Jess's Recipes

Serves 4 olive oil spray 2 lg. eggplants 1/2 t kosher salt ground pepper 1 c part-skim ricotta 3/4 c shredded part-skim mozzarella 1/2 c freshly grated pecorino cheese 3 T finely chopped fresh basil 1 1/2 c marinara sauce 32 (or more) baby spinach leaves Preheat oven to 450.  Spray 2 baking sheets with oil. Slice each eggplant crosswise into 12 1/2 inch thick rounds (to get approx 24 rounds total.)  Arrange eggplant onto baking sheets.  Lightly spritz both sides with olive oil and season with s & p. Bake until golden brown on both sides (8-10 mins approx) on each side.  Transfer all but the 8 biggest pieces onto a plate. Meanwhile, combine ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino and basil. Make stacks by ladling 1 T marinara onto each of the eggplant slices.  Top with 1 T cheese mixture and spinach leaves.  Repeat layers. Bake until cheese is melted 8-10 mins.

3 medium eggplants 3/4 Cup parsley (more if needed depending on taste), leaves removed from stems 3 large garlic cloves, cut into thirds 2 to 3 C Italian breadcrumbs depending on consistency 1 1/2 C grated Romano cheese (from Arthur Ave if possible) olive oil if necessary to add moisture to balls 1. Roast eggplants at 350 degrees for1 hour. To roast, cut in half, score and put a little salt on top. 2. Clean eggplant out from skin and put into large mixing bowl. Add parsley and garlic and process until smooth. Scrape sides down as needed. Process until consistency of hummus - chunky and wet! 3. Remove mixture and return to mixing bowl. Add breadcrumbs and cheese and mix well. Should be the consistency of meatloaf. 4. Roll into balls approx. 1 inch each - ping pong ball size. Place on sprayed cookie sheet 5. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes 6. Turn halfway through

1 medium onion, diced 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 carrot, finely grated 1/2 can black beans, slightly drained 1/2 of 1 baked sweet potato, flesh scooped out 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked (I was confused by this direction, not sure if it meant half a cup of cooked quinoa or what–so I interpreted it as, take 1/2 cup dry quinoa and prepare it, and use what results–which is way more than 1/2 cup after it’s all soaked, of course! That seemed to work fine, so I think that is what they meant.) 1/2 cup bread crumbs 3 Tb chopped cilantro (I used 1 Tb dried) 2 Tb tomato paste or ketchup hot sauce or cayenne pepper to taste 1 tsp balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper to taste 1. Saute onion and garlic in non-stick skillet. 2. Add beans to pan and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring now and then. 3. Turn off heat. Mash beans in pan till they’re about half crushed. Put in big bowl with all the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. If too moist, add more bread crumbs. 4. Form into patties. Grill or bake....

1/2 pkg. whole wheat dough 3-4 cut up tomotoes (use the best quality tomato you can find) sliced zucchini sliced onion sliced mushrooms 1/2 c fat free mozzarella fresh basil Preheat oven to 400. Form dough into pizza shape by hand. Spread dough with garlic, then add veggies. Salt and pepper. Cook for 15-20 minutes until dough seems done. Add cheese, and sprinkle on olive oil (1/25 T)and basil. Cook for about 5 minutes more until cheese is melted. Wait until pizza cools slightly to slice and serve. Serves 2 adults-8.5 pts for half a pizza.