Tag Archives: tomatoes

Jul 23 2012
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From the Garden, Vegetarian, We Eat Well

Panko-Crusted Eggplant Parmesan

I absolutely adore eggplant. For the second year, we are growing it in our garden. So far, we’ve had a pretty good crop despite the incessant drought. I like this recipe for it’s simplicity. Using canned tomato sauce from last year’s garden, Jon created a healthy, well-balanced, garden-centric meal.

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium eggplants, sliced
  • 1 jar garden fresh tomatoes and veggies (you can use chunky tomato sauce from the store)
  • 3 cups panko bread crumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups flour
  • vegetable oil
  • 1 package thin spaghetti
  • Parmesan cheese to taste

Preparation:

In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil. The oil needs to be deep enough that eggplant slices will be submerged when added to the pan. In the meantime, prepare eggplant: dip slice in egg, dredge through flour and then panko bread crumbs. Repeat for each slice. When oil is hot enough, place eggplant slices in oil, turning a few times, until brown on each side. Remove from oil and place on plate lined with paper towel to remove excess oil.

Prepare spaghetti per package instructions- we always add olive oil to the water. Heat tomatoes in a separate pan.

Divide spaghetti among plates, layer with tomatoes and top with eggplant. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

 

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May 29 2012
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Seafood, We Eat Well

New Orleans Shrimp, Okra and Tomato Saute

Jon, and I am sure all of you, gets tired of me saying a dish is my “favorite,” or that it’s the best he’s ever made, but seriously, this dish is awesome. Of course, it contains some of my favorite things: tomatoes, okra and shrimp. Using Jamison’s thick smoked bacon and fresh shrimp from the Asian Market located on the corner of Calhoun and Pontiac, Jon injects this New Orlean’s dish with a bit of Fort Wayne. He raves about the Asian market- everyone there is extremely helpful and the prices cannot be matched. Case in point, the fresh shrimp was only $5 per pound. He did have to clean and devein them, but they really are so much better than the frozen shrimp we usually get- thicker and meatier, with the perfect texture. Oh yeah, did I mention this recipe contains bacon? Can’t go wrong with bacon.
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/4 pounds large uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined
  • 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, divided
  • 3 slices of Jamison’s thick smoked bacon, chopped
  • 2 cups fresh okra, chopped
  • 1 12 ounce container cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp. white vinegar
  • 1 10 1/2 -ounce can clam sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preparation:

Toss shrimp and 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning in medium bowl to coat. Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel to drain. Remove bacon grease from skillet, leaving about 1 tbps. Add 2 tbsp vinegar, okra and cherry tomatoes. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning. Cook 1 minute. Add clam sauce and allspice. Boil until sauce it thickens, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add shrimp. Sauté shrimp until just opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix cooked bacon. Serve.

The original recipe did not include vinegar, however, because okra can get slimy- vinegar prevents this. It also called for flour, to create a roux, but we opted not to thicken the sauce.

*We served ours over Japanese Wheat Noodles, tossed in olive oil and pesto. 

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Mar 19 2012
1 Comment
Chicken, We Eat Well

Creamed Chicken with Corn and Bacon over Polenta

It’s  been awhile. With Jon traveling to Kentucky last week and me spending the past few days in Kalamazoo, we’ve had little time to cook and little time to blog. Scrolling through my photo library I found a dish I had not yet shared, but it is certainly worthy of some attention. Though it’s a bit labor intensive, I told Jon that it may overtake my two favorite dishes: Brazilian Chicken with Olives and Lamb and Eggplant Shepherds Pie (the latter I realize I have never blogged!). Although simplistic in flavor, this dish is complex in texture. With the tender chicken and creamy polenta, coupled with the savory taste, this recipe gets an ah-mazing rating from us! It’s comfort food at its best.

Creamed Chicken with Corn and Bacon over Polenta

(adapted from epicurious.com)

Ingredients

For creamed chicken

  • 6 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast halves
  • 2 cups fresh corn or hominy
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

For polenta

  • 6 cups water
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups instant polenta
  • 1/2 lb Fontina cheese (preferably Italian), diced
  • 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preparation

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring, until crisp. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels, then pour off all but about 1 1/2 tablespoons fat from skillet.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Add to skillet with bacon fat and cook over medium high heat, turning several times, until nicely crusted and just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cool. Tear chicken into bite-size pieces.

Prepare corn and sauce while chicken is cooking: Gently simmer corn and milk in a heavy saucepan until corn is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Pour through a sieve into a bowl and reserve corn and milk separately.

Melt butter in same saucepan over moderately low heat. Add flour and cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in cream, then reserved warm milk, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking, then simmer, whisking, 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, chicken, and corn. Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.

