Eggplant Lasagna

So far this summer my husband's garden is not yielding a lot of produce. One thing we seem to have a lot of every week are plum tomatoes.  Making me crush and make lots of homemade tomato sauce.  We have had pizza a few nights to enjoy that sauce.  This week also he plucked an eggplant from the garden.  A recent cleaning out of the pantry I discovered a box of lasagna noodles hiding in the back.  And it was that box that prompted this meal.  It was also the perfect time in the week to make a bigger meal that would yield plenty of leftovers for us since I know tomorrow night our schedules will not match up and we would each be on our own for dinner.  Also looking at the basket of tomatoes and the eggplant on my counter I knew I had to do something with it all since we had some plans to eat out this week it was now or never before the produce went bad.  And I could not let that happen.  So we instead enjoyed this wonderful meal.  And as my husband noted he did not miss the usual meat that was typically found in lasagna. 

Lasagna Recipe:

28 oz tomato sauce

1-2 eggplant thinly sliced (depending on size) *I like to peel mine but you don't have to

1 15oz. container ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 box no boil lasagna noodles

1 teaspoon oregano

1  egg

1 cup mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a foil lined baking sheet place eggplant slices sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast ten minutes, flipping halfway through

Preheat oven to 370 degrees. In a medium bowl mix ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup parmesan, and oregano.  In a lasagna pan (I only had an oval casserole dish so I wound up breaking noodles to fit) place sauce in bottom of dish to coat.  Place a layer of noodles. Layer with eggplant.  Spread some cheese mixture on eggplant then coat with sauce.  Repeat this process.  Make sure to top with a layer of lasagna noodles covered with sauce, then remaining parmesan and mozzarella.  Bake about 50 minutes covered with foil until bubbling. Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Homemade Tomato Sauce:

plum tomatoes ( I had a colander full)

2-3 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 onion diced

5-6 leaves fresh basil

1/2 tablespoon oregano

pinch of red pepper flake

salt and pepper

In a pot of water boil tomatoes about 10 minutes or until skins crack.  Drain.  Place tomatoes in a mill and churn until only skins are left.  In a skillet heat olive oil and add onion, cook about 203 minutes until softened.  Add garlic cook another minute.  Add rest of spices.  Add tomato sauce.  Simmer 15 minutes.  

Pressed Vegetable Picnic Sandwich

Summer is the perfect time to plan a picnic.  And nothing travels better then a pressed sandwich.  This one is inspired by a french pan bagnat.  This is a meatless sandwich consistently of mainly vegetables. I also love the combination of pesto and olive tapenade on this sandwich. All are layered on the bread then wrapped and pressed using a heavy skillet or pan while it chills in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.  I think mine could have pressed a little longer.  I could barely fit my mouth around this monster of a sandwich! Sadly I had prepared these sandwiches to take to a outdoor movie night in the local park, however due to rain we ate at our kitchen table and rented a movie to watch from our couch.  

Sandwich pairs well with a nice glass of wine and a tomato/cucumber salad.




Sandwiches:

crusty bread (ciabatta, baguette etc..)
Roasted vegetables, I used 1 small zucchini, 1 small eggplant, 1 bell pepper  (slice all vegetables toss with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and herb de provence place on baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 15 minutes at 375)
4 oz goat cheese
2 tablespoons of pesto
2 tablespoons of olive tapenade*
1 1/2 cups baby spinach
basil leaves
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Allow vegetables to cool.  Cut bread, remove some of the inside if very thick.  On one half spread the pesto, on the other half spread the olive tapenade.  On the pesto side spread goat cheese.  Layer vegetables on bread.  Top with drizzle of olive oil and spinach. Close sandwich.  Wrap in plastic wrap and place in Ziploc bag.  Place in fridge with a heavy skillet or pan on top.  Chill 4 hours or overnight.


*Olive Tapenade:
2 anchovy fillet ( used a teaspoon of anchovy paste)
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Mash all ingredients (except olive oil) together to form a paste,  whisk in olive oil

Summer Side Salad

This summer  it's all about different cold salads.  They are easy, and are portable for lunches.  This one uses quinoa, wheat berries, and couscous as the base.  Added to that are some fresh garden vegetables, dressed with a  simple vinaigrette.   This can be used as a side or even as a meal when served over some fresh spinach with some grilled chicken.

If you have not had wheat berries they add a nice nutty taste. Quinoa are small grains that are a filling whole grain.  Couscous are little pearls of pasta. 

I admit I am not a fan of fresh tomatoes I am often picking them out of things
but my husband loves them so for this I only placed one little chopped tomato
in. Please feel free to add more!


Salad:
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (*I cooked the quinoa and wheat berries together as they took the same amount of time and water)
1/2 cup cooked wheat berries
1/2 cup couscous
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1 small carrot peeled and diced
1-2 green onion diced
1/2 zucchini diced
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons  red wine vinegar
4 tabelspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon herb de provence
salt and pepper to taste

Cook grains according to package.  While they cook dice vegetables.  Once grain are cooked place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil to keep from sticking and allow to cool.  Add chopped vegetables.  Drizzle with vinaigrette when serving.






Works well paired up with some fresh baby spinach