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Zucchini & Eggplant Pie

July 20, 2017 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Zucchini & Eggplant Pie

When I was a kid my godmother had a picture up in her kitchen of a woman being attacked by zucchinis. They are flying at her from all directions and she is covering her head in panic. I was always fascinated by that picture and when I asked her why she had it, she explained that a friend had given it to her as a joke, knowing how much she hated zucchini. When I asked her why she hated zucchini so much, she said it was because it didn’t taste like anything and there were always everywhere.

At this time of year I always think back on that picture as I struggle to come up with more and more ways to use up the zucchinis which seem to breed like rabbits in my refrigerator drawer. I start to throw zucchinis into everything—bread, pancakes, pasta sauces, I even roast them into chips. Luckily, this works for just the other reason that my godmother doesn’t like them: they are bland. Zucchinis will soak up whatever flavors you put next to them, they are a sponge. And so, instead of seeing the blandness as a bad thing, I am trying to see it as an opportunity for experimentation.

This Zucchini & Eggplant Pie is the outcome of just that sort of experimentation. My friend Darci shared her favorite zucchini and corn pie recipe with me. I didn’t have corn, but did have a ton of baby eggplants, so I decided to play. I used the basic technique she shared with me, simplifying it to one pan instead of two, and decided to add spices and flavors that would compliment the eggplant—Middle Eastern spices and feta cheese.

The outcome was awesome! My 9-year-old exclaimed, “I can’t believe how good this is!” and my 7-year-old, who was incredibly skeptical since he is not a fan of zucchini, ended up eating almost his whole serving, even after filling up on bread. This dish is very simple to pull together and makes a nice summer dinner. It would also be great for a brunch or served cold for lunch. So if you are drowning in zucchini like I am, give this one a try.

And now I’m off to make zucchini bread…

Zucchini & Eggplant Pie
 
Save Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
25 mins
Total time
35 mins
 
Author: Jessica Braider
Recipe type: Dinner, Brunch, Lunch
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 large or 3 small zucchini, thinly sliced (1/4 inch or thinner), about 4 cups
  • 1 small eggplant, thinly sliced (1/4 inch or thinner), about 3 cups
  • 5 eggs, beaten
  • 4 oz shredded mozzarella, plus a little more for the top
  • 4 oz crumbled feta
  • ¼ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 Tablespoon Za’atar seasoning (or ½ Tablespoon dried basil and ½ Tablespoon dried oregano)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375.
  2. Slice the onions, zucchini, and eggplant. In a large, deep oven-safe skillet (cast iron works well here), melt the butter over a medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and sauté until soft, about 8-10 minutes. When you put the vegetables in the pan will be very full. Don’t worry, they will shrink down as they cook.
  3. While the vegetables cook, mix together the spices, cheeses, egg, and flour.
  4. When the vegetables are ready, take the skillet off the heat and pour the egg mixture on top. Stir gently to make sure everything is covered in the mixture. Sprinkle a little extra mozzarella on top. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and place in the oven.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the lid or foil and turn the oven to high broil and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese on top is starting to bubble and brown. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold.
3.5.3226

 

Filed Under: Dinner, Healthy Eating, Lunch Box Food Tagged With: cheese, Easy, eggplant, eggs, healthy, Vegetables, zucchini

Shakshuka Pita Pizza

March 9, 2017 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Shakshuka Pita Pizza

“I received free samples of Toufayan Pita mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Toufayan Bakeries and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

Shakshuka. Shakshuka is a dish that has been on my list of recipes to blog about for a long time now. When I first heard about shakshuka, a dish in which eggs are poached in a seasoned tomato sauce, I was not enthusiastic (as I have blogged about before, I tend to be a bit of an egg purist), but the dish just kept showing up in different places and was mentioned by chefs and bloggers that I respect and admire. So finally I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and give it a shot. And, of course, it was delicious and super simple to make—a win, win!

But today I want to share with you and even simpler meal that I am calling Shakshuka Pizza. This is one of those meals that is great for a crazy weeknight when you have about 15 minutes to get dinner on the table but everyone is sick of quesadillas and grilled cheese….

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Dinner, Family Dinner, Feeding Kids, Lunch, Quick Dinners Tagged With: cheese, Easy, egg, healthy, pizza, shakshuka, Spinach, tomato

Lasagna Soup

February 16, 2017 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Lasagna Soup

A few years ago I was really desperate to find ways to get vegetables into my younger son. I had tried the battles, I had tried the pleading, and now I was trying to use the division of responsibility approach, which meant that I would choose what foods were offered but that he then would have the freedom to choose what he ate out of what was on the table and there would be no special meals or negotiations. What that meant for our family was that some nights I made a dinner that had vegetables on the side, which he almost never ate, and some nights I made a one-pot meal that included the vegetables in the dish. Often times he would pick around the vegetables, but sometimes I would find a dish that he loved so much that he would plow right through, not even noticing the vegetables.

