Stuff It!



     Sometimes I have ingredients for dinner, but no real plan. This was last night's predicament. I had two large Ichiban eggplants just picked from the garden, and about a pound and a half of peeled Gulf shrimp in the fridge. Honestly, I don't really consider this a predicament. Without any set recipe, there is no pressure to find the correct ingredients in the fridge or pantry. You can work with what you have on hand. So, after spying shallots and garlic on the counter top, a palatable plan was formed, shrimp stuffed eggplant.
     Though they weren't the prettiest entree I've put together, these stuffed delicacies made up for lack of presentation with mouth watering flavor. And even though I wouldn't classify them as "diet food,'' they weren't as heart stopping as many stuffed eggplant recipes I have tried. I used only a couple of tablespoons of olive oil for the stuffing mix, and finely grated Parmesan to finish them off. The only complaint I had about the dish, with only four eggplant halves and a heap of stuffing, the dish looked more like smothered eggplant. Next time, I'll either cut the stuffing recipe in half or wait until I have at least four eggplants. Y'all enjoy!

The 'Sippi Hippie



Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant

4 Large Ichiban eggplants ( I used only 2, definitely needed 4)

6 Large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 to 1 1/2 lbs of peeled shrimp, coarsely chopped

About 3 cups of coarsely chopped mushrooms (white buttons or potobellos will do)

About 1/3 cup of chopped shallots ( I used one very large bulb)

Half tsp coarse sea salt

2 Tablespoons of fresh chopped oregano

Black pepper to taste

1/2 Cup of breadcrumbs

2 Tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan

    

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash eggplants and cut off stem end. Cut in half length ways. Use either a small spoon or melon baller to create a shallow hollow in eggplant. Dice the removed eggplant and put to side for stuffing. In a 9 X 13" baking dish, place eggplants face down. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Use fingers to assure purple skin is completely coated. Turn back over. Set pan aside.

 

     To prepare the stuffing, Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and shallots, cook until garlic starts to turn golden, taking care to stir frequently with a wooden spoon. Next, add chopped mushrooms and eggplant. Cook until they start to turn soft. Add oregano, sea salt, black pepper, and chopped shrimp to pan. Stir until shrimp begins to pink. Remove from heat. Gently stir in breadcrumbs.

     Spoon stuffing into hollows of eggplants. Sprinkle Parmesan over tops and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.



Let's Go Bananas!

       Sheesh. This blogging everyday thing is hard. I know I haven't been on here in about a week; things have been so hectic. Ha! That is a given with two children under 5, three extras during the weekdays, library trips, splash pad excursions, getting the garden ready for fall planting, keeping a house half clean and livable, mountains of laundry, grocery trips, and yadda, yadda, yadda. I know, I'm not the only person in the world running this rat race, so I'll keep my whining to a minimum.

      Since time constraints seems to be my whining "theme", I'll post my quick and easy Banana Muffin recipe. It's one of my favorite breakfast treats. And since it lacks the huge amounts of sugar and refined flour that conventional muffin recipes have, I don't feel quite as guilty having a second muffin. Just be sure to serve with some scrambled eggs and low sugar yogurt to make a balanced breakfast that won't have you crashing in an hour. Enjoy!

The 'Sippi Hippie

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

4 large bananas

1/4 cup white sugar

1 sligtly beaten egg

1/3 cup melted margarine or butter

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large mixing bowel, mash four bananas with a potato masher. Add sugar, egg, and butter. Stir together, then set aside. In seperate mixing bowel, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry mix to banana mixture and stir until all flour is completly incorporated. Spoon into a greased muffin tin. Makes 12.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from tin. This gives bananas a chance to firm a bit and keeps them from falling apart. I usually sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar over mine before baking so the tops are slightly crystalized. But this is optional.

Pizza!

