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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

Arugula and Radish Mini-Frittatas

June 1, 2017 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Arugula and Radish Mini-Frittatas

A while back I shared about my realization that one of my sons really, really needs protein in the morning in order to make it through until lunchtime and I shared some of my protein-packed breakfast items that were fitting the bill. That list has served us well, plus a good deal of eggs/egg sandwiches, breakfast sausages, and bacon. But I wanted to throw something new into the mix as we launch into the summer when the protein will be important for those active camp days… these arugula and radish mini frittatas are perfect!

I want to be honest with you, a year ago these frittatas would likely not have been a success in my house because both of my boys were very skeptical of radishes, but this year they have discovered the joys of a crunchy, fresh radish, which has made salad-making a lot more fun recently and has made these frittatas an easier sell. So, if you’ve got a kiddo who is giving you a rough time about the seasonal produce that you are so excited about, all I can say is stick with it, keep introducing it in different ways, without pressure, and one day you may turn around to discover a little person crunching on a radish they plucked from the dinner salad as they were setting the table. Miracles do happen!

The main reason I am really loving these mini-frittatas, though, is that they are the perfect make-life-easier cooking project. They are quick and easy to make, freeze well, include another dose of vegetables, and can be used for any meal—serve with toast and you’ve got a quick breakfast, add some breakfast potatoes and you’ve got brunch, serve with a side salad or grain salad and you’ve got lunch or dinner. So, please, while arugula and radishes are at their peak (now!), make a batch or three of these to stash in your freezer for your next crazy morning or what-am-I-going-to-make-for-dinner-tonight?! evening. You will be so glad you did.


Arugula and Radish Mini-Frittatas
 
Save Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Total time
30 mins
 
Author: Jessica Braider
Recipe type: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 3 radishes, diced
  • ¼ yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups arugula, roughly chopped
  • 8 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup feta, crumbled
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼-½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 and grease or spray a muffin tin.
  2. Dice your onion and radishes.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over a medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, but not smoking, add the onion and radishes and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions and radishes are starting to brown, around 5 minutes.
  4. While the onions and radishes are sautéing, wash and roughly chop your arugula.
  5. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Stir in the feta, milk, basil, salt, and pepper.
  6. When the onions and radishes are ready, add them to the egg mixture, along with the arugula, and mix well.
  7. Divide the mixture up evenly in the muffin tin, a little less than ¼ cup per cup.
  8. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until they are slightly firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Run a small knife around the outside of each frittata and remove gently to cool on a plate or cooling rack or serve right away.
3.5.3226

 

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dinner, Feeding Kids, Freezer Cooking, Healthy Eating, Lunch, Lunch Box Food Tagged With: arugula, breakfast, brunch, dinner, Easy, eggs, frittata, healthy, kid-friend, lunch, radish, seasonal, Vegetables, vegetarian

Cooking 101: How to Cook with Eggs, Part 1

August 25, 2016 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Cooking 101: How to Cook with Eggs, Part 1

Cooking 101: Eggs!

Eggs. They are one of the cheapest (even if you buy the pasture-raised, organic ones!) and most flexible protein sources around. But many people feel like they are incapable of making them well. The truth is, eggs are actually quite simple, they just need a little bit of attention. So today I want to break down for you the different ways to cook an egg so that you can add these to your rotation for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and then next time I will talk about different ways to use eggs in baking (i.e., beating an egg in all its stages)….

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Cooking Basics, Dinner, Healthy Eating, Lunch, Lunch Box Food, Quick Dinners, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: eggs, fried, frittata, hard-boiled, omelet, protein, scrambled, soft-boiled

Smoked Salmon Frittata

January 7, 2016 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Smoked Salmon Frittata

Each year for Christmas my aunt sends my parents an Irish smoked salmon. If you have never had Irish smoked salmon, you are really missing out. It is a completely different experience from the smoked salmon we eat on bagels.And this year my boys completely fell in love with it. So when we got home from our trip to Colorado the biggest request my boys had from the grocery store was smoked salmon. While I couldn’t give them the Irish kind, I was happy to pick up some of the kind we all know and love.

When I first started shopping and cooking for myself I never bought smoked salmon because I was never able to get through it all in time and it felt like a waste. I would have it on bagels with cream cheese and enjoy it immensely but then I always had more left that I didn’t know what to do with. Years later, as my confidence in the kitchen started to grow, I began playing around with it in different ways and discovered that I loved using it in cooking. It was easy to use and just a little bit added so much flavor (sort of like bacon).

One of my favorite ways to cook with smoked salmon is in a frittata. I love the saltiness and the kick that it adds, plus it pairs nicely with many of my other favorite frittata mix-ins. But the other reason I love smoked salmon frittatas, or any frittata for that matter, is that, along with some crusty bread and a salad, it is a quick, easy, and healthy dinner to get on the table in less than 30 minutes….

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Dinner, Quick Dinners Tagged With: 30 minute meal, brunch, cream cheese, Easy, eggs, green pepper, healthy, quick, smoked salmon, tomato

My Favorite Cheap, but Healthy Ingredients

October 8, 2014 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

As the final installment of my series on saving money in the kitchen I want to talk about some ingredients that I depend on to keep my own family’s grocery bills down and that I also recommend to my clients a lot. These ingredients are staples in my house for two reasons: 1) they are cheap and 2) you can do a lot with them without much effort. So without further ado, let’s jump in….

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Filed Under: Cooking with Kids, Money, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: Beans, CSA, eggs, healthy, legumes, potatoes, sweet potatoes

Waffle Omelet: The Amazing 8-Minute Meal

May 5, 2014 By Jessica Braider 1 Comment

Waffle Omelet: The Amazing 8-Minute Meal

A few months back I saw a picture of an omelet made in a waffle iron. I was completely fascinated and inspired. Omelets are really stressful for me. I can never get them to flip right, so they always come out looking sad and messy. So this waffle omelet was a glimmer of hope for me. The next day I tried it. Disaster. Egg overflowed everywhere, the mix-ins got stuck to the waffle iron, it was a mess. I managed that night to sell it to my kids as scrambled eggs, but there was a lot of (legitimate) skepticism and I just put it down as one of those kitchen disasters never to be tried again.

Fast forward to last week when my meal plan fell apart and I was scrambling to come up with an idea for a quick dinner. The image popped back into my head and maybe it was due to desperation or maybe it was my increased comfort and confidence with my waffle iron, but I decided to take it on again. My six-year-old remembered the last time and was extremely skeptical. “Mama, don’t you remember the mess from last time?” I was nervous, too. I sprayed the iron with oil and preheated it all the way, but even so as I poured the mixture in I definitely held my breath. And then when the waffle iron started to pop open as the waffle puffed up, I let out a whoop in excitement….

Read More »

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dinner, Feeding Kids, Quick Dinners Tagged With: cheese, Easy, eggs, healthy, Vegetables

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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