Fried Breaded Eggplant with Basil Pesto and Heirloom Tomatoes

Felt like I had stepped into an Italian restaurant, a bit of heaven, but alas it was just my little italian kitchen. :) This was a delicious and spontaneous discovery.

1/2 medium eggplant (meaty variety with less seeds) peeled, ~5/8 thick slices
dust in flour (tap off extra)
Whisk together:
2 eggs
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp herb mix (sage, parsley...)

Dip floured eggplant slices in egg mix and sprinkle with minced garlic
Fry in a couple tablespoons of olive oil until tender to touch (similar to the feel of a raw chicken breast) for a few minutes on each side. (Better option, infuse olive oil with garlic flavor by sauteing garlic and letting sit awhile, remove it and fry eggplant.) Breading is lightly browned.

Spread basil pesto generously and serve with fresh heirloom tomatoes bite-size wedges.

Caution: keeps hot for a long time

No experimentation needed.

Eat and Enjoy!

Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms with Artichoke Cannelli Beans

This can be served with meat of your choice or as a side dish. I would recommend a medium rare steak with this. I ate it alone, vegetarian style. Nevertheless, I am single college student. My expectations for a "well-rounded" are typically non-existent.

High heat to caramelize for a couple minutes:
3 Tbs seasoned oil (from 250g of seasoned artichoke hearts)*
1 medium yellow onion thick sliced
Reduce heat and add:
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup baby portabella mushrooms quartered
Salt and pepper
Set aside and return pan to heat and add immediately:
1 can cannelli beans drained
3 artichoke hearts chopped (more as desired)
salt and pepper
Serve with fresh parsley

*local COOP go-to, for only euro 1.19

Patate Fritte con gli Odori (French Fries with Herbs)

Briefly preheat in 210 C oven:
2 1/2 T olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp fresh rosemary minced
opt sprinkle red pepper flakes
opt sprinkle roast herb mix

Toss and coat thoroughly
2 cups sliced potatoes (french fries size or whatever)
sea salt and pepper

Turn occasionally, cooks in about 15 minutes

To make more of a complete side dish add sliced cherry tomatoes and sweet red onion! Eat along side roasted herb chicken and garlic butter green beans.

Delicious!
Experiment and Enjoy!

Next I want to try a crunchy herb breading/crust or something for the french fries, or maybe I'll do that with zucchini or eggplant.

Fresh Stinging Nettle Tea

2 - 3 quarts boiling water in a big pot

Turn off heat

Add a bunch of washed stinging nettles

Cover and let stand for 10-20 minutes

Strain, cool, and store in refrigerator.
Taste is light and sweet like green tea
Optional: add lemon peel

Not sure what this plant is, but it is growing on a tree behind my apartment building and smells like jasmine. Lovely!

Dijon Curry Stir fry

Fry on medium high heat until vegetables are ready
1 1/2 cups frozen minestrone vegetable mix (green beans, peas, potatoes, carrots, spinach, cannelli beans, onion, celery, red bell pepper)
1 + Tbs olive oil
sea salt and four seasons pepper
Add:
1 egg (pour in center of skillet and stir while cooks, once thickened, mix into vegetables to create a creamy effect)
1/4 tsp curry powder
red pepper flakes
1/8 - 1/4 tsp dijon mustard (thinned mine with some nettle tea I had on the side)

Enjoy!

Asparagus Fennel Soup

The title makes this sound like a simple recipe, but actually there are a lot of unusual ingredient combinations. In my opinion it was very good, but I've learned since adjusting my diet that my tastebuds have been adjusted as well. Experiment and find what you'd like to tweak. I recommend skipping the cucumber juice, it was to tangy and overpowering.

2-3 cups homemade chicken broth
1 medium sized fennel bulb
1/2 red bell pepper
1 cup (+/-) asparagus
juice from 1 small lemon
1/2 cup peas
optional 1/4 cup pickle juice and chopped cocktail dill pickles
1/8 tsp roast herb mix
1/2 tsp (+/-) paprika
salt and pepper

Experiment and Enjoy!

Satisfying Hamburger Vegetable Stew

Precook:
1 cup ground hamburger
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 clove garlic
1 tsp stone ground dark mustard
salt and pepper

3 cups homemade beef broth (with bits of good fat)
1 small yellow onion
1 stalk celery
1 large carrot
(add towards end so to prevent overcooking)
1 small zucchini
1/4 cup fresh parsley
precooked hamburger
salt and four seasons pepper

So.De.li.cious!

This is an easy one to experiment with, the vegetable combination really accents the wonderfully satisfying beef broth. mm mm good.

ENJOY!