       My family and I LOVE PIZZA! But we hate the price of take-out and the lack of options when it comes to toppings, so we make our own. I know this may seem like a daunting task, but with a little forethought, you'd be surprised at how easy it can be. And if you buy the crust and marinara pre-made, well, then it takes only minutes to throw together a gourmet masterpiece. I, being an extremely frugal (tightwad) person, prefer the from scratch route, the end result usually being far superior and costing pennies to the dollar of store bought products. Either way, you have options.
      The best part of making scratch pizza is how much healthier you can make it. You have control over sugar, fat, and whole grain content. These things can really make a difference in calorie content. You also have control over the quality of ingredients. This means no preservatives, the option of organic flours and grains, gourmet cheeses, and organic produce. You wouldn't believe the difference in taste when you use fresh, high quality products to make your food. Amazing!
       Yesterday, I was craving pizza with asparagus and feta. And since the husband and I are trying to drop a few pounds, I got to work on transforming my normal pizza dough recipe into something a little more healthful. I definetly prefer my original recipe, but this one will do as far as whole grain goes. I will go ahead and post both recipes for those that don't give a rat's rear end about refined flour. And for those looking for a sugar free marinara, I'll post that recipe as well. Enjoy!


The 'Sippi Hippie

Pizza Dough

1 cup very warm water

1 pack pizza dough or instant yeast

2 1/4 all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 cup very warm water

1 pack pizza dough or instant yeast

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup white wheat flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon honey

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

Combine yeast and salt in mixer bowl. Add honey, then cup of warm water. Mix to combine. Add oil and 1 cup of either flour. Wait for flour to be fully incorporated before adding next cup. Then add 1/4 cup at a time. Mix until mixture forms supple dough. If dough seems dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until right texture. Remove dough from mixer and pat into ball. Place into a lightly oiled bowl. Lightly spray top of dough ball with oil. Cover with damp towel and place in warm, draft free place. I often place in my oven to rise, Just make sure it's off first. If using pizza yeast, you can let it rise as little as an hour. If using instant yeast, you must let it rise atleast two hours. When yeast has risen, punch down and transfer to a surface dusted with flour and cornmeal. If making 2 medium pizzas, split dough in half. If not, dough will make one large pizza. Lightly fold dough over and into itself a few times, then gently form another ball. Pressing your palm down into the middle of the ball, use your other palm to gently stretch the dough away from the center. Turn the ball of dough as you do this and a circular disc will begin to form. When you have worked dough to a 3/4 inch thick disc, you can genly lift and place your balled fist under the disc to further stretch the dough. This is to be done with care so as to not tear or rip it. It may take a little practice to perfect your dough stretching. If you are completely unconfortable with this technique, you can always use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to desired thickness.When you have formed your crust, gently lay onto pizza stone or pan. Add desired sauce and toppings and bake @450 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.

Super Easy Marinara Sauce

3 regular sized cans (around 14.5 oz) of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

1 medium onion diced

4 large garlic cloves finely chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

Add canned tomatoes and paste to food processor and pulse until smooth and even consistency. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in thick bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chopped garlic. Use wooden spoon to stir until garlic reaches a golden brown. Take extra care not to burn garlic. Your sauce will not be sweet, but will turn bitter. If garlic burns. Let pot cool, rinse, dry, and start over. This is a crucial step to good marinara. When garlic has reached golden color, quickly add the diced onions. cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add salt and stir once more, then add tomatoes from food processor. Stir and partially cover. Bring just to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer until mixture has reduced itself to desired thickness. This is wonderful as a pizza marinara, but even better over pasta.

