Eggplant Gratin

This is not the most healthy dish out there. But it is really good for an every once in a while dinner option. I eat vegetarian twice a week, so I'm always looking for a good veggie dish that is filling. I haven't had a whole lot of experience with recipes with eggplant, so this has been in a nice addition. Now, I have something else up my sleeve other than roasting eggplant.  I actually ended up making this two weeks in a row because my sister liked it so much. 

 

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe, so all the credit goes to her. 

Ingredients

olive oil
1.5 lbs eggplant, unpeeled, sliced about half an inch thick
half cup ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
half cup half-and-half
1 cup freshly grated parmesan (you can use the non-freshly grated and it still tastes good)
1 cup marinara
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat about 1/8 inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, anywhere from 5-7 min. Do this will all the eggplant slices. You will need to add in more olive oil as you go, because the eggplant soaks it up – transfer it to a plate with paper towels to drain to help with the greasiness.
While you are cooking the eggplant, mix together the ricotta, eggs, half-and-half, half cup of the parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper in a small bowl.

 Now, you can either bake these individually in gratin dishes, or you can cook the whole thing in a casserole dish. In each of your four gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant, sprinkle with parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon on 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, then 1/4 of the ricotta mixture and last, sprinkle parmesan on top.

 Place the gratins on a baking dish and bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned.

You can serve this with a nice leafy green salad and some crusty bread for a full meal. 

Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese

 

I had been having a huge craving lately for mac and cheese. But not the Kraft, boxed type. I don't know how much healthier (of if it even does) this recipe is for using greek yogurt over some other creamy sauce. My sister who is completely anti-carb and dislikes pasta type dishes, actually ended up really enjoying this. I changed it up a little from the original recipe that I pinned on pinterest, which you can find here: http://www.cookingalamel.com/2013/08/creamy-greek-yogurt-mac-cheese.html?crlt.pid=camp.wQI0ejUBdpOm

Anyways, here is it:

• 8 oz. (about 2 cups) elbow pasta (can usewhole wheat)
• 8 oz. (about 2 cups) shredded cheese (a sharp cheddar is great)
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Cook the macaroni according to the box instructions.

Place the spinach leaves in the bottom of a strainer, and pour the pasta over top to drain and wilt the spinach.  Save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Return the cooked macaroni and wilted spinach to the pot.


What I actually did instead was cook the spinach for a few minutes in a little olive oil. Then I added the pasta.


Add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pot, and stir in the cheese until melted.  Stir in the greek yogurt, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, until smooth and creamy.  Stir in the remaining pasta water to thin, if necessary.  Serve immediately.

You don't have to put the spinach, if that is not your thing. This is definitely going to get some rotations on Mondays and Wednesdays at my house since I don't eat meat those two days. You can also add in cubed ham, bacon, or sliced chicken breast as well. 

California Chicken and Veggie Rice Bowl

Well, its been a minute. I haven't done a lot of extensive cooking lately. I'm trying to post up recipes that I try on Pinterest that are actually pretty good (cause a lot of them aren't) to save you the trouble of a bad meal. Anyways, this one is really pretty good! And its really easy and healthy (although you do end up using a lot of dishes and whatnot...hope you are smarter than me and use the dishwasher). I am on this clean eating habit now, so don't be surprised if a lot of the things I post going forward are healthy (but good). So here is the recipe:

Ingredients

Chicken
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, cubed if using skewers, leave whole if not
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (may sub 1 tablespoon dried)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (may sub 1 tablespoon dried)
The Rice + Veggies + Avocado
• 1 1/2 cups jasmine or basmati rice
• 3 cups water
• 2 red pepper, cut into fourths (why is red pepper like a dollar more than green? its the one dollar question)
• 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt + pepper
• 2 avocados, mashed very well
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• salt + pepper, to taste
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled (optional, I used feta because I like feta!)

