Greek low fat Chicken and Eggplant

For 3 Portions:

- 3 Chicken Breast

- 1 Eggplant, cut 3 slices off for the chicken (about 1/2 inch thick)

- 1 pack of low fat Feta Cheese (or regular if you dont go for the low fat version)

- a few Kalamata Olives

- Oregano, lots of Dill, Pepper, Salt, Paprika

- Farfalle Pasta

- 1/2 jar of marinara sauce (I use Bertolli Spicy Tomatoe with Basil)

- Chopped up leftover Eggplant

- Chopped fresh mushrooms (about 1/2 pack)

- a little grated cheese

- Olive Oil

Season the meat with spices listed above. Flatten chicken and sprinkle some Italian Bread crumbs over both sides.

Fry chicken in spray coated pan to just sear the outside, then take out and set aside.

Season Eggplant Slices with same spices and fry to sear outsides in a little olive oil.

Put Chicken on a cookie sheet (spraycoated), top with some feta cheese, then add the eggplant slices. Sprinkle some more breadcrumbs on it.

Last cut olives into slices and put on top of the eggplant, with a little more feta and a bit of grated cheese (I used grated parmesan)

Preheat oven to 380 degrees and bake chicken for about 20 minutes (depending on thickness of the chicken)

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In the meantime cook pasta al dente.

In the pan that you used to sear the meat, heat a little olive oil and add chopped eggplant and mushrooms, together with the same spices.

Fry for a couple of minutes then add the marinara sauce. Add leftover Feta, if there is any leftover.

Cook until veggies are nice and tender, serve over Farfalle Pasta

Best Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening (I skipped the shortening and used 1 cup butter)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups chocolate chunks (or chips)

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.

2. Combine flour and baking soda.

3. In a large bowl beat brown sugar, sugar, butter, shortening, pudding mix, vanilla, and almond extract.

4. Mix until well blended.

5. Add eggs and mix well.

6. Beat in the flour mixture.

7. Stir in chocolate chips.

8. Drop by rounded teasponful and bake 10-12 minutes. I made the big version, used a ice cream scopper and baked for about 16 minutes

Easy baked Farfalle

- 1 jar of favorite pasta sauce (I use Bertolli Basil with Burgundy wine)

- 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (I was out and used cream of chicken

- 1-2 cups of frozen corn or peas or fresh mushrooms, or all of it

- about 1lbs ground beef

- spices: Basil, garlic powder, pepper flakes, salt, pepper, dried crushed onion, oregano

- 1 pack of Farfalle noodles (or other)

- Parmesan Cheese (optional)

- grated cheese to top

Fry the beef and add plenty of spices (listed above).

Add the jar of pasta sauce and the can of cream soup. Add veggies. Mix well and let it cook on medium heat for a few minutes.

Preheat oven to 390 degrees

Cook pasta according to package directions, minus a couple of minutes... until they are almost all the way cooked, but still a bit firm to the bite. Drain.

Spray Caserole dish with cooking spray and put sauce on the bottom. Top with some Parmesan cheese if wished.

Top with pasta, then again plenty sauce, a little Parmesan and another layer of pasta.

Finish with sauce, topped with plenty of grated cheese

Bake until cheese is melted and slightly browned in some areas.

This is a serious comfort food!!!

Greek Stuffed Pork Chops

- 3 thick Pork Chops (boneless)

- 4-6 oz Feta Cheese

- a few (about 6) Kalamata Olives

- Dill, salt, pepper, Garlic Powder

- Olive Oil

- Breadcrumbs

-3 toothpicks

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add pork chops into hot oil. Fry quickly on both sides to brown the meat from the outside, adding some dill and garlic powder while frying. Take out, let cool.

In the meantime mix Feta Cheese with cut up Olives, a generous amount of Dill and some Olive Oil as well as a few breadcrumbs (1/4 cup at the most). Smash it a bit so the cheese mixes well with the spices.

Cut the pork chops open from the side to form a pocket (cut in quite deep until you ALMOST come out the other side). Stuff the pockets with your cheese mixture and hold together with a toothpick.

Put the stuffed pork into a caserolle dish, loosely cover with aluminium foil and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 70 minutes.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

This recipe makes quite a lot but its great the next day

- 2 small chicken breast (cut in bite siced pieces)

- 3/4 ring smoked sausage (sliced)

- 2 cups of rice

- 2 stalks celery (I was out so I used 1 zucchini)

- 1 pepper (color of your choice)

- 1 small onion (I skip that one)

- 3/4 jar tomatoe paste

- 1 can chicken broth

- 4 fresh tomatoes

- creole seasoning (or paprika, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, parsley)

Fry the chicken until the outside is done, then add the sausage and cook until chicken is done. Add some creole seasoning while frying.

Set meat aside and cook rice. In the meantime chop celery and peppers and add to the pan. The oil from the sausage is great to fry the veggies in and gives them flavor. Fry shortly and then add tomatoe paste and let it cook down with the veggies, brown slightly. Now add chicken broth .

Cut tomatoes into chunks and add to the mix. Now put the meat back in. Add rice, mix well and let it cook until liquid is absorbed. Add hot sauce if you like it spicier

Herbed Chèvre Steaks

A fellow Nestie gave me the link to this and its awesome!!!

Ingredients:

Herbed Chèvre Topping:5 ounces peppercorn goat (chèvre) cheese, cut up

1 egg yolk (large)

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon cooking oil

6 beef tenderloin steaks (each about 4 ounces and at least 1 inch thick) .. I used NY Strip

Directions:

Herbed Chèvre Topping: Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Makes about 3/4 cup topping.

Heat cooking oil in large frying pan on medium-high. Add steaks.

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until browned.

Transfer to ungreased baking sheet with sides. Spread about 2 tablespoons topping on each steak. Bake in 375ºF oven for about 8 minutes for medium, or until desired doneness, and topping starts to brown.

Springrolls

- Springroll Wraps (you can find them in the fresh veggie shelf in the grocery store)

- chinese ingredients of your choice, I used rice noodles, peas, tofu, soy sauce and shitake mushrooms

Cook the ingredients together, let cool and cut in smaller pieces.

Fill the wrappers with the veggie mix and roll up tighly. Place seam side down onto a spray coated or greased cookie sheet

Brush the rolls thin with oil (sesame oil if you have it, otherwise just veggie oil)

Bake at (preheated) 425 degrees for 18 minutes or until slightly brown.

Serve with soy sauce to dip if desired