Summer Squash Fritters

     The husband and I have been on a mainly vegetarian kick as of  lately.(Keeping some seafood. We live on the Gulf Coast for goodness sake.) We don't have anything against meat, we actually LOVE it. (Don't get between me and a rare steak.) But we are trying our best to drop some weight and lower my cholesterol. So we figured we would load up on veggies and low cal proteins for a while. This has certainly taken me out of my comfort zone in the kitchen. (I am the queen of roasted chicken.) But when this journey is all said and done, I believe I will be a much better cook for it, and hopefully a few pounds lighter.
     Lastnights veggie journey brought me to an over abundance of yellow squash and zucchini in my fridge. I automatically thought of a whole grain pasta dish with olive oil, oregano, and lightly sauteed squash. Although it sounded delish, I was immediately bloated and tired to just think of it. So my search for something lighter took me to my recipe board on Pinterest. After looking over several zucchini fritter recipes, I formed a plan in my head and got to work. There were a few hiccups along the way, but some slight tweeking resulted in something that reminded me of the delicious fried squash my grandmother made for me as a child, but without as much fat, and a bit more filling. Pair them with a salad and a glass of white wine, and you have a very nice summer meal. Enjoy!

The 'Sippi Hippie

Summer Squash Fritters

6 small zucchinis

3 small yellow squash

3 eggs

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cracked pepper

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

6 tablespoons whole wheat flour

After washing your squash and zucchini, cut off the stem and blossom ends. Then grate. This is where my food processor comes in handy. It has a grating blade that makes this chore last all of 30 seconds.

( I added 2 more zucchinis and 1 squash after this pic)

I then dumped the shredded squash into a clean dish towel and pressed as much water out as possible. This will help your fritters cook up more crisp and not soggy. Next, I put the shredded squash into a large bowel and added the remaining ingredients. Using my hands, I thoroughly mixed. Super messy and fun! I cooked the fritters in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat with just a splash of olive oil. I used 2 or 3 tablespoons to form each fritter, and put 3 fritters in at a time so as not to over crowd the pan. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side. I stored my cooked fritters on a cookie sheet covered in baking paper in an oven on 250 degrees until all were cooked and ready to serve.

(These would be great with a dollop of greek yogurt on top.)



My Garden

    



 Hmmmmm. My first post. I'll keep it short. Since I'd like to write about wholesome food and cooking, I guess I should start with my biggest inspiration and motivation in the kitchen, my backyard garden.
      My husband and I decided to start a small vegetable garden about a year after we bought our home. We started off simple with turnip greens and tomatoes that first spring, but before we knew it, our small garden went from a ten by five foot plot to something that has engulfed our backyard, and blooms and provides all year round. I practically live in my garden. It's really a must if it is to survive the constant assault by caterpillers and plant diseases that thrive in our hot and humid weather. But as much hard work that I put into it, my garden has provided ten fold of therapy, exercise, wholesome and organic food, and beauty.
       The husband and I are huge proponents of organic and whole food. I don't think organic should be viewed as a newer concept dreamed up by us naturalist and hippies, but really as a throwback idea to how our grandparents or great grandparents grew food. That is why we find the best information on soil health and pest control usually comes from the old timers at the feed store. So, any info you get out of me on gardening will never include the words,''Seven Dust.'' I love that my children can pull a strawberry or cherry tomato right off the vine and pop it into thier mouths.
      Anywho, I will probably post about my garden almost as much as my cooking. In our home, the two things go hand in hand. Enjoy a few pics below.


The 'Sippi Hippie

A few shots from last Spring.

 We love interplanting edibles and ornamentals.

 We cram it in to cut back on weeds and watering.

 Speckled Lima beans climb a bamboo tepee.

We collect bricks, stones, and blocks that people throw out from curbsides. They make great borders.

Here are a few from this Spring and Summer.

 No garden is complete without sunflowers.

 Mine and my daughters rain/garden boots from last year.

 I planted Pink Zinnias several years back, but they have volunteered to come back each Spring.

 Happiness on a stalk.

 The husband checking the corn.

 More volunteers. The cosmos come back each year.

 Giant Swallowtail.

 The husband and daughter checking out how tall the corn is.

 Zucchini is a staple crop in our house.

 Speckled Lima Beans.

Volunteer pumpkins.