Eggplant Involtini with Rose Romano's Italian Peppers

I'm guessing that many of you reading my post today are bloggers as well.  Did you ever feel like to scream because something went wrong with your blog or you decided to add a new feature only to realize that the code entered was all wrong and you were terrified that it could mess up the layout?

This happened to me three times over a period of several weeks. For some reason I keep thinking I'm some sort of tech wizard - NOT!!!

My blogger friend Jo-Lynne of Musings of a Housewife came to my rescue.  She's an amazing woman, wife, mother, business woman and still has time for an incredible blog. I had several issues come up with my blog and each time she helped me, she's very tech savvy.  So you can imagine the gratitude I felt.  

I wanted to pay Jo-Lynne for helping me but she wouldn't hear of it.  So after practically begging her to let me pay her in some way she asked if I would like to sample one of her clients products and tell her what I thought of it.  

A couple weeks later I received a wooden box filled with All Natural Rose Romano's Italian Peppers - 2 jars of topping with Marinara and Red Bell Peppers and 2 jars of topping with Marinara and Green Bell Peppers. Along with the toppings was a beautiful brochure sharing a brief history of the Romano family with menus to create using the toppings, plus a small recipe book.  I felt like I'd received an early holiday gift - it was FANTASTIC!

I knew immediately what I wanted to make.  One of my favorite Italian dishes is Eggplant Parmesan. I've never been a fan of making it like lasagna - the typical way, cutting squares for yourself then leaving the rest exposed.  I prefer making Involtini's - little roll-ups.  Everyone can take the amount of Eggplant Involtini's that they like, and the rest can be stored for later.  

If you've never made these you're in for a treat especially topped with Rose Romano's Marinara and Italian Peppers.  It was delicious if I do say so myself. Rose Romano's Marinara and Italian Peppers are the perfect blend of peppers, tomatoes and spices.  Add it to dishes to give them more pizzaz or pour in a bowl and simply use as a dip - it's that good!

My Eggplant Involtini's would be a great dish to prepare during the holidays, for a crowd, or just your own family.  It's not difficult to make, just be sure to mise en place before assembling, then it's a breeze!

Here's the recipe........

Eggplant Involtini

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup Progresso Italian Style bread crumbs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

3 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper

1 (15-ounce) carton ricotta cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded thin

½ cup Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

¼ cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 egg

1/8 teaspoon black ground pepper

1/3 cup olive oil for frying, or more as needed

Marinara Sauce (homemade or jarred) 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.  Cut stem and end from eggplant.  Peel the eggplant partially in strips, leaving some of the peel intact.  Using a mandolin or meat cutter, slice the eggplant into thin lengthwise slices, about 1/8” thick.  Let the eggplant slices soak in cool water with 1 tablespoon salt added for about 30 minutes while you prepare the other steps.

Place the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, and parsley in a shallow plate.  Beat the eggs until fluffy.

Prepare the filling by placing the ricotta, mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, parsley, egg, and pepper in a bowl.  Mix well and set aside.

Rinse the eggplant in cool water and drain.  Dip each slice in the beaten eggs and then the bread crumbs on both sides.  

Place the olive oil in a large skillet and over medium heat; fry the eggplant about 2 minutes on each side until golden.  Salt and pepper lightly as they fry.  

Drain slices on paper towels.  Add olive oil to pan as needed, and if necessary,  clean pan midway of frying.

Meanwhile, using a baking dish approximately 13" x 9" sprayed with non-stick spray, pour in 1 cup marinara sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.  Place 2 tablespoons ricotta filling on each eggplant slice, and spread gently.  Starting from the short end of the slice, roll the eggplant up jelly-roll style.  Place each roll, seam-side down, in the baking dish.  You should have approximately 15 rolls depending on the size of your eggplant.  If all of the rolls do not fit, use an additional baking dish.

Pour the remaining sauce, an additional 3-4 cups over the rolls.  Top with the Parmesan cheese.  Cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Bake approx. 30 minutes, until bubbly on the sides.  

Serve this comforting dish with a simple side salad.

Enjoy!!!

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables

Tonight I was in the mood for some fresh fish and veggies but my husband just felt like a Roasted Chicken from the grocery store and a salad.  So I picked that up for him and roasted myself some fresh veggies with Quinoaand decided to forget the fish. 

I just didn't feel like anything heavy but something light and healthy.   When I was at the store I looked to see which vegetables looked their best.  I decided on eggplant, butternut squash, baby tomatoes and spinach and then for the protein I thought I'd make a batch of quinoa which contains 6 grams of protein.

There really isn't much of a recipe.  It's just simply boiling 2 cups of water and adding 1 cup of well rinsed quinoa to the boiling water.  After it returned to a boil, I turned the heat down to a simmer and I covered the pot for about 15 minutes.  I then turned off the heat and let it set for another 15 minutes to absorb the rest of the liquid and give the quinoa time to fluff up.

In the meantime, while the quinoa was cooking I washed the tomatoes, butternut squash and eggplant.  I cut the squash and eggplant into cubes and placed all 3 vegetables together, mixed with some olive oil on a foil lined cooking sheet.  I then placed the vegetables into a 450F degree oven for about 20 minutes or until all were tender, then drizzled the veggies with a chiffonade of basil.  I cooked my vegetables on convention/bake, so if you are just baking it would probably take closer to 30 minutes.

When the veggies were just about done I rinsed a 10 oz. package of spinach and put it into a pot (with just the droplets of water clinging to the spinach leaves), to cook for all of 4 minutes.  Just enough to wilt them and keep their bright green color.

At this point I placed a fistful of quinoa into a bowl and topped it with the roasted veggies and spinach.  

After eating this dish I was totally satisfied and full.  The protein in the quinoa really helps to fill you up while providing so many nutrititional benefits.

A simple yet satisfying meal.  If you're looking for something light, nourishing and delcious try making this dish. Of course feel free to substitute with the vegetables of choice.

Enjoy!