Mini Eggplant Crust Pizzas
I’ve made these before, but never this bite-sized and they turned out great! I basically just rolled egg plant slices in egg white, then fine coconut flour, topped it with organic tomato paste, fresh mozzarella and then a bit of crumbled sausage and baked these little guys at 350* for about 25 minutes (check that cheese is slightly browned). And voila! Yummy primal finger food!
Mini Eggplant-Crust Pizzas
This idea stemmed from a previous side dish I made using eggplants which you can find here. I decided to prep the eggplants the same way I did in that previous recipe, but this time do a twist on it afterwards. Now you all remember those little frozen pizzas that were pretty tasty yet so bad for you? Well this in my humble opinion is a proper replacement!
What you need:
- Eggplant
- Egg white
- Almond Meal/Flour
- Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb
- Garlic powder
- Tomato & Basil Marinara (any whole ingredient tomato paste or marinara will do)
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (or your choice of cheese)
- Garlic & Herb Chicken Sausage (Trader Joe’s)
What you do:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Dice your sausage and cook on a pan (or prep whichever toppings you will use). Slice your egg plant and dip each slice in egg white and then roll it in almond meal (that’s mixed with Mrs. Dash and Garlic Powder) to coat them. Place the slices in oven for about 20-25 minutes. Then remove the slices from oven, and raise oven heat to 450 degrees. Meanwhile, top your eggplant slices with the marinara, followed by cheese and then the sausage pieces. Then put slices back into the oven for about 25 minutes.
Watch it so that the cheese lightly browns on top. Let cool for a few minutes then serve!I served mine up with baked sweet potato fries with artichoke bruschetta for dipping!
Verdict? It was soooo good and the topping options are pretty much whatever you would top a pizza with so have fun with it! The eggplant has such a firm and neutral flavor that it passes great as a crust! I definitely recommend this for pizza cravings you may have!
Ground Turkey Spaghetti Squash Casserole
with Parmesan Crusted Eggplant and a Strawberry, Almond and Spinach salad, and a Baked Cinnamon Apple Dessert
This is dinner #3 that I have made for the friendboy (what my friend’s Nana calls a boyfriend)! No training last night so I had more time after work than I usually do and I wanted to make it delicious! I got the main dish recipe from here, and the only ingredient I forgot (which I am ashamed of myself because how often I eat these) are eggs!
What you need:
- spaghetti squash
- lean ground turkey
- ricotta cheese
- marinara sauce
- onion
- minced garlic
- spices
- coconut oil/EVOO/Ghee (whichever you prefer)
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- eggplant
- almond meal
- egg white
- Parmesan cheese
- strawberries sliced
- slivered almonds
- spinach
- large apple
- Ghee/Butter
- Cinnamon (and nutmeg & bit of brown sugar optional)
What to do:
I began by prepping part of the dish the night before. I sliced an eggplant, coated them in egg white, rolled it in almond meal, then sprinkled Parmesan cheese over them, and put it in the fridge.
Night of, make your spaghetti squash. While it’s baking, prep by dicing your onion, and preheating the toaster oven (it’s what I used) to 450 degrees F for the Parmesan crusted eggplant. Put in the eggplant for about 20-25 minutes (until the tops are slightly browned (I accidentally burned mine a bit, so watch it).
When your squash is done, take it out and let it cool. Meanwhile, pan-grill your onions and garlic first, then add the ground turkey until browned, then add the marinara.
Once your squash is cool enough for you to handle, raise the oven temperature to 375 F, scrape it out with a fork. Grease a 9” pie dish (or a casserole dish - I would’ve used this instead but my neighbor has mine) and line the pie dish with some spaghetti squash as if a crust.
Then add a layer of ricotta cheese, followed by your ground turkey mix, then top that with some shredded mozzarella cheese and put back in the oven for 20-25 minutes (I recommend 25 minutes - depending on your oven strength). While it’s baking make the salad of spinach, strawberries, and almonds.
Also you can prep you dessert by coring and peeling the apples (NOT all the way to the bottom - you don’t want the butter to go right through it.) Coat the apples with some cinnamon, and in the inside put a bit of ghee (or butter), bit more cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar (optional) and bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes (you can have this baking while you eat dinner).
After the casserole was done I cut it into 4 pieces (like a pizza). As I mentioned, I accidentally burned the eggplant cheese a bit (my fault for taking longer in the shower than intended).
Verdict? Friendboy LOVED it again! I always insist he is honest because I know being a friendboy he may feel obligated to be nice. But then I tasted the casserole and YUM! Even though I forgot the egg part of the recipe, it still came together very nicely! Next time though, I will bake it for a bit longer than I did. Then I went onto the Parmesan crusted eggplant and WOW. Honestly, they came out sooooo much better than I expected. For one, the cheese on top was slightly burned as you can see in the picture, but two, this is something I concocted in my head, not being sure how it would turn out, it just had sounded good in theory. Tasting the eggplant the way I made it gave me a ton more ideas that I shared with my friendboy and he is excited for me to try it!
Dessert Verdict? Nom! I made my friendboy’s apple with brown sugar coated on the outside, mine I barely put a little inside. Cut little piece little by little and dipped those pieces inside where a nice goo of butter/cinnamon/nutmeg/brown sugar formed. YUM. The baking caramelized the outside of the apple very nicely!
Quick Roasted Garlic & Lemon Quarter Chicken
When leaving training I always get it in my head that I’m feeling lazy to cook and will probably stop by Chipotle or the grocery store to pick up some cooked rotisserie. But then, after getting in my car and actually start driving, I think to myself, “Self, you don’t need to go and spend extra money just because it’s easy…you have stuff at home, suck it up and use it.” So that is just what I did.
Confession: I’ve never ever made chicken in any way that has the bone in still. I have always made boneless skinless chicken. But after seeing Leah’s post on a quick whole chicken roast, I felt a bit more comfortable trying it out.
What you need:
- Vegetarian-fed organic quarter chicken
- Organic ghee (I used 1 tsp)
- Lemon & pepper seasoning
- Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb
- Sea salt
What you do:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Coat your chicken in the ghee and then add the seasonings on top. Then, so the bottom doesn’t get all wet & soggy from the drippings, create a little elevation for your chicken quarters with foil; just so it’s slightly elevated off the bottom of your pan. Then put in the oven and for the first 30-35 minutes and cover with foil so the inside stays moist and not dry.
And yes, you CAN just use a toaster oven. If making a whole chicken you should of course use the big oven, but I was just making two quarters so it fit in my toaster oven. Don’t forget to uncover the chicken after the initial 30-35 minutes so the skin can get crispy and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Clearly, times vary by oven, so just keep checking your chicken!
Verdict? Nom nom nom. This came out pretty good considering it was my first time roasting chicken! It was flavorful and definitely not dry! Something I’ll do different next time? I’d perhaps let it roast for a bit longer, I would have liked the skin to be a bit more crispy. And also, next time I think I will let it marinade for a longer period, but alas this was a last minute idea and it still came out yummy. Oh and by the way, with the chicken there are pan-grilled eggplant slices and tomato slices.
Design & Photography Portfolio
