Tag: meatloaf

Vegan Eggplant Meatballs

These amazing meatless meatballs are made with eggplant, white beans and breadcrumbs to hold them together – if I was a vegan, I would have no problem eating this for dinner every night! They almost remind me of eggplant parmesan, in the form of a meatball.

I’ve had my eye on this recipes since I got a copy of Mark Bittman’s VB6 Cookbook^[1], and it did not disappoint! I love finding new ways to incorporate more veggies into my diet, and I try to eat meatless two to three times a week, so Mark’s concept of eating vegan by day and flexitarian by night is quite appealing to me. And this week, I’m giving away 3 signed copies of the VB6 Cookbook on Skinny Bits. Click here for a chance to win your signed copy of the VB6 Cookbook^[2].

Mark suggests serving this on a whole wheat roll, over pasta, rice or vegetables, but I thought I would make some zoodles (zucchini noodles) for a veggie play on spaghetti and meatballs. To make the zucchini noodles, you’ll need a spiralizer (I use the Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer) ^[3]or a mandolin fitted with a julienne blade. I use 1 medium zucchini per person and saute each zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and garlic for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes tops. To see a more detailed zucchini noodle recipe, click here for my Zucchini Noodles with Lemon and Shrimp^[4].

These meatballs are perfect for all types of diets; vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, clean eating, and gluten-free if you swap the crumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs.

Vegan Eggplant Meatballs
Slightly Adapted from Mark Bittman’s VB6 Cookbook^[5]
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 4 • Size: 3 meatballs with 1/2 cup sauce • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 260 • Fat: 7 g • Carb: 43 g • Fiber: 9 g • Protein: 8 g • Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 307 mg • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Ingredients:

cooking spray
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup cooked white beans (or drained, rinsed canned)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs or panko (use gf crumbs for gluten free)
pinch red chili flakes (optional)
2 cups quick marinara sauce^[6]

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375°. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When hot add the eggplant and 1/4 cup water. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor.

Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the skillet with the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add to the food processor along with the drained beans and parsley and pulse until well combined and chopped, but not pureed.

Combine the mixture with the breadcrumbs and red chile flakes if using. Taste for salt then roll into 12 meatballs, about 2-inches in diameter. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake until firm and browned, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm the marinara sauce and serve with the meatballs over pasta, zucchini noodles or on a whole wheat roll.

References

^{^} Mark Bittman’s VB6 Cookbook (www.amazon.com)
^{^} Click here for a chance to win your signed copy of the VB6 Cookbook (www.skinny-bits.com)
^{^} Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer (www.amazon.com)
^{^} Zucchini Noodles with Lemon and Shrimp (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Mark Bittman’s VB6 Cookbook (www.amazon.com)
^{^} quick marinara sauce (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

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Sea Scallops Arugula and Beet Salad

Sweet yellow beets, arugula, goat cheese and sauteed scallops tossed with a honey vinaigrette – this salad is delicious!

A day trip out East inspired this wonderful salad. We spent the day out in Riverhead, Long Island and stopped to eat at a quaint little restaurant overlooking the river called Farm Country Kitchen^[1]. I ordered the scallop and beet salad that was sooo good, I knew I had to recreate it. Sea scallops are really easy to make and take only minutes to prepare. You can use precooked beets to make this quicker, but I just boiled them ahead until they softened. If you prefer roasting the beets, that of coarse would work out fine as well. Once the beets are cooked and cooled, the rest of the salad comes together in less than 15 minutes. You can easily halve the recipe if you are cooking for two!

Sea Scallops, Arugula, and Beet Salad
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 4 • Size: 1 salad • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 271 • Fat: 10 g • Carb: 22 g • Fiber: 3 g • Protein: 25 g • Sugar: 14 g
Sodium: 494 mg (without salt) • Cholesterol: 51 mg

Ingredients:

For the dressing:

1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced shallots
1 1/2 tbsp raw honey

For the salad:

2 cups diced cooked and peeled yellow beets* (recipe follows)
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
12 large sea scallops (18 oz)
olive oil cooking spray
kosher salt and pepper to taste
5 oz baby arugula
8 grape tomatoes, halved

Directions:

Cover the beets with water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until tender when pierced with a fork, about 50 to 60 minutes. Peel and dice into small cubes; set aside to cool.

Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick pan on a medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, spray with oil and place scallops in the pan. Sear without touching them until the bottom forms a nice caramel colored crust, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook until their centers are still slightly translucent (you can check this by viewing them from the side), about 1 to 2 more minutes, careful not to overcook. Remove from the pan.

Make vinaigrette by whisking the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Toss with the arugula. Evenly divide the arugula between four large plates. Top each with 1/2 cup beet, 1 oz goat cheese, tomato and 3 scallops each. Serve immediately.

References

^{^} Farm Country Kitchen (farmcountrykitchen.net)

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Simple Asparagus Tart – Sorry, Mom!

I don’t often buy puff pastry to make asparagus tarts, but when I find a piece in the back of the freezer, it’s one of my all-time favorite things to do. My only real regret with this video, was not finishing it with a poached egg, and calling it a Mother’s Day brunch special. As great as this was, it would have been even more so accessorized with a runny egg.

As long as you’re pretty good at making rectangles, and trimming things to the right length, this recipe is a breeze. By the way, I’ll give the specific ingredient amounts I used here, but this really depends on how much asparagus you have, and how long you want your tart to be.

The width of your tart is always going to be a little wider than the asparagus are long, as you see above; but the length is up to you, and you can use as many spears as will fit across your pan. If you’re not quite clear on what I’m saying, simply Google “asparagus tart” and you’ll see what I mean. They’re like snowflakes.

While we got a surprisingly positive response on our raw asparagus salad recipe (I really should have more faith in you), I did want to do a more classic, hot preparation as well. Asparagus is bountiful and beautiful right now, and I really hope you pick some up, possibly along with some eggs, and give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 x 9 inch rectangle of puff pasty, thawed

6 asparagus spears, blanched in well-salted wated

2 tsp melted butter

grated Parmigiano-Reggiano as needed

For the mustard sauce:

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp crème fraiche

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
– Bake puff pastry shell at 400 F. for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed and golden-brown.
– Fill and bake another 10-12 minutes or until the pastry is browned and asparagus are tender (but not mushy!).