Eggplant and Artichoke Lasagna (Noodle-Free)

Well, this is my last few days of summer before student teaching begins. The last of life as I know it.

Hmmm that sounds kinda depressing… but actually I’m really excited to be moving forward in my career goals. Plus, I get to teach science and history all day, which I am totally pumped for!

Unfortunately, this may cut into my ability to make recipes and post as frequently. So please bear with me for the next few months. I promise to post as regularly as possible.

As tradition, I like to make a fancy meal before returning back to school. This time, it’s an eggplant lasagna with some artichokes stuffed inside 🙂

Eggplant and Artichoke Lasagna (Noodle-Free)

Ingredients: 

1 medium-sized eggplant

1 (15oz) container of whole milk ricotta cheese

1 (14oz) can of artichokes, drained and chopped

1 egg

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

pepper

1 jar marinara/tomato sauce (or homemade)

1 and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 tbsp dried basil

Directions: 

Cut the eggplant into thin rounds. Place all slices on baking trays and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 15 minutes to make eggplant “sweat.”

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the ricotta cheese, artichokes, egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together. In a 9×13 baking dish, pour and spread out a thin layer of marinara sauce.

When eggplant rounds have “sweated,” wipe of excess moisture with paper towels. Use half of the eggplant slices to make the first layer (overlapping is ok!).

Top with half of the ricotta mixture and spread. Top with 3/4 cup mozzarella. Next, add on another layer of marinara sauce, followed by eggplant slices and ricotta. To finish, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper, and dried basil. 

Tightly cover lasagna with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Afterward, take off foil and continue to bake for 10 more minutes. Let set for at least 15 minutes before serving.

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Summer Veggie Shrimp Bake (Grain-Free)

Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of views on one specific post of mine: my Shrimp and Chicken Fajitas.

This has resulted in me craving some good ol’ shrimp lately. Since fresh summer veggies are everywhere right now, I decided to pair the two together 🙂

Summer Veggie Shrimp Bake

Ingredients:

1 large onion

2 yellow summer squash

1 eggplant

2 green peppers

1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved 

1/2 + 2 tbsp cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp avocado oil

salt and pepper

1 lb raw shrimp

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish.

Chop the onion, squash, eggplant, and peppers into bite-sized pieces and toss in a very large bowl. Add in the tomatoes, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Mix altogether and spread into the baking dish. Place in the oven for 30 minutes.

While baking, remove the shells from the shrimp and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl and mix with the remaining 2 tbsp of parmesan cheese.

After the 30 minutes are up, taking the baking dish out of the oven and up the temperature to 425 degrees. Mix the shrimp into the veggie dish and place back in the oven for 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Eggplant Sauce over Butternut Squash Noodles (Paleo)

Eggplant is what I like to call the “transition” vegetable. Poor thing (yes, I just expressed sympathy for a vegetable), it’s not really the summer vegetable since it comes in at the end of the season. And you can’t really call it a fall vegetable since it peaces out by the time October rolls around. It kinda hangs out in limbo. Unfortunately that limbo is going to be ending pretty darn soon, so time to get the last few meals out of it!

Eggplant Sauce over Butternut Squash Noodles (Paleo)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp avocado oil

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp parsley

1/2 paprika

salt and pepper

1 eggplant

2 peppers

1 and 1/2 cups diced tomatoes with juice

Black olives (optional)

———-

Shredded butternut squash from 1 “neck” *

1 tbsp avocado oil

*By “neck,” I mean the long part of the squash. Simply peel this section, cut off from the round part of the squash (use this part for another recipe), and run through the shredding attachment to your food processor (you can also shred with a grater). Make sure you are working with squash that has NOT been cooked!!!

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium low heat in a deep skillet. Add in onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add in garlic, parsley, paprika, and salt and pepper and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in eggplant and peppers, cover with a lid and let cook for an additional 15 minutes. Afterward, add in tomatoes and olives. Heat for 5 more minutes and then set aside.

During this cooking process, heat the other tbsp of oil in another deep skillet. Add in shredded butternut squash and cover with a lid for 4 minutes, stirring once or twice (DO NOT let this cook for longer!). Place in a bowl and top with finished eggplant sauce.

Eggplant Dip (Paleo)

Once again, I apologize for my lack of posting. With school around the corner (as in, tomorrow), my mind has been preoccupied. Not to mention, I’m still without my computer. Which has made sending out emails, printing out HW, and completing my online class a pain in the butt. I’m practically living at my mother’s house now to have access to a computer. And this is not a Generation Y person complaining about foregoing beloved technology (heck, I’d love to ditch my phone for a few weeks). This is someone being forced to use technology to graduate. I wish blackboards and sent-home notes were still all the rage.

Anyway, what is all the rage right now? (Yes, I know, corny transition). Eggplant!!!! My favorite way to eat it? Roasted! And giving it a blend in the ol’ food processor afterwards? A yummy and fluffy dip/side dish!

Eggplant Dip (Paleo)

Ingredients:   

1 medium-large eggplant

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp salt

pepper, to taste

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the eggplant multiple times with a knife, place on a baking tray, and roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Afterwards, sit eggplant out for 10-15 minutes to cool. Crack eggplant open with a knife and spoon insides out and into a food processor (discard the peels or set them aside to eat). Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and blend until all the ingredients come together. Serve hot or cold. I either dip veggies in this or just scoop it into my mouth with a spoon 🙂

Italian Eggplant Tomato “Pasta” (Paleo)

Soooo sorry, for being MIA for the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I’ve been having computer problems that I figured I should get fixed before my semester begins.

Actually, my computer troubles began over a year and a half ago when my laptop decided to no longer connect to the internet, unless it was right beside the router. Meaning, for the last year and a half, I’ve been blogging and doing anything requiring internet while huddled under the desktop computer desk.

Consider that a test for how much I love this blog.

Anyway, since my laptop is currently across the country, I have not had access to any of my recipes and pictures. Which has been driving me off-the-wall crazy! Now originally, the Geek Squad people told me my laptop would be back in “3-5 days.”

Currently, we’re at Day 11 of no computer (not to mention quite a few hundred more dollars for repair than predicted) 😦

Due to the delay of repair, the recipe and picture below is literally right-off the stove (har-har).

Italian Eggplant Tomato “Pasta”

Ingredients:

1 tbsp avocado oil

2 small eggplants, diced into bite-sized pieces

1/2 onion, chopped

1 sweet pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 handful of fresh basil, ripped into chucks

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried oregano

salt and pepper

1/2 cup full-fat, canned coconut milk

10 tbsp tomato paste

3 cups fresh spinach

Zucchini

Directions: 

Heat oil in pot. Add in eggplant, onion, pepper, and garlic. Cover with pot lid and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use this time to chop tomatoes and turn zucchini into pasta “noodles.”

Add tomatoes, basil, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper to the pot and continue cooking for 15 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk and tomato paste until smooth. Add in spinach and cook until wilted.

Serve sauce over stove-heated zucchini “pasta.”