There were two types of one-pot meals that tended to work for us. Soups and baked pastas. The kid loved (and still loves) pureed vegetables soups, which was very helpful when I felt like I was going to lose my mind. And while he would sometimes pick around the vegetables in a baked pasta, some strays would make it into his mouth and he was always cheerful when pasta was involved. Win-win. So when I discovered lasagna soup I knew I had to give it a go….

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Filed Under: Dinner, Family Dinner, Feeding Kids, Healthy Eating, Picky Eaters, Quick Dinners Tagged With: carrot, cheese, Easy, healthy, lasagna, Spinach, tomatoes, Vegetables

Mexican-Style Potato Gratin

December 21, 2016 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Mexican-Style Potato Gratin

While I am not a huge risk taker, I do love it when something pushes me outside of my comfort zone just a little bit. As my family and close friends will attest to, I love adrenaline rushes, as long as they don’t involve flying over water (I am cool with heights, but am terrified of drowning, go figure). So when this month’s The Recipe Redux challenge showed up I was psyched because it felt like a fun risk to take.

The challenge was to grab the closest cookbook and use a recipe from any page in the book that included the digits in 2016 as inspiration for a new recipe.

Why is this a risk? Because the cookbook that was closest at hand was a true favorite because the recipes are as close to perfect as I think you can get and because it already offers lots of variations, so coming up with a new version would be a challenge. Also because it is a cookbook by a chef, Rick Bayless, who loves to use spicy peppers, which was going to be tough on my kids and husband, none of who are big fans of spicy foods. But I was up to the challenge!

The recipe I landed on was his Seared Zucchini with Roasted Tomato, Chipotle and Chorizo (Tinga de Calabacitas). I decided I was going to focus on two areas of change, simplifying the recipe and making it seasonal. In order to simplify the recipe I removed two steps: rehydrating chipotle peppers and roasting tomatoes, especially since it isn’t tomato season. Instead I used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, which are canned, and canned fire roasted tomatoes. In addition, instead of zucchini I wanted to use a seasonal vegetable and ended up settling on potatoes. And that is when it hit me! I could change this sort of stew recipe into a gratin recipe instead! It would be simple, packed with flavor, and very flexible—all qualities I strive for in my recipes. Oh, and one last added bonus: the leftovers are to die for so it makes a great lunch the next day!…

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Filed Under: Dinner, Family Dinner, Sides Tagged With: cheese, mexican, potato, recipe redux

Getting Over Your Fear of New Ingredients and a New Recipe: Baked Squash Blossoms

June 23, 2016 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Getting Over Your Fear of New Ingredients and a New Recipe: Baked Squash Blossoms

Six years ago my family joined a CSA (community supported agriculture), otherwise known as a farm share. We joined because I really wanted to take advantage of local, responsibly grown produce. Being a member of the farm share has been a truly wonderful experience—from the warm and friendly staff, to the community atmosphere amongst the members, to the access to truly seasonal fruits and vegetables!

Our CSA is sort of unique in that instead of just picking up a box of pre-selected produce, you get to pick your selections in a farm stand-type set up. When I was first starting out, this feature was nice because I was nervous about cooking with unknown vegetables, so falling back on familiar ingredients made me more comfortable. As I have become a more confident and curious cook, though, one of the things that I have really grown to enjoy is trying out a new ingredient every week (or almost every week). This season the highlights so far have been kohlrabi, tatsoi, and squash blossoms.

As I have experimented with these new ingredients over the years I have figured out five tricks to make it fun and easy:…

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Filed Under: Sides, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: baked, cheese, CSA, farm share, healthy, mexican, seasonal, squash blossoms, vegetarian

Spinach and Cheese Toaster Pastries

February 18, 2016 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Spinach and Cheese Toaster Pastries

Growing up my family never really ate convenience foods. There were no freezer dinners, no hamburger helper, no pop tarts, and no hot pockets. I was always intrigued by those forbidden foods since the commercials made them looks so appetizing and my brother and I were definitely known to beg and plead to try them. Finally, when I was about 10 my mom agreed to let us get the boxed mac n cheese, but only if I was going to make it myself and only for special occasions, like when we had a babysitter.

As I got older I had the opportunity to try some of the other foods that I had salivated over for years and years and time and time again I found them to be highly disappointing. They always tasted sort of cardboardy and fake. And, yet, even today the allure of those foods that patiently wait for you in your freezer, ready to miraculously turn into a meal is a strong one. So, when I have the time, I try to stock my freezer with homemade versions. Empanadas are a favorite, as are black bean burgers, and this week I have a new one to share with you: spinach and cheese toaster pastries….

