Eggplant Parmigiano - No Frying

We are thankful for our garden which is producing an abundance of eggplant - tomatoes are just now coming in along with zucchini, peppers, Swiss chard, more beans and other good stuff.

We are thankful for this eggplant which earth has given and human hands have made. I've done this before but here is a brief summary: peel, slice, salt the eggplant; dredge in flour that has been seasoned; dip in egg, dip into bread seasoned crumbs; place on oiled cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until tender; sprinkle with parmesan (parmigiano) - this is what makes it eggplant parmigiano; put some tomato puree or sauce on bottom of a casserole, layer  the eggplant and sauce into the casserole; top with a little mozzarella if you like; bake at 350 for another 25 minutes or until bubbling hot. Suggestion : Serve with fried sausage and peppers.

Chili Con Leftovers

I made another non-traditional chili tonight. About the only thing it has in common with chili is the chili powder and beans, and even then I didn't have the right beans.

Two nights ago I grilled some pork loin cutlets, very lean but seasoned and grilled to perfection, not dry but juicy. I also grilled some zucchini and some jalapenos and Portuguese hot peppers with evoo, garlic, black pepper. Last night we had corn on the cob leftover.

Sweet Corn off the Cob, Beans, Parsley, Basil,
Chili Powder, Roasted Hot Peppers,
Pork, Tomato Sauce

Into the crock pot went two medium size cans of tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce - just the plain tomato sauce) four pork loin chops cut into very small pieces, three medium size cans of beans (black beans and great northern and small white - that's all I had on hand) two ears of corn, kernels only, five or six jalapenos and Portuguese hots, roasted and peeled, and a whole zucchini which I first diced and sautéed with an onion and garlic and green pepper and a good handful of green beans from the garden that I cut up - all sautéed in evoo till tender. A few spoons of chili powder, parsley, basil, NO salt as the canned beans have some salt.

Sauteing some Zucchini, Onion, Green Beans,
Green Pepper,  Garlic, EVOO

The chili cooked all afternoon. We added a little shredded cheddar (not as much as I used to because I'm limiting my fat intake).

It had just the right amount of heat for me, a little hotter would be good too; I will say it was really tasty.

Dinner's Ready!

The Chili Con Leftovers with Cheddar and Bread

Simple but Picture Perfect

Grilled Salmon and Shrimp with Garden Veggies

Finally we are getting tomatoes from the garden along with green and hot peppers, eggplant and zucchini. Skewer those veggies with a giant shrimp and drizzle with garlic infused olive oil and grill until just charred. Along with a nice piece of salmon which was on sale at $3.99/lb and you can't go wrong.