Instructions

1. *At least 30 minutes before grilling, soak your skewers (if they are bamboo) in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from charring.
2. In a large bowl combine the olive oil, garlic, onion powder, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, parsley and basil. Add the chicken and toss well. Cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the meal.
3. Make the rice. Add the water to a medium size pot. Bring to a low boil and then add the rice. Stir to combine and then place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely and let the rice sit on the stove, covered for another 20 minutes (don't take any peeks inside!). After 20 minutes remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Note that rice can cook differently for everyone, this is just what works for me.
4. Pre heat the grill to medium high heat.
5. Add the red pepper and zucchini to a gallon size ziplock bag. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Seal the bag and shake well so the veggies are coated with olive oil.
6. Remove the chicken from the fridge and if using skewers, skewer the chicken (or if you do not have skewers you can leave the chicken whole and cut after grilling).
7. Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, gently flipping 2-3 times until chicken is cooked through and has light char marks. While the chicken is grilling grill the zucchini for about 4 minutes on each side, or until tender and the red peppers for about 5 minutes flipping once or twice during cooking. You may also use a grill pan to do this or even just cook everything on the stove.
8. Remove everything from the grill and let cool 5 minutes. Once cool slice the red peppers into strips and if you have whole chicken breast cut those into cubes.
9. Add the mashed avocados to a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
10. To assemble the bowls, divide the rice among 4 bowls or plates. Top each bowl of rice with equal amounts of chicken, grilled peppers and zucchini. Add a large dollop of the avocados and then add the fresh tomatoes and walnuts. Sprinkle with blue cheese if desired. Serve warm.

Black Bean Salad!!! Cus you don't need lettuce to make a salad!!!

Ingredients

30 ozs black beans (rinsed and drained)
3 ears (fresh cooked corn, kernels cut off the cob)
2 red bell peppers (diced)
 2 cloves garlic (minced)
 2 tbsps shallots (minced, from one medium shallot)
2 tsps salt
14 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsps sugar
9 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (best quality such as Colavita)
1 tsp lime zest (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
6 tbsps fresh lime juice
 12 cup chopped fresh cilantro (plus more for garnish)
2 hass avocados (chopped)

Instructions 

Combine all ingredients except for avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a more chopped cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe Feedback 

I liked this salad a lot...it actually seemed to get better with time. Buy fresh corn and buy canned beans to save time. Make sure you rinse the beans thoroughly. A citrus juicer is really helpful. The negative about this salad is that it requires a lot of slicing and dicing. But its a nice break from the lettuce!!! A lot of healthy veggies and its actually really filling. I would recommend taking this to a potluck/picnic or a good healthy option for lunches during your work week...just make sure you have 45 minutes the night before to spend prepping. I went a little light on the cilantro, for me its more of a garnish...used probably half of this recipe's recommendation.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

INGREDIENTS
PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
12 corn tortillas, torn into bite-size pieces
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (3 cups = about 12 oz)
1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
1 can (10 oz each) red enchilada sauce
1 can (8 oz each) Hunt's® Tomato Sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack blend cheese, divided
DIRECTIONS
1. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add tortilla pieces and chicken; mix well. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until hot, stirring frequently.
2.Pour undrained tomatoes and enchilada and tomato sauces over chicken mixture in skillet. Mix well. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over chicken mixture. Cover skillet; cook 5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally.
3. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Serve immediately.
Tips:
If you are cooking for two people, I would recommend halving this recipe. That way you won't have a lot of leftovers. Its a good recipe, but not the greatest to have re-heated up a few times.

Motivate your employees

It should be no surprise - Most workplace problems are actually management issues. You will at times have an employee that is impossible to motivate - If that is the case, its best to get rid of them. Most people will work an work hard if:

-their work is appreciated, recognized, and challenging;
-they’re compensated appropriately;
-their management is competent, hard working, and doesn’t have its hand in the cookie jar, more or less.

As a manager, its seriously up to you to make sure that this is happening. Here are some tips to motivating your people:

- Exhibit flawless work ethic. Lead by example. If you screw around, they’ll emulate you. Likewise, if you’re seriously hard-working, they’ll seek your approval by doing the same.

-Indoctrinate them with the big picture. Everybody wants to be a part of something useful. Make the work important to them by telling them why it’s important to others.

-Set goals and hold them accountable. Goal setting in most companies is ineffective. It’s either too top down, too bottom up, or there’s little or no follow-up. Strike a balance somewhere in the middle. Where is different for each situation.

-Provide genuine, real-time feedback, good and bad, no BS. Ask for the same from them. This is one of the hardest things for any manager to do, especially the negative stuff.

-Promote their accomplishments and take the heat for their failures. They need to know you’ve got their back.

-Provide the tools they need to be effective; keep management off their backs; otherwise, get out of the way.

-Give them as much responsibility as they can handle, no more, no less. That’s sort of tricky if you have a big group because it’s really an individual thing.

-Communicate what’s going on as openly as you can within reason and without unduly burdening them with confidential information they don’t need to know.

-Give them personal time to get important things done. We’re not talking about running errands, but important stuff that’s got to be done 9 to 5 like doctor’s appointments.

-Have some empathy, humility, and a sense of humor. It’ll go a long way. Mostly, be yourself. No jokes about sociopaths; they probably don’t read management blogs anyway.