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Filed Under: Baked Goods, Breakfast, Dinner, Freezer Cooking, Lunch, Lunch Box Food Tagged With: cheese, Easy, feta, freezer, Spinach

Chicken and Kale Noodle Casserole

January 28, 2016 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Chicken and Kale Noodle Casserole

This winter has been a weird one, hasn’t it? Crazy warm for a while, then a blizzard on the East Coast that has wreaked havoc. It is kind of hard to know which way is up. My response to such wackiness? Comfort food. Creamy, warm, nourishing comfort food.

My mom calls these foods nursery foods because it is what you would feed little kids in a nursery back in the day. And I’ve got an updated version of nursery food for you today! This is a recipe I developed for a cooking client, but it was such a hit with them and my own family that I thought I would share it with you. This Chicken and Kale Noodle Casserole is sort of like a baked chicken alfredo pasta with a bonus dose of kale. It is creamy, soothing, and warm—all those things we crave at this time of year. But it has the added perk of being healthy enough that it won’t derail your goal of eating healthier in the New Year (if that was a goal of yours)!…

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Filed Under: Dinner, Freezer Cooking Tagged With: casserole, cheese, chicken, Easy, healthy, kale

Freezer Breakfast Pockets: A flexible, portable breakfast

October 8, 2015 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Freezer Breakfast Pockets: A flexible, portable breakfast

We all know the drill. Scrambling to get lunches packed, breakfast eaten, teeth brushed, clothes on, maybe showered. There is a lot to do before leaving the house for work/school in the morning! One of the ways I try to streamline that process for our household is to prepare breakfast foods over the weekend that can go into the freezer to be pulled out throughout the week. Muffins, mini-frittatas, spinach pop-outs, waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, I make them all. But even with all of that variety, my kids have been starting to get a little sick of the offerings. So I wanted to come up with a different option: breakfast pockets.

That’s right. I wanted to come up with homemade hot pockets (a treat I was never allowed to have as a kid, but that’s a story for another post)….

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Filed Under: Baked Goods, Breakfast, Freezer Cooking, Life Balance Tagged With: black beans, breakfast, broccoli, cheese, egg, homemade, hot pockets

Brazilian-Style Fried Rice: Dinner in 7 Minutes

August 27, 2015 By Jessica Braider 1 Comment

Brazilian-Style Fried Rice: Dinner in 7 Minutes

Many moons ago, when my now-husband and I first started dating, we did the thing that many couples do: we tried to increase our appeal by cooking meals for one another. At the time, neither of us cooked very much, so we both fell back on comfort foods that we had grown up with. For me, that was my dad’s Bolognese sauce. For my husband, it was eggs and rice.

When he first told me of his love for eggs and rice I was dumbfounded. Outside of fried rice at Chinese restaurants I had never heard of the combination. And to be completely honest, I thought it sounded absolutely awful. But in the interest of being a good sport with my new boyfriend, I agreed to try it. As I looked down at my plate of rice topped with a fried egg, I was still doubtful. And then I took my first bite and I was blown away! It was delicious, nourishing, and comforting. It felt like something I would imagine a grandmother would make for you when you were home sick….

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Filed Under: Dinner, Quick Dinners Tagged With: Beans, black beans, broccoli, cheese, corn, Easy, egg, healthy, leftovers, peas, rice, tomato, Vegetables

4 Reasons Why You Need Rice Bowls in Your Life

May 7, 2015 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

4 Reasons Why You Need Rice Bowls in Your Life

When I was a kid one of my favorite dinners was tacos. I loved it because it was delicious, but I also loved it because it was fun. The table was filled with bowls full of all kinds of colorful options: green chopped lettuce, red chopped tomato, bell peppers of various hues, black or brown beans, white cheese and sour cream, red or green salsa, maybe a meat of some sort, Tabasco sauce, onions, etc. I loved that I was about to make my meal my own. I loved that it was such a communal experience—passing bowls, discussing our favorite ingredients, seeing who could pile their tacos with the most food and still fit it into their mouth.  It was wonderful.

In my own house I have taken that same approach and expanded it to include all sorts of rice (and other grain) bowls. There are a number of reasons why these are a staple in our house:…

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Filed Under: Dinner, Family Dinner, Feeding Kids, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: Beans, cheese, Easy, healthy, rice, salsa, Vegetables

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Jessica Braider

Hi! I'm Jessica. I love delicious food that is simple and easy. As a busy mom, I am always on the lookout for ways to make life easier and tastier! Read More…

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