Eggplant and Zucchini Roll Ups

Happy Mother's Day!! 

What a great day to celebrate all the wonderful times we have had with our mothers over the years! While a lot of families chose to enjoy this day over brunch or lunch at one of the city's great restaurants, I prefer to spend the day at home or outside with my family.

Last year, we celebrated mom's birthday and mother's day at the same time, and made Eggs Benedict. This year will be similar, spending the day with mom and having lunch.

If you are planning on doing the same, I have the perfect recipe for you. And you can make it the day ahead, put it in the fridge, and just put it in the oven before lunch. That way, you have maximum "mom quality time." Alternatively, if you like to spend time in the kitchen with your mom, this could be a dish that you assemble together!

Eggplant and Zucchini Roll Ups

Recipe from Rachel Ray (slightly modified)

Serves 4

2 medium Zucchini
1 medium Eggplant
Olive Oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Ricotta Cheese
1 1/2 cups Parmigiano-Reggian, grated
1/2 cup Fresh Mint Leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley tops, chopped
2 Egg Yolks, lightly beaten
2 cloves Garlic, made into a paste
1 fresh Chile, seeded and finely chopped
A few grates whole nutmeg
A handful fresh basil leaves, torn or shredded
3 cups Marinara or Tomato Sace
4 tbsp Butter
1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Slice the zucchini and eggplant into thin planks lengthwise. Toss the eggplant and zucchini with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until tender. Alternatively, bake in preheated 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Cool to handle.

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parm, all but a few tablespoons of the mint and parsley, egg yolks, garlic, chiles, a few grates of nutmeg and some salt and pepper. Spoon the stuffing onto each plank of eggplant or zucchini and roll up. Arrange the rolls in a baking dish and top with a few pieces of torn basil, then cover evenly with passata or tomato sauce.

Melt the butter in a small skillet, remove from the heat and toss with the panko, remaining Parm and remaining parsley and mint. For a make-ahead meal, store the breadcrumb mix in an airtight container and the roll ups in the fridge or freezer. Scatter the topping over the top of the dish. Bake from room temperature at  375 degrees F, until golden and bubbly. 

Baked Zucchini Fries

It's Stanley Cup season and that means game food! Unfortunately, game food although tasty is usually hard on the waistline. That is, until I discovered these baked zucchini fries. They are crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, making for an addictive game day snack. Enjoy them with regular ketchup, or elevate them by serving them with a warm marinara sauce.

They are very easy to make and will disappear so quickly, you will question whether they were actually zucchini! In fact, kids love them too!

Baby Roasted Potatoes with Garlic, Rosemary & Sea Salt

Baby potatoes. They are so darn delicious roasted because they get that crisp skin on the outside that leads to a creamy interior.  They are a great accompaniment to anything that you roast in the oven because, well, the oven is already on! So if you are making a roast, pull the roast out to let it rest and put the potatoes in. When the potatoes are done, the roast will be well rested and ready to carve. Alternatively, roast the potatoes at the same time as a chicken, or start them roasting before adding a side of salmon into the oven for the last 15 minutes.

I am always trying to find ways to make meals easier and to utilize appliances that are already working, so these baby roasted potatoes fit the bill. And if you don't have baby potatoes, use the same recipe with quartered regular sized potatoes.

Beer Battered Fish and Chips with Tartar Sauce

Okay, I will admit that I slightly misnamed this post.

It isn't actually beer battered fish and chips. It's beer battered fish with Roasted Baby Potatoes (which are just as yummy and provide a great alternative to chips). Or you could serve it with Baked Sweet Potato Fries. 

Why not regular french fries you ask? Well first of all, with the fish already fried, a healthier side dish might be preferable. But the real reason? It's just plain difficult to perfectly fry fish and potatoes at the same time. And let's face it, if you fry one first, then the other, the first item is surely going to be cold. And who wants to eat cold fried fish or chips?

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

They say that most people have a preference for either salty or sweet. Me, I love salty. So, when I am in the mood for something comforting, I turn to savory favorites. And as a snack, I often think about eating things like crackers, nuts, chips, and fries.

Most of the time, I can let the day go by without succumbing to my desire to eat these kinds of snacks, because I know that some of them aren't the healthiest of choices (i.e. chips and fries). But sometimes, I just can't get them out of my head.

Today was one of those days. I wanted fries. Badly.

So, I decided to turn on the oven and make some baked fries in hopes that they would satisfy this urge. And to make them even healthier (and in my opinion, more delicious), I made them with sweet potatoes.