How to trick picky eaters: Roasted Pepper and Eggplant Marinara

Now I cannot take credit for this recipe because I actually saw it on the Rachael Ray talk show a while back. I love eggplant and my boyfriend hates it, but I am convinced that he would not even notice the taste or texture of eggplant in this sauce! It is also a fun recipe to try because you get to play with fire and cool kitchen appliances ;)
I live in a fancy establishment where my kitchen is all high tech and stuff....... and so because of that my stove will set off the smoke detector, which we believe to be heat censored because there won't be any smoke in the apartment. This causes for fun chaos with Charlie! Every time it goes off he takes off running to the censor and barking at it and jumping to get it, never a dull moment with a wiener running around!

I am no dietitian but I can say that fruits and vegetables are good for you! The end. Eat them.

 I don't think I should have to say anything else but try this recipe and let me know how it goes! It is so good! :)

Ingredients

• 2 large red bell peppers
• 1 large Fresno chile pepper or whatever chili pepper you'd like
• 1 large head garlic
•  fresh rosemary sprig, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 1 medium-large firm eggplant
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing eggplant
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes
• 2 fresh basil leaves, torn
•  fresh oregano sprig, leaves picked and finely chopped- If you only have dried oregano rub it in your hand before you put it in to release the flavor.
• 1 pound long fusilli pasta
• Grated Pecorino cheese
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

-First things first char the skins of sweet and hot peppers to black under a broiler with oven door slightly ajar, to prevent steam build up or place directly over stove top flame. I used the stove top because that is what I saw on the show and it just seemed like a whole lot more fun, but a bit complicated! Be careful!

 

-Then you want to cover the charred peppers and let them cool, peel them, and seed them. To do this you I ran them under cold water to get the black skins off and I cored them and just let them rest in a little bowl.


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the head of the garlic (where it all bunches at the bottom) to expose the cloves, cover it in  some extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Press the garlic into the chopped rosemary and coat the cut cloves. Wrap the garlic up in foil and roast 40 to 45 minutes, until soft but still moist. -- You keep the dry outside part of the garlic on it... trust me!

Cut the eggplant lengthwise and brush the inside with extra-virgin olive oil. Season the cut sides of eggplant with salt and pepper and place cut-side down on baking sheet and roast to very tender, 30 to 40 minutes. When it is done it will look like a deflated pool toy. Cool the eggplant until easy to handle, then scoop the flesh away from skins and add to a food processor with roasted garlic and roasted sweet and hot peppers, then puree. When you take out the garlic you just squeeze it out of its "shell" into the food processor. If you don't have a food processor... its time to invest, just do it. You can use the food processor for almost anything! Look below for a cheesy picture of me getting my new food processor.. I was that excited!

In saucepan, heat the stock and tomatoes. If the tomatoes are whole, break them up with a wooden spoon so you don't scratch your pot! Stir in the eggplant-pepper mixture and add basil and oregano, salt, and pepper, to taste.Simmer sauce to combine flavors.

 I would use a curly pasta so that it "holds" on to that sauce, but you can use whatever pasta you'd like! Toss the cooked pasta with sauce and serve with cheese and if you're feeling extra fancy sprinkle fresh parsley on top.



You can also make this as a make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat.

 

Voilà!

 And as promised a cheesy picture showing just how much I love my food processor....

Comfort food doesn't have to be bad for you!

Sundays are usually lazy day filled with laundry and homework. This past Sunday my roommate and I had three of our friends over, one has four legs and played with Charlie and Ellie. While the puppies played around we had a cozy low-sodium "healthy" chicken parmigiana! Fair warning- I am not Italian so this may not be the "correct" way of making this dish, but this is just an easy way to make it!

I am not a huge fan of breaded anything so when I make chicken parmigiana I season the chicken breasts with Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning and since I was making this meal low sodium, I didn't add salt to my seasoning. By adding lots of flavor with this seasoning you don't even miss the salt! I use my handy little misto olive oil sprayer to spray a small frying pan and saute the chicken briefly, just a minute or two on each side.

While the chicken is in the frying pan, I cover the bottom of a baking dish with whatever type of marinara sauce I have at home. I then place the "cooked" chicken in the baking dish and place it in a preheated oven at 350°F  for about 15 minutes, all ovens are different so just keep an eye on it and check the internal temperature of the chicken if you want to be sure its cooked all the way. You want to check the chicken towards the end of your time so you don't puncture your chicken multiple times and let all the juices flow out. For chicken you want an internal temperature of 165 °F. By sauteing the chicken before hand it takes some time away from cooking it in the oven!
When the chicken  is about half way done I add some more sauce to the top of it and allow it to cook all the way. Right before I take it to the table is when I sprinkle the cheese on top. I didn't have shredded parmigiana cheese at home so I cheated and used two slices of provolone for four chicken breasts.

To along with that I made some high fiber whole wheat spaghetti from Trader Joe's and tossed it off with some of the sauce I used on the chicken. I once heard that you should "salt the water like the Mediterranean" when you make pasta, so I usually do that, but since I was being sodium conscious I didn't salt the water as much as I usually do!

Overall we had a nice relaxing Sunday eating good food and watching the puppies play :)

I want to blog dammit.

For WEEKS now I have been telling my coworker and everybody around me how I want to blog. Well here goes. I'm blogging. I will warn you I am the kind of person who thinks she's funny, but really I'm not all that funny. OKAY! So where to begin my blogging journey..

Since this blog is called cooking with charlie I should explain that Charlie is actually my dog. He is chocolate and tan "miniature" dachshund.  I say "miniature" because lets face it what dachshund is truly miniature...He has a large personality and makes me laugh on a daily basis!  Some could say that I'm obsessed with him, and I would probably have to agree. It is crazy to think of how much I really love this dog! He's a wiener.So in January Charlie turned 1 years old! I like the good dog momma that  I am decided I needed to throw him a party! I made mini dog cupcakes for him, which he LOVED! Then we opened presents which is the funniest thing to see. I learned this about Charlie on Christmas, but he is like child when it comes to presents. It is like he knows they're coming and they're for him. Charlie's grandma sent him a package filled with gifts and goodies, and I got him a few little toys. Once he got a toy he just ran with it and started playing with it, then he'd come back for his next gift! Funniest thing ever!

Banana Peanut Butter Mini Cupcakes (yields 6) 

Ingredients:
Cupcake:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons honey
1/2 egg (whisk it and use half)
"Icing"
1 mashed banana 
1 Tablespoon of peanut butter
a little honey for consistency 

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Combine ingredients
- In a prepared mini muffin tin divide the batter
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until firm
-Stir all the "icing" ingredients
-ice the cupcakes once cool and top with dried fruit! (I used dried apples)

Charlie thanking me for the AWESOME party and singing!

Charlie loved his cupcakes he didn't want to share with Amy ;)

Charlie is part of my family, and I treat him like he is!