How to Make Eggplant Rollatini

I grew up in Massachusetts and there a few random things I miss about New England. Red Sox baseball, pizza, and eggplant parmesan. I still get to watch the Sox occasionally, so that’s fine. The two food items though are a bit underwhelming, in my opinion, to eat out here in the West. While there are a couple of amazing pizzerias in the high country, most fall flat. Yes there are styles of pizza that rival a classic East coast by the slice such as: Frank Pepe’s Original New Haven Style Pizza,  Chicago deep dish and thin crust, Detroit-style,   I won’t get into that here today. Eggplant Parm is something I basically lived on in high school, along with the aforementioned pie. Usually in the form of a nice and warm sub although depending on where you come from it could be a “grinder” a “hero” or a “hoagie.” As much as I love the dish, I seldom make it at home for two reasons; it’s super labor intensive and super messy to make. By the time you’ve spent half the afternoon cutting, breading and frying the eggplant, the kitchen is a destroyed and half your kitchenware is dirty. That’s before it even bakes!

So my at-home go-to is a distant cousin of eggplant parmesan and perhaps also had Manicotti or stuffed shells in it’s family. Eggplant Rollatini has very similar flavor profiles and takes half the time to make. Also clean up is way easier than trying to scrub all the spilled breading ingredients off the kitchen counter for an eternity.

So lets get down to it. Now I highly recommend using a mandoline for this project, it cuts down on the amount of time slicing the eggplant. There are two kinds, a French variation and what is more commonly used in the food service industry, the Japanese style. I picture the former because that’s what most people have and is more readily available in kitchen stores. If you don’t have one you can still make this dish but I implore you to use a sharp (!!) knife and try to make all your cuts as uniform as possible. This will help them evenly cook in the baking process.

 

Ingredients-

1 Large Globe Eggplant

1 C Frozen Spinach, thawed to room temp

1/4 C Chopped Parsley

1/4 C Fresh Basil

8 oz Ricotta Cheese

1/2 C Shredded Italian Blend Cheese (or Mozzarella or Grated Parmesan)

Jar of Pasta Sauce

1 Lemon

1 Egg

Salt and Pepper

These portion sizes listed are to make a dish that serves 2ish people since that’s generally what I’m cooking for at home. I made my own red sauce from a batch of local tomatoes that I canned last summer but a nice quality store bought one would work just as well and saves some time. Feel free to add some ground meat to the sauce to turn this from a veggie dish into a meat lovers delight.

The first step is slicing the eggplant. You want to have the eggplant thin enough so that it will roll with out breaking but thick enough so that it doesn’t fall apart in the baking process. If you have a cooling rack, place it over a sheet tray, if not use a large plate. Heavily salt the eggplant and let sit for 10 minutes, rinse and pat dry.

Meanwhile fire up your grill to medium heat and if you’re lacking a grill turn your broiler on to low setting. Season the eggplant with olive oil, just a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Whether you’re grilling or broiling, you are not shooting for a fully cooked slice. More of a par cook, just enough to make the eggplant pliable to roll up. Once done remove from grill/oven and set aside.

Next up is the assembly of the filling, which is wicked easy. Combine ricotta, spinach and parsley in a small bowl and fold together. Season with salt and a few squeezes of lemon. You don’t want the lemon to be overpowering but brighten up the mixture. Take the egg, beat it and fold into filling.

The home stretch is assembling the baked dish. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a baking dish, I used extra virgin olive oil but butter or cooking spray would work too. Lay out the eggplant slices, spread some of the filling near the top (the side furthest away from you) and roll each slice towards you. Place in greased pan, right next to the previous roll. If you end up with extra rolls try and cram them in, this recipe is very forgiving and it won’t affect the end product. Pour your sauce over the rolls. The eggplant should be covered but not drowning as it will still release some liquid while baking. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 20/30 minutes or until eggplant can be easily pieced with a knife. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Garnish with basil, either roughly chopped, torn by hand or if you’re trying to impress someone, finely julienned. Enjoy!!

