Eggplant Parmigiana

Vegetarian but as Satisfying as any Meat Dish.

Serves 6.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 diced onion
2 cloves garlic
1 400g tin crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 good size eggplant
some bocconcini or fresh mozzarella or plain greek yoghurt. About 200g.
150g grated tasty cheddar cheese.
1 cup basil leaves or 12 small teaspoons of pesto.
1/2 cup grated parmesan.
Make the sