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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

Roasted Summer Vegetable Dip

September 8, 2016 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Roasted Summer Vegetable Dip

We came home this week from our extended trip to Colorado to an overwhelming amount of produce to take care of. So in addition to getting the kids back into the swing of things at school and getting back into my normal rhythms, I have been trying to preserve lots of summer fruits and vegetables. To use up tomatoes, peppers, and other summer vegetables I usually go with a huge vat of skillet tomato sauce and then freeze the extra for the winter, but this year I wanted to try some else as well: roasted summer vegetable dip.

When I was a teenager one of my favorite meals was ratatouille. My mom would make it every summer and I would be in heaven for days (it gets better over time as the flavors continue to mix with each other). One summer we had some friends coming over for dinner and wanted to come up with a quick appetizer. We ended up pureeing leftover ratatouille, spreading it on thin slices of French bread, and toasting it with some fresh mozzarella on top. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

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This recipe is a simplified version of that same deliciousness, because honestly when you are overwhelmed by the amount of produce threatening to go bad on your counter, or by general life craziness, who has time to stand over the stove keeping an eye on the ratatouille? With this recipe you jut roughly chop, throw it in the oven, and puree when everything is cooked. Pretty easy!…

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Filed Under: Dinner, Freezer Cooking, Healthy Eating, Sides, Uncategorized Tagged With: dip, Easy, eggplant, freezer, healthy, onion, sauce, tomato, zucchini

Vegetable Chips

July 21, 2016 By Jessica Braider 2 Comments

Vegetable Chips

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the ebbs and flows of appetite that come with the seasons. For me, during the summer I tend to not be as hungry as I am in the winter. I also tend to crave more fruits, salads, and finger foods. I have also noticed that my boys tend to give me a harder time on vegetables in the summer than they do in the other months—they seem to be constantly seeking out sweet fruits and salty snacks. My theory on that is that they are craving high water content fruits and the salt to stay hydrated.

But they still need to eat vegetables! And since I don’t want it to become a huge battle, I have been working to present vegetables in ways that they are likely to find more appealing—vegetable soups, smoothies, and vegetable chips are some of our go-tos.

beet chips

…

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Filed Under: Feeding Kids, Healthy Eating, Lunch Box Food, Picky Eaters, Sides, Snacks, Uncategorized Tagged With: beet, Easy, healthy, vegetable, vegetarian, zucchini

Baked Chimichangas

July 7, 2016 By Jessica Braider 1 Comment

Baked Chimichangas

I don’t know about you, but getting meals on the table during the summer can be a bit of a challenge. I always think that the summer is going to be slower and more relaxed, and in some ways it is, but then suddenly, because of that relaxation and lack of routine, it is 6pm, I’ve got starving kids, and I haven’t even started thinking about dinner yet! Panic!

That is where quick and easy dinners save the day and I have been depending a lot on quick pastas, egg dishes, and rice bowls of various sorts. These are all great, but we all need something new from time to time… or at least I do.

Enter the baked chimichanga. Now, I know that this is not even close to a traditional chimichanga, especially since they aren’t deep fried, but to be totally honest, calling them chimichangas was quite a selling point with my kids. They thought it was fun to say and if it is fun to say, then maybe it is fun to eat, and then suddenly I have two boys who are in love with a new dish to the point where one declares that he loves chimichangas more than hot dogs (true story!). So maybe I could call them baked-delicious-pockets-of-goodness, but it just doesn’t quite roll off the tongue in the same way….

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Filed Under: Dinner, Family Dinner, Feeding Kids, Healthy Eating, Quick Dinners Tagged With: black beans, chicken, Easy, healthy, kids, mexican, Vegetables, vegetarian, zucchini

Savory Zucchini Corn Muffins

July 16, 2015 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Savory Zucchini Corn Muffins

Zucchini and all summer squash are at their peak right now. They are everywhere. The farmer’s markets and farm share baskets are full of them and they are on super sale in the grocery stores. Given their abundance I have been on the search for new and different ways to cook with them. I’ve sautéed, roasted, and grilled them. I’ve added them to sauces, casseroles, and sweet breakfast muffins. But this week I decided to try something different: a savory muffin. And boy am I glad I did!

These muffins are simple, flexible, and delicious. They are wonderful as a side dish with a cold summer soup, like gazpacho (here is a great, super simple recipe), or with a big salad. They’d be wonderful with a light chili made in the crock pot, so your house doesn’t get too hot. And they’d make a great addition to a barbeque or picnic….

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Filed Under: Baked Goods, Breakfast, Freezer Cooking, Lunch Box Food, Sides Tagged With: cheddar, corn, Easy, feta, garlic, healthy, jalapeño, monterey jack, onion, parmesan, summer squash, Vegetables, zucchini

Grilled Vegetables: A Sign of Spring

April 21, 2014 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Grilled Vegetables: A Sign of Spring

Spring has finally (!) arrived here in the DC area and this weekend we took full advantage of the nice weather and bright sunshine to garden and cook on the grill. The grill is a relatively new addition to our lives. We have had it for about two years and I am so glad that we do! There is really nothing like a meal full of grilled foods—even on the busiest of days it adds a feeling of relaxation that I just love….

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Filed Under: Sides Tagged With: asparagus, bell pepper, eggplant, grilling, potato, summer squash, sweet potato, Vegetables, zucchini

Roasted Veggies: A Short Cut for Quick, Healthy Meals

October 15, 2013 By Jessica Braider Leave a Comment

Roasted Veggies: A Short Cut for Quick, Healthy Meals

We were away this weekend enjoying family and Fall on the Jersey Shore (so beautiful!) and our next CSA pick up is this afternoon, which meant I had to figure out what to do with a whole mess of veggies still left from last week that we had in our fridge. I decided to roast a bunch of them. I love having roasted vegetables in the house. I use them in salads, mix them into pasta and rice dishes, slip them into kids’ lunches, incorporate them into quesadillas, include them in wraps, snack on them throughout the day, and, honestly, I eat them straight off the baking sheets in HUGE quantities.

Another perk: roasting vegetables is a great way to encourage kids to try new vegetables, too. The roasting brings out the natural sweetness in vegetables, which makes them more appealing to a child’s palate, which is more inclined towards sweet….

Read More »

Filed Under: Sides, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: Easy, eggplant, healthy, Vegetables, vegetarian, zucchini

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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