Category: Main Dishes

A couple of  weeks ago my husband and I had dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant.

The eggplant was a disappointment.
So I had to make it for dinner to remind us how yummy it really is.

First, beat two eggs in a shallow bowl (I used a cereal bowl).

Next, place 1 cup flour into another bowl.
I added some seasonings to mine:  salt, pepper, rosemary, basil, and some bread crumbs.

Now, wash and peel your eggplant.

You can see how quickly they begin to brown.
Next, slice it into slices that are 1/4 to 3/8 inches thick.

Dip each slice of eggplant into the egg, being sure to coat both sides.

Then do the same thing in the flour.

Continue until every slice is covered with flour.

Heat some oil  and butter in a frying pan.

When the pan is hot, gently place each slice of eggplant in the pan.

Let it cook until it looks like this when you flip it over.

Mmm.

While you are cooking the eggplant, boil some water and cook a little pasta.
My husband picked fettuccine noodles this time.

In a small saucepan, I also opened some garlic and herb spaghetti sauce and began to heat it.

When the pasta is al dente, drain it.

Remove the eggplant from the heat as soon as it is cooked on both sides, and assemble your dish.

Tonight, I first put pasta on a plate, then eggplant followed by your sauce and Italian cheese.  Garnish with Italian parsley.

Delicious!  You want some?

The thing to remember about dishes such as this is how inexpensive they are.
Because this is a meatless dish, the cost per serving is incredibly low.   I love summer barbecues, but sometimes I feel like we end up eating too much meat.   Dishes like this are nice to rotate into the mix.  It’s also a great way to take advantage of summer produce.
Try it!

Hopeful Homemaker’s Eggplant Parmigana

1 eggplant 2 eggs 1 cup flour 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary 1/2 tsp. dried basil 2 Tb. dried bread crumbs 1 Tb. oil 8 ounces pasta of your choice 2 cups spaghetti sauce 1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese Italian parsley (for garnish, if desired)

Beat eggs in small bowl.  In separate bowl, combine flour and seasonings.
Wash, peel and slice eggplant into 1/4 to 3/8 inch slices.
Dip each slice of eggplant in to egg mixture and then into flour mixture.
In frying pan, heat 1 Tb. oil.  Gently place eggplant into pan.
Turn when golden brown, and remove from heat.
Boil pasta until it reaches desired tenderness.  Heat spaghetti sauce.
Place pasta on plate, drizzle with spaghetti squash and 2 Tb. cheese.
Place 2 slices eggplant on top of pasta, drizzle again with sauce and sprinkle with more cheese.
Garnish with Italian parsley.  Enjoy!

This black bean tart has been a favorite in our home for many years, often requested for birthday dinners and special occasions.  It’s meatless and flavor-packed, full of vegetables, and beautiful.  My kids eat so much of it that I now have to make four of them for our large family.  It’s not difficult, but does take some planning ahead to get the crusts made.  It also tastes great as a leftover.  Recently I served it for lunch at a quilt retreat with some of my favorite quilters and not only did they love every bite, but they also requested the recipe.  You’re going to love it!

Here’s how to make it.  (Scroll to bottom of post for easy to read recipe!)


To make the crust:

Start with 1  1/2 cups flour.  Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Mix them all together, and make sure you enjoy the wonderful smell of all those spices together!

Next, add 6 tablespoons cold butter.  Cut the butter in with a pastry cutter.  The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.

Add 6 tablespoons of cold water to the bowl, adding a little more water if needed, until you can form a ball with the mixture.

Pick up dough, form into a disc, and place in the center of the bottom of a tart shell pan with a removable bottom .  (I use an 11 inch round tart pan.)

With a rolling pin, roll dough out into a circle until you have covered the pan bottom.  Carefully pick up the pan bottom and place it inside the tart pan.  Using your fingers, press the dough up the edges of the pan.

Chill the crust for 15 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 350.  Line the unpricked crust with foil and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake another 8-10 minutes or until the crust is beginning to turn a golden brown.

Remove crust from the oven and allow to cool completely!  And since cooking at my house is usually done with more than one child hanging on my legs and sometimes with more than one helper, I thought I’d share this shot my daughter took of my 16 month old baby helping measure the flour for the second crust.

To make the filling:

Rinse and drain 2 (15 oz) cans black beans. Thaw 12-16 oz frozen corn, and drain if necessary to avoid a runny tart.  We prefer sweet white corn.

Chop one sweet red pepper.  Slice 1/2 cup green onions.

Now chop 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (I love the smell of chopped cilantro!)  If you don’t like cilantro, you can substitute parsley.  My family likes cilantro so much that I usually add a little more than 1/2 cup.

In a large bowl, combine remaining black beans, corn, red pepper, green onions and cilantro.  Add 1 1/2 cups cheese.  You can use mild cheddar, colby-jack,  monterey jack, or whatever blend you like.

Mound filling into crust.  Filling should sit higher than the edges of the pan but will settle while baking.

Place tart in 350 degree oven and bake for 20 – 25  minutes or until cheese is melted.

Remove from oven, let cool just long enough to allow you to carefully remove the bottom of the pan and then serve!  We like black bean tart best when served with creamy cilantro ranch dressing drizzled over the top (or in the case of my teenagers, drowning in dressing).

This black bean tart is INCREDIBLY delicious!  It can be served as a main dish, a side dish, or even as an appetizer.  This recipe is worth every minute of the effort you put into it.  It’s colorful, tasty, and always a huge hit!  Here’s the recipe:

Hopeful Homemaker’s Black Bean Tart

crust:
1 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. chili powder 1 tsp. paprika 1/2 tsp. salt 6 Tb. cold butter, margarine or shortening 6-8 Tb. cold water

In bowl, combine flour and spices.  Cut in butter or shortening with pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add enough cold water to make mixture form a ball.  Roll out or press dough onto bottom and up sides of a 9 to 11 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.  Chill for 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line unpricked tart crust with foil and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 8-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack.

Filling:

2 (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained 12-16 oz frozen sweet white corn, thawed 1 sweet red bell pepper chopped (at least 1 cup) 1/2 cup chopped green onions 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh minced cilantro or parsley 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey, colby jack or some combination)

Rinse and drain black beans.  Thaw and drain any excess liquid from the corn.  Chop red pepper, green onions and cilantro.  In large bowl, combine remaining beans, corn, red peppers, green onions, cilantro and cheese.   Spoon mixture in to crust (the pan should be very full).  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Remove from pan and serve!

Creamy Cilantro Ranch Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix 1 cup sour cream 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro 1/2 tsp. minced garlic juice of 1 lime 3 tomatillos, husked and washed 1 cup salsa verde 1 Tb. sugar Chop cilantro and tomatillos.  Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Chill before serving, if possible.