooth. Taste and season with salt.
  
  Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
  Eggplant and Assembly
  
  Lightly season eggplant slices all over with salt; place in a single layer on several layers of paper towels inside a rimmed baking sheet. Top with another layer of paper towels and more slices; repeat as needed. Top with a final layer of paper towels. Let eggplant sit until it has released excess liquid, 45–60 minutes. This step gives the eggplant a creamy texture when baked.
  
  Meanwhile, pulse panko, oregano, pepper, and ¾ cup Parmesan in a food processor until very finely ground. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
  
  Preheat oven to 350°. Place flour in another shallow bowl and eggs in a third shallow bowl. Working one at a time, dredge eggplant slices in flour, then dip in egg, allowing excess to drip off. Coat in breadcrumbs, packing all around, then shaking off excess. I don’t fry my eggplant instead I bake. Place eggplant on parchment lined cookie sheet baking for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.
  
  Toss chopped herbs, low-moisture mozzarella, and remaining ¾ cup Parmesan in a medium bowl. Spread 1 cup sauce over the bottom of a 13×9″ baking pan; top with a layer of eggplant slices. Drizzle 1 cup sauce over and sprinkle with one-third of cheese mixture. Add another layer of eggplant, followed by 1 cup sauce and half of remaining cheese mixture. Repeat layers with remaining slices, sauce, and cheese mixture. Cover with foil and bake 45–60 minutes until sauce starts to bubble.
  
  Remove from oven and arrange fresh mozzarella over eggplant. Increase oven temperature to 425° and bake, uncovered, until cheese is bubbling and browned in spots, 15–20 minutes longer. Let rest 30 minutes. Top with basil leaves just before slicing.
  
  Do Ahead: Eggplant Parmesan can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover with foil and chill. Reheat in a 350° oven, uncovering halfway through, until bubbling gently at edges.
  
  * I used Cento San Marzano tomatoes.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Hearty Meal, vegetable bake | Tagged Cento San Marzano tomates, Eggplant, Parmesan
- ROASTED BEETS WITH ORANGES
  
  Posted at 8:57 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 9th
  ROASTED BEETS WITH ORANGES
  
  Gorgeous Roasted Beets and Oranges
  
  Beets taste so delicious that I sometimes forget their health and nutritious benefits. Beets are low in calories yet high in fiber, antioxidants and an array of important micronutrients. And fresh beets are so easy to cook, readily available year round, don’t use canned. Beets roasted with citric juices enhances the root flavor of beets creating a nice glaze. A fine salt like Pink Himalayan is used to finish the dish adding a burst of flavor, not to salt while cooking. Gourmet salts from around the world are all the rage with so many different choices as well as added ingredients. On a recent trip to Amelia Island in Florida I had the pleasure of staying at the Ritz Carlton with the famous Salt restaurant and boutique with the boutique stocking salts from around the world. Assisted by a knowledgeable salesperson I returned home with a array of interesting salts.
  
  ROASTED BEETS WITH ORANGES
  
  12 Beets
  
  1 tablespoon olive oil
  
  1 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme
  
  1 lemon, juiced
  
  3 oranges, 2 juice and one cut into half slices 1-inch thick.
  
  2 teaspoon Pink Himalayan fine salt
  
  Preheat oven 375F.
  
  Remove the tops and the roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets in 1 1/2-inch chunks. (Small beets can be halved, medium ones cut in quarters, and large beets cut in eighths.)
  
  Place the cut beets in oven proof baking dish. Combine olive oil, thyme, lemon and orange juice pouring over beets. Roast for 50-60 minutes, turning once or twice with a spatula, until the beets are tender. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with salt and serve warm.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in cooking, Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, vegan, vegetable bake, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged baked veggies, beets, Healthy, oragnes, Ritz Carlton Amelia Island, vegan
- Baked Stuffed Eggplant
  
  Posted at 1:01 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 2nd
  Eggplant a versatile vegetable who like a chameleon changes assuming the characteristic of the spices and ingredients used by the cook. Eggplant parmesan, beautiful stacked eggplant, tomato, mozzarella towers, baked stuffed eggplant and more I could continue adding to the variety of the eggplant recipes; all equally delicious. I was moved to create this recipe one day when I was at a farmer’s market and saw a beautiful array of eggplant glistening with fresh picked dew beaconing me to purchase. Once home I started thinking about how to cook the beautiful eggplant and I just decided to leave the eggplant whole hollowing out the center using the meat as stuffing and the shell as a baking dish. As a filler to substance to the ingredients I use La Casa de Grano Fregolo Sarda a traditional Sardinian Pasta that is toasted available at Italian markets such as Eataly or on line. I loved the texture and resulting taste all the flavors marrying to create a delicious baked eggplant, a beautifully presentation too.
  
