Eggplant Lasagna

I've been making so many tasty dished with eggplant lately, it's really very exciting. This eggplant lasagna was really easy and quite delicious. Just one small eggplant can be the perfect portion for 2-4 people in one sitting. I paired this with some creamy risotto and had a delicious dinner.

Ingredients:
- 1 small eggplant
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- salt
- pepper
- dried oregano
- dried parsley
- garlic powder
- dried basil
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 jar tomato sauce or home made sauce 
- 3 cups peanut or vegetable oil


To Make:
Begin by slicing the eggplant down the middle and making long strips about 1/4 inch thick. Next, lay out the eggplant and sprinkle generously with salt. Arrange in a colander and cover with a paper towel. Place several heavy objects over top the eggplant to allow excess moisture to drain out. Leave for at least one hour.

In the meantime, you can start making your sauce if you have not already or you can use the store bought sauce.

To Prep the Filling: 
In a large mixing bowl, combine all cheeses and mix together. Next add in 1 tsp of the following: salt, pepper, dried oregano, garlic powder, dried parsley, dried basil and 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes. Mix well and set aside and room temperature so it's easier to spread.

Once the eggplant has drained, remove each piece and dry again with a paper towel. Do not wash off the salt but make sure the eggplant are as dry as possible.

In a deep pan, add 3 cups of peanut or vegetable oil and heat. Dip in a piece of the eggplant and if it starts to fry, then it's ready.

Gently add in 3-4 pieces of eggplant at a time and fry in the oil for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove with tongs and allow to drain on paper towels. Repeat until all eggplant is lightly fried.

Using a small glass dish, take one ladel of sauce and spread evenly on the bottom. Line horizontally with a layer of eggplant. Next, spread the entire cheese mixture on this first layer of eggplant. Top with a thin layer of sauce. Begin layering the eggplant vertically this time and layer with a tin layer of sauce. Continue and top with a thick layer of sauce over top. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving so it will stay together when you cut into it. Enjoy! 

Tofu Terriaki

I love Tofu... and I always seem to come up with great ways to make it so that it's not boring. To be honest, nothing that I make is ever boring, but you get the idea. If you love terriaki, then you will love this dish. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
- 1/2 package firm tofu, drained and chopped
- soy sauce
- light brown sugar
- Japanese rice wine
- ground ginger, either fresh or dried
- sesame oil
- peanut oil
- fresh cilantro

To Make:
In a shallow bowl, add in the diced tofu. Add 2 tablespoons of Rice wine, 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp of ground ginger. Mix together and allow to marinate for about 15-20 minutes.

Heat a skillet with peanut oil. Transfer the tofu (not with the sauce) into the hot pan and saute for 3-5 minutes. Next add in the sauce and reduce to medium heat. Cover and let bubble.
Serve while hot over white or coconut rice. Top with fresh cilantro.

Linguini Carbonara

If you want to create a very authentic Italian dish that is also very simple, then make this your "go-to" dish. Typically you would use spaghetti but since I had none, I improvised with Linguini which was equally amazing. Lastly, I recommend using bacon or Parma Ham instead of sausage but use whatever you have and it will be delicious.

Ingredients:

- 3/4 pound of Linguini
- 3 egg yokes
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1/4 cup Romano cheese (grated)
- Parma Ham, or bacon, or sausage all diced
- salt
- black pepper


To Make:

Begin by boiling a large pot of water. Once the water has come to a boil, add salt. Cook the pasta according the the directions DO NOT OVER COOK. Approximately 9 minutes is perfect.

While the pasta water is heating up, sauce the meat until crisp.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yokes and add in 1 whole egg. Whisk together. Add the cheese in small doses and mix thoroughly. Season lightly with salt and liberally with black pepper. Your mixture should be a thick consistency.Mix in the meat.

Once your pasta is ready, DO NOT DRAIN. Take it immediately out of the boiling water and place directly into the bowl with sauce. Gently toss the pasta with the sauce until creamy. Serve immediately.

Fettuccine, Salmon and Vegetable Alfredo

By now I think you all know my most famous dish, Salmon with Campanelli & Vegetables. This time, instead of using box pasta, I decided to make homemade fettuccine and add my famous cream sauce. I think the fresh pasta really compliments the other ingredients and it elevates this dish to another level of excellence.

 Ingredients:

- 2 cups all-purpose flour

- 3 eggs

- 1 red bell pepper

- 1 large onion

- 5 garlic cloves

- 1 cup frozen peas

- 2 carrots

- 1 pint heavy whipping cream

- 8 ounces Parmesan Cheese

- 1 stick salted butter

- ¾ pound Fresh Atlantic Salmon

- 1 bunch of fresh basil

- dried oregano

- garlic powder

- salt

- pepper

- olive oil

- crushed red pepper flakes

- dried parsley

- parchment or wax paper

3) To make:

Begin by filling a medium pot with water and heating on the stove. 

Create a well with the 2 cups of flour and slowly crack the 3 eggs into the well, being sure not to let the eggs spill out. Sprinkle with salt. With a fork, slowly begin mixing the eggs together and gently incorporating the flour, little by little. Once the dough begins forming, use your hands to knead the dough for several minutes and form it into a ball. Place this dough ball into a dish and cover with a dish towel. Allow the dough to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Drizzle olive oil into a large sauté pan and place on medium-low heat. Dice the onion and add into the pan. Mince the garlic and add in with the onions and lightly season with salt. Peel and grate the 2 carrots and add them into the pan. Add more olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Lastly, dice the red bell pepper and add into the pan. Mix together and let cook on medium heat until the vegetables are tender, mixing every 2 minutes. 

Arrange the pasta machine and rolling pin. Lightly flour the rolling pin and surface you’ll be working on. Remove the dough from the bowl and slice into 4 sections. Place 3 sections back into the bowl and cover. 

Using your hands, flatten out the first section of dough then using the rolling pin, roll out into a long horizontal piece. Adjust the pasta machine to the thickest setting and run the dough through this first. Gradually decrease the thickness and continue to run the dough through the pasta machine until you have a very long and thin piece of dough. Cut the dough directly in half down the middle so you have two even and manageable pieces.

Next, put the crank into the fettuccine slot and begin slowly feeding the dough through. Lay the noodles flat on parchment or wax paper and dust with flour. Continue until all the dough is used. Do not set the pasta over top each other because it will stick.

Remove the vegetables from the stove or turn off the burner. In a medium pan, coat with olive oil and place on medium heat. Season the salmon on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, parsley and crushed red pepper flakes. Slowly place the salmon into the hot pan and keep on medium heat. Cook on both sides for 2-3 minutes (depending on the thickness) DO NOT OVERCOOK. The salmon will finish cooking at the end. Using a spatula, slowly break up the salmon into large chunks and remove from the heat. Add the salmon into the vegetable mixture and add in 1 cup peas. Mix together. 

In a medium pot, melt a stick of butter. Slowly pour in the heavy whipping cream and season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium low heat for 2 minutes DO NOT BOIL! Slowly begin adding in the Parmesan cheese in small batches and stirring continuously until all the cheese has been incorporated. 

If the water for the pasta is not boiling already, increase the heat, add salt and bring to a boil.

Place the alfredo sauce on the back burner and keep on low heat. Stir every minute.

Place the vegetable and salmon pan back on the stove and set to medium- low heat.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Immediately add the pasta into the vegetable and salmon pan.

Begin slowly pouring the alfredo sauce over the pasta, vegetables and salmon. Slowly mix together. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Serve while hot and top with fresh basil.