Eggplant with Mozzarella

I am sorry for being absent for so long my friends. This weekend was a little crazy but don't worry because this appetizer will make up for my not posting in a few days! If you love eggplants as much as I do, you will have to try this out.

I have always loved eggplant and mozzarella together (eggplant parm's are my FAVORITE) so I knew this was going to be great from the start. It was salty and savory thanks to the capers which is just what I was looking for. Everyone who enjoyed these last night couldn't get enough! Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
Serves 6
Basil Oil
1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil

Eggplant
3 baby eggplants (1 lb.), sliced into 30 ½-inch-thick rounds
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 leek, halved, white and light green parts cut into half-moons
4 Tbs. white wine vinegar, divided
1 6-oz. ball fresh mozzarella, sliced into 6 rounds
2 Tbs. capers

Directions:

• To make Basil Oil: Blanch basil 5 seconds in 4 cups boiling, salted water. Drain, and plunge into ice water. Pat basil dry, then purée in blender with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Strain oil with mesh strainer, and discard basil.
• Generously salt eggplant slices, and set in colander placed over bowl. Let stand 45 minutes to release liquid.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add leek, season with salt, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until softened. Transfer to bowl.
• Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Add half of eggplant slices, and season with salt. Cook 5 minutes, or until browned and caramelized, using spatula to move slices often to prevent sticking. Flip eggplant with spatula, add 2 Tbs. vinegar, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover.
• Cook 5 to 7 minutes more, or until vinegar has evaporated and second side of eggplant is caramelized. Remove eggplant slices to covered bowl to keep warm. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices.
• To serve: Place mozzarella slices on serving plates. Top each cheese slice with 5 slices eggplant, 1 Tbs. leek, 1 Tbs. Basil Oil, and sprinkling of capers. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information
Per Serving:
Calories 236, Protein 6g, Total fat 20g, Saturated fat 5.5g, Carbs 9g, Cholesterol 22mg, Sodium 402mg, Fiber 2g, Sugars 3g

Artichoke-Parmesan Turnovers

I love artichokes and wanted to try something different for my little get together this weekend and I found this recipe and discovered a new hit among my friends. This was easy to make and even easier to eat! At first I wasn't sure about the dipping sauce they suggested but it made all of the flavors pop.

Try this at your next party!


Ingredients list:

Serves 10 (makes 30 turnovers)

Roasted Apple Aioli
1 Granny Smith apple
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Turnovers
1 17.3-oz pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 15-oz. can artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
3 oz. low-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 shallot, quartered
1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

• To make Roasted Apple Aioli: Preheat oven to 350F. Bake apple covered with foil in baking dish 30 minutes, or until soft. Remove core and scoop out flesh. Mash with mayonnaise and vinegar.
• To make Turnovers: Preheat oven to 350F. Pulse artichokes, cream cheese, Parmesan, shallot and zest in food processor until blended but chunky.
• Roll 1 sheet puff pastry into a 12x12-inch square. Cut into 15 3-inch rounds. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet.
• Spoon 1 tsp. filling on each pastry round. Fold in half, then press edges with fork to seal. Transfer to greased baking sheet.
• Brush turnovers with beaten egg, and bake 15 minutes, or until golden. Serve with Roasted Apple Aioli.

Nutritional Information:

Per turnover: Calories 136, Protein 2g, Total fat 10g, Carbs 7g, Cholesterol 13mg, Sodium 209mg, Fiber 1g, Sugars 1g