  1 eggplant
  
  juice of 1/2 lemon
  
  pinch of sea salt
  
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  
  1 tablespoon fresh basil
  
  1 tablespoon fresh thyme
  
  2 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
  
  1/4 cup La Casa de Grano Fregolo Sarda, cooked or orzo
  
  2 teaspoon capers
  
  4 oz brie, rind removed and cubed
  
  oil for drizzling
  
  1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  
  1/8 teaspoon pepper
  
  garnish with fresh basil and thyme
  
  Preheat oven to 400F. Gently remove top of eggplant and set aside. Cut out eggplant meat and cube. Place eggplant in bowl add lemon juice and sea salt. Put olive oil in saute pan and heat. Add garlic and saute until slightly translucent, don’t brown. Add cubed eggplant, basil, thyme cooking about 5 minutes until eggplant is soft. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes after adding pine nuts, pasta and capers. Put eggplant mixture into hollowed out eggplant layering with cubed brie. Place eggplant lid on top. Drizzle with olive oil seasoning with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the filling starts to escape from the eggplant. Serve at room temperature.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, vegetable bake, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged Baked Eggplant, brie, farm fresh, La Casa de Grano Fregolo Sarda
- Baked Stuffed Quiona Artichokes
  
  Posted at 12:24 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Apr 2nd
  Ingredients
  
  4 large artichokes
  
  2 quarts of water
  
  1 lemon, halved
  
  2 bay leaves
  
  2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  
  1/8 cup salt
  
  1/2 cup Quinoa cooked according to package instructions. I like Earthly Choice
  
  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  
  2 tablespoons assorted fresh chopped herbs (such as parsley, basil and oregano)
  
  2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, toasted
  
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  
  Salt and black pepper
  
  Directions
  
  Cut off the stem, trim the tips from the leaves and cut off the top quarter of the artichoke. In a large pot bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and add artichokes. Squeeze juice from the lemon halves into water, then add the bay leaves, garlic cloves and salt. Cover, reduce heat to simmering and cook until artichokes are tender, and base can be pierce with a knife, about 25 minutes. Drain artichokes. Placing the artichokes on their base, spread apart the outer leaves and carefully remove and discard the center section and fuzzy choke, leaving outer leaves intact.
  
  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine Quinoa, cheese, herbs and oil; season to taste with salt and pepper. Carefully spread apart leaves of artichoke, leaving them attached. Pack Quinoa mixture into all available spaces. Place on a baking dish and bake 25 minutes or until golden.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in vegetable bake, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged easy, pine nuts, quinoa, stuffed articokes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries
  
  Posted at 8:11 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Feb 5th
  Brussels Sprouts are widely trendy now. Everyone is making these beautiful veggies! I love this recipe for Thanksgiving combining Pecans and a fall favorite fresh Cranberries. Roasting brussels sprouts brings out the nutty flavor which is enhanced by the addition of pecans. Fresh cranberries tartly play off the smooth taste of fig balsamic vinegar.
  
  Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecan and Cranberries
  
  1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, sliced in half and yellow leaves removed
  
  3 tablespoons olive oil
  
  1 teaspoon allspice
  
  1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
  1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
  
  1/2 cup fresh cranberries
  
  1 tablespoon fig balsamic vinegar
  
  Directions
  
  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  
  Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, allspice, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking dish, top
  
  with pecans. Place on center oven rack.
  
  Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Top with cranberries roasting another 10 minutes. Drizzle with vinegar. Serve immediately.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, vegan, vegetable bake, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged Brussels Sprouts, Cranberries, pecans
- Farro Stuffed Eggplant
  
  Posted at 5:42 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 20th
  I just love the end of the summer produce with all the unbelievable varieties. Eggplant is one of my favorite veggie with all the wonderfully different types in not only farmer’s markets but at local grocery stores. I found these great round eggplants that just shouted stuff me. You can stuff eggplant so many different ways. With these round beauties I went for a simple stuffing using eggplant, scallions, garlic, basil, red pepper, cherry tomatoes and farro. Farro, an Italian grain gives a nutty like favor to the stuffing. I serve these eggplants as an main dish with salad and fresh baked bread.
  
