Proud Italian Cook

Eggplant Parmesan Veggie “Meatballs”

February 21, 2020 by Marie 8 Comments

Who says meatballs all have to be made with meat? Here’s a great veggie alternative that’s made with eggplant. They’re lighter in texture but full of flavor!

These eggplant balls have a little chunk of mozzarella stashed into the center so they totally take on the eggplant parmesan taste through and through.

It’s simple to make with just a few steps like cubing the eggplant then sautéing it with a bit of olive oil and water. You want to make sure that the consistency is nice and soft.

Then you’re going to mash all that eggplant up just to make sure it gets nice and smooth, that’s going to make it really easy to mix with all the other ingredients.

When I make traditional Italian meatballs I always add egg, garlic, breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, pecorino and a bit of red pepper flakes, it’s the same with these eggplant parmesan veggie balls, it takes on those Italian flavors perfectly but without the meat!

Make sure you poke a hole into the center when forming your balls and place a cube of mozzarella inside, this will ensure that the cheese will ooze out just perfectly when you take a bite.

So delicious covered in a pool of warm marinara sauce, the smells and taste of eggplant parmesan is in every bite.

Eggplant parmesan that’s all rolled up into a meatball, what’s better than that? You can eat them with pasta or alone with just a salad and a hunk of bread, or you can make yourself a meatless “meatball” sandwich, it’s all good!

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5.0 from 1 reviews

Eggplant Parmesan Veggie "Meatballs"

Author: Marie

Ingredients

Eggplant, 2 or 3, depending on how large they are. Slice the tops and bottoms off, remove the skin peeling it off in a striped manner, keeping some on and some off, then cut the eggplant into small cubes
1 cup or more of toasted breadcrumbs
1 beaten egg
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ cup or so grated pecorino romano
a small handful, chopped parsley
a few tablespoons, chopped basil
¼ cup water
olive oil
salt and pepper
a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
small cubes of fresh mozzarella to stuff inside
marinara sauce, 1 quart or less

Instructions

Heat oven to 375, spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.
Drizzle the bottom of a heated skillet with olive oil and place the cubes of eggplant inside.
Season with salt and pepper on the eggplant then pour in the ¼ cup of water tossing until the eggplant is cooked and very soft and tender.
Mash the eggplant mix with a potato masher until you get a nice smooth consistency, then let it cool down.
Grab a large bowl and add the cooled down eggplant, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, pecorino, garlic, salt and pepper to taste and red pepper flakes, mix well.
If mixture seems too wet and more breadcrumbs.
Roll into balls then poke a whole in the center and add your cubed mozzarella making sure it's well inside and gets covered with eggplant mixture.
When all is rolled out place on oiled baking sheet then into the oven for around 20-25 minutes.
Plop the eggplant balls into warmed up marinara when done baking.
They're ready to serve!

Strawberry and Nutella Dessert Pizza

February 11, 2020 by Marie 2 Comments

Just in time for Valentines Day, I give you this decadent and delicious strawberry and Nutella dessert pizza! Gooey, warm Nutella slathered on top of pre-cooked, crunchy pizza dough, it’s scrumptious!

This is a fun dessert that you can share together with family, friends or a certain someone. It’s unbelievably easy to make and it tastes like a million bucks!

I was thinking how fun this dessert would be in the summertime cooking the dough out on the grill and finishing it off right on the table, it’s that easy.

All you’ll need is a jar of Nutella, a good store bought pizza dough, some fresh strawberries and a can of whipped cream. Of course you can make your own dough and whip your own cream but you really don’t need to in this case.

There’s no exact recipe, here’s what you do.

I used half of a 1 pound dough ball so that would be 8 oz.

Roll it out on a lightly oiled pizza pan that is sprinkled with cornmeal.

Brush some melted butter all over the top then sprinkle it lightly with sugar, then prick it all over with a fork so it doesn’t bubble up.

Place dough into a 475F pre-heated oven and bake it for around ten minutes, you want the crust to be golden but not dark.

Take it out when finished cooking, let it cool down a bit and then while it’s still warm spread the Nutella all over but not on the crust.

Arrange your sliced strawberries all over in whatever design you like, you can even add bananas as well, but I think it’s good to keep it simple.

You can also add a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts if you so desire.

Adorn it with a dusting of powdered sugar and slice it up just like a pizza!

I do recommend a nice dollop of whipped cream right before serving, sweet pizza heaven!

I hope you make this easy, scrumptious dessert!

2 Comments Filed Under: Desserts, Fruit, Pizza Tagged: chocolate hazelnut, dessert pizza, Nutella, Nutella pizza, Valentines day

Orange Honey Garlic and Thyme Chicken Thighs

February 3, 2020 by Marie 10 Comments

This is a one pan dish that I make very often during citrus season. The flavor combinations of orange, honey, garlic and thyme are just amazing and you won’t believe how simple and fuss free this is to make.

Let’s talk about chicken for a minute, the quality of chicken you purchase really makes a difference. I always buy organic chicken, mostly Amish organic when I can find it. Organic chicken is not only healthier but it tastes so much better, therefore it really adds to the taste and quality of the dish.

For this dish I would recommend sweet, juicy in season navel oranges or cara cara which is another variety that I love. You want the citrus to taste super sweet so I would not suggest using blood oranges which sometimes have a tangy flavor.

Bone in, skin on is the way to go for this delicious orange honey chicken. Browning and crisping up the skin is a critical part of this recipe, so make sure you see a deep golden color in the browning process. Also, you want to use a pan that can go from the stovetop to the oven at a high temperature.

Don’t use any non stick type pan, in my opinion you’ll never acquire a deep golden crust on the skin.

A few briny olives compliments the sweetness of the juice which results in a sweet and salty thing going on with the orange honey mix, as well as the savory taste of thyme.

I highly recommend this dish, you can make it quickly during the week or get it together for a nice weekend meal, the flavors are out of this world!

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4.0 from 1 reviews

Orange Honey Garlic and Thyme Chicken Thighs

Author: Marie

Ingredients

1 package of good organic chicken thighs, bone in and skin on ( i had 5 in my package)
6 whole garlic cloves
1 big orange for the juice, maybe additional if needed
A big squirt of honey, like 3 tablespoons
Additional orange slices with the peel on, thinly sliced
dried thyme for seasoning
a handful of olives, a mix of 2 different kinds with the pits, like Castelvetrano and kalamata
olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 450
Heat an oven proof skillet on the stove on medium til it gets nice and hot.
Pat your chicken with paper towel to make sure they are dry.
Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken, then sprinkle dried thyme on the skin as well.
Drizzle olive oil in hot pan then place chicken skin side down and don't move it until you get a deep golden crust on the skin side.
While crust is browning add a little thyme to the other side.
When deep golden flip over chicken, add the garlic cloves, letting them cook til they start to smell nice and garlicky.
Add olives and the juice of one large orange, if not juicy enough squeeze another orange into the pan, you want to see the juice.
Now squeeze your honey into the pan, whisking it into the juice.
Lay your orange slices all around, sprinkle them with a little salt, pepper and thyme.
Brush some of the orange and honey juice on top of each thigh.
Place the whole pan into the oven to finish cooking, (it should only take maybe 15 more minutes but test with meat thermometer to make sure) taking it out and basting it again with the orange and honey mixture, which will thicken in the oven.
Let it rest for 5 minutes then serve.