Make polenta: Bring water with salt to a boil. Gradually whisk in polenta and cook over moderately high heat, whisking, 5 minutes. Stir in cheeses.

Divide polenta among 6 shallow bowls. Stir basil into chicken mixture and spoon over polenta. Sprinkle with bacon.

*Warning: The stirring of the polenta may cause fatigue. Overhead, “this polenta is a bitch!”

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Oct 24 2011
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Chicken

Roast Chicken Breasts with Chickpeas, Tomatoes & Paprika

Looking for an easy weeknight meal with a splash of something different? This recipe may be for you. Though I’d probably add green olives to give it a kick, this dish offers some complex tastes and textures for very little prep time. And the best part? It’s beautiful too.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
  • 4 chicken breast halves with bones
  • 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
  • 1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cups cauliflower
  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°. Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour 1 teaspoon spiced oil mixture into small bowl; whisk in yogurt and set aside for sauce. Place chicken on large rimmed baking sheet. Rub 2 tablespoons spiced oil mixture over chicken. Add beans, tomatoes, cauliflower, and 1/2 cup cilantro to remaining spiced oil mixture; toss to coat. Pour bean mixture around chicken. Sprinkle everything generously with salt and pepper.

Roast until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cilantro. Transfer chicken to plates. Spoon bean mixture over. Serve with yogurt sauce.

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Jul 08 2011
4 Comments
We Eat Well, We Live Well

Our Urban Garden

Year two of the urban garden and we are wildly more successful than last. Don’t get me wrong… I loved eating tomatoes until I was seeing red, but I am glad that we’ve mixed it up this year. Our crop includes grape tomatoes, beef steak tomatoes, green and red onions, kohlrabi, eggplant, broccoli, green peppers, red bell peppers, banana peppers, Serrano peppers, cabbage, fennel, Brussels sprouts, basil, spearmint, chives, lavender, sage, oregano, and rosemary. We’ve been enjoying the fresh herbs and kohlrabi already. I can’t wait until the rest is ready!

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Dec 01 2010
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We Eat Well

The Best Chili for the First Snow

Today, we received our first snow of the season. While it’s cold and blustery outside, Jon and I were warm and toasty inside thanks to his adaptation of Havana Moon Chili from epicurious.com. Don’t let the ingredients scare you away, this chili is a keeper.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 pound ground chuck
  • one 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth
  • one 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, halved
  • 1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
  • 2 cups cooked black beans
  • 2 cups cooked white rice

    • Preparation

    Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add the pork and beef, and cook until browned. Drain off the excess fat.

    Add the beef broth and tomatoes, squashing each tomato by hand before adding it. Stir in the vinegar, raisins, spices, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and cook 30 minutes, partially covered. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes more. Add the olives and almonds and cook an additional 5 minutes.

    To serve, place a mound of beans and a mound of rice in each bowl. Ladle the chili on top.

    Adaptations

    Jon used golden raisins in place of “regular” raisins, and diced chicken, pork and beef in place of ground pork and ground chuck. He reduced the rice to 1 cup, and we mixed the black beans and rice into the mixture while it cooked, instead of pouring it over the beans and rice afterward. We topped ours off with sour cream. Delish.
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    Sep 26 2010
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    We Eat Well

    Bowtie Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce and Steamed Broccoli

    Earlier this year, Jon’s mom and sister traveled to Italy and brought back an authentic Italian cookbook for him. Many of the recipes are rather involved, but every once in awhile, he gets inspired, rolls up his sleeves, and dives in. This time he pulled out a recipe for tomato sauce to help us deal with the overabundance of tomatoes from our garden. We made the sauce earlier in the week for fish fillets and reused with bowtie pasta, al dente, and fresh steamed broccoli from the garden.

    Tomato Sauce

    2.5 pints of garden grown grape tomatoes

    6 cloves of garlic

    ½ large Vandalia onion, cut in half

    Salt

    Pepper

    Oregano

    Fresh Basil

    1/3 jalapeno with seeds, cut off tip, quartered

    ¼ cup pine nuts

    Roast the tomatoes, onions and garlic in the broiler till slightly charred. Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth.

    *Note, Jon would do without the pine nuts next time

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    Aug 16 2010
    3 Comments
    We Eat Well

    See How Our Garden Grows

    I went out of town over Memorial Day Weekend, and when I came home, I discovered that Jon had been busy. He planted our very first garden, full of tomatoes, broccoli, rosemary, basil, chives, cilantro, and red bell peppers. It was so cute in its freshly planted status. We had no idea what to expect; we’d never done this before after all. Whoa, how our garden has grown. We now have 7-foot tall tomato plants. We’ve had two cuttings of broccoli, a couple bell peppers, an endless supply of rosemary, basil and chives, and more tomatoes than we know what to do with.

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