  Farro Stuffed Eggplant
  
  2 round eggplants
  
  1/4 cup olive oil
  
  1 bunch scallions, sliced, white part only
  
  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  
  red pepper flakes
  
  2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  
  1 large red pepper, shopped in to small pieces
  
  1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
  
  1/2 cup farro, cooked according to directions
  
  Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Spray a baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Slice tops of eggplant and discard. Cut out the pulp of the eggplant. Using a spoon scoop out remaining pulp making a bowl out of the eggplant. Chop eggplant pulp into cubes then place the pulp in a colander; sprinkle with salt. Also sprinkle salt inside eggplant bowl, both set for 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant pulp and bowls with water patting dry with paper towels. Heat olive oil in medium sauteing pan add scallions cooking on medium for a few minutes then add garlic. Cook just until you can smell the garlic, add red pepper flakes and basil. Continue to cook for a minute then add red peppers and tomatoes. Cook for five minutes stirring to keep the veggies cooking evenly. Then add farro stir to combine. Remove from heat cooling for 15 minutes. Stuff eggplant with farro filling. Place in prepared baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, light dinner, Side dish, vegetable bake, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged easy, Eggplant, farm fresh, farro, tomatoes, vegetarian
- Easy sauteed fresh vegetables
  
  Posted at 8:25 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Apr 16th
  Eat your vegetables your Mom always said and she was right! Veggies are so good tasting as well as good for you. Low in calories, fat, no salt, cholesterol or sugar. I love to just saute fresh seasonal veggies for a dinner. I just serve over greens, polenta, farro or any whole grain. I wonderful healthy satisfying meal.
  
  Sauteed Fresh Vegetables over Greens
  
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  
  1 large shallot, chopped
  
  Two Red peppers, chopped
  
  8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms, I like baby portabella
  
  1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
  
  1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
  
  2 teaspoon capers
  
  1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
  
  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
  2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  
  Fresh greens, I used a combination of kale and baby spinach
  
  Heat olive oil in medium saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic cooking for about 2 minutes. Don’t brown garlic as it will become bitter. Add shallots continuing to cook for another 1 minutes. Next add the red peppers and mushrooms cooking for about 5 minutes. Gently combine tomatoes stirring for another 2 minutes. Add capers, olives, pepper and basil cooking for a few minutes. Place veggie mixture on top of greens.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Easy recipes, family meals, Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Healthy, light dinner, lunch, vegan, vegetable bake, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinner | Tagged beans, easy, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, vegetarian
- Farm Fresh Tomato Eggplant Bake with Mozzarella
  
  Posted at 6:05 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 17th
  We New Englanders live for the summer months when all the area CSAs and farm markets products are local, fresh and available. Perfect for a vegetable lover and cook. Here is my problem, I get carried away by the bountiful beauty at my local Farmer’s Market going overboard with my purchases. I just can’t help myself, I’m like a kid in a candy shop! What to do when I return home with my bags bursting with all kinds of produce; Cook up all the veggie casseroles that just pop up in my brain. This week I was loving the large local tomatoes along with the deep purple eggplant. I picked up locally grown onions and fresh local mozzarella to finish creating my Tomato Eggplant Bake with Mozzarella. I just added olive oil with my home grown herbs for a flavor bursting veggie dish, quick, easy and delicious.
  
  Farm Fresh Tomato Eggplant Bake with Mozzarella
  
  1/2 cup olive oil
  
  1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  
  1 large eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced, salted*
  
  1 large vadalia onion, thinly sliced
  
  2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
  
  8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
  
  1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a large 13″by10″ baking pan. Layer eggplant on baking pan. Drizzle with herb olive oil, then top with onion, drizzle herb oil, followed by 1/2 of the slice mozzarella. Continue to layer with tomato, remaining oil then the last of the mozzarella. Sprinkle with finely chopped basil. Bake for 45 minutes until cheese is melted and starting to brown. I then like to broil for a few minutes just so the cheese is bubbly.
  
  *To salt eggplant, peel and cut thinly. Place it in a colander, sprinkle generously with salt (don’t worry, you’ll be rinsing most of it off before you cook it) and let it sit for about an hour. Before using, thoroughly rinse the eggplant and pat it dry.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Casserole, Farm Fresh Produce, Main Dish, vegetable bake | Tagged Casserole, Eggplant, Mozzarella, tomatoes, vegetables
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