Red Quinoa, Pepper, and Spinach Egg Bake

I like making “egg bakes.” They’re not frittatas, not Spanish tortillas. Just a bunch of stuff mixed together and baked. You can make them as healthy or fattening as you like. I usually opt for the healthier versions, like this one.
I started by sautéing a yellow onion in a little olive oil. After a few minutes, I added a sliced pepper and let this cook a bit. Not too much- 5 more minutes or so.

Meanwhile, I made some red quinoa. Quinoa is simple- one cup rinsed quinoa to 2 cups boiling water. It takes approximately 20 minutes simmering on low and it’s done. A complete protein in a super cool ancient grain.
I beat 8 farm fresh eggs and added 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Then I mixed it all in a bowl, added some fresh ground pepper, 1 cup grated white cheddar cheese, and some chopped fresh spinach.
Then into the oven at 375 for 40 minutes or so. Covered for the first 30 minutes, then uncovered to let extra moisture cook off.
Then I let it cool a bit. Serve it with toasted bread, extra cheese, sliced tomato… whatever you like.
It’s a great meal and is also great the next day, so I like to make egg bakes when I anticipate being too busy to cook dinner the following day. The possibilities are endless. What combinations do you like in egg bakes?

Tempeh and Spinach Enchiladas

Saute 1/2 red onion, finely chopped, and 4 cloves chopped garlic in a pan with a little peanut oil until it is nice and fragrant and the onions are soft. Next, add 1/4 cup chile mix for enchilada sauce and 3 TB chile powder. Mix this all really well before adding 1.5 cups water.

Into this sauce base, add a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes. I added a can of tomatoes with green chiles for extra flavor. Bring this to a boil and lower heat to simmer while prepping the rest of the meal. Stir occasionally.

For the tempeh filling- 1 package of tempeh sliced into finger-length pieces. Mix up 2 TB peanut oil, juice from 1/2 lemon, some onion and garlic powder, and fresh ground black pepper. Toss the tempeh strips in this and then grill for 5-7 minutes. When cool enough to touch, slice them into fine strips as seen in the photo above.
Next, peel and slice 4 carrots, grill, and then further slice into fine pieces. Mix these in a bowl with the tempeh and 1.5 cups chopped frozen spinach.

Cover the bottom of a large Pyrex baking dish with the sauce. Next, place one layer of whole wheat tortillas (tear them apart if they’re too big). Pour in the tempeh mix, a little more sauce, cheese, another layer of tortillas, and the rest of the sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes or so. Remove from oven to check and see if it is done. If so, add another layer of cheese and bake just until it is all melted. I served this with homemade Sweet Potato Chips and guacamole. Enjoy.

Rice and Potato Bake

This was a last-minute meal on a busy work day. It was good, but needed a sauce, so I topped it with Frontera brand Roasted Tomato Salsa and served it with avocado (because I had lots of ripe avocados on the counter) and Tillamook White Cheddar Cheese.
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups veggie broth
  • 1 cup long grain brown rice
  • 1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 lb potatoes, rinsed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup veggie broth
  • 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (please feel free to use black or kidney beans)
  • 2 cups chopped spinach
  • 6 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup veggie broth
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 TB Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 TB onion powder
  • 1/2 TB dried cilantro
  • red pepper flakes, to taste
First, bring 2 cups of veggie broth to a boil. Add the rice, stir, lower the temp to simmer, cover, and cook (45-50 minutes, most likely- read your rice instructions if you bought a package). Half-way through your rice cooking, preheat the oven to 375.
Heat a separate saute pan on medium-high and add the chopped onion. When it starts to sizzle, add 1/2 cup veggie broth, bring it to a boil, and soften the onions. Next, add the potatoes and cook until they are just done. Add the beans and spinach and turn off the heat.
In a large bowl, add the eggs, 1 cup veggie broth, olive oil, Worcestershire, onion powder, cilantro, and red pepper flakes. Whisk this well, and add the cooked rice and the onion, potato, bean, and spinach saute. Mix this well and pour into a large Pyrex baking dish. Notice that I do not add extra salt. Veggie broth is loaded with sodium, and the salsa topping has a lot of sodium also, so this dish does not need any more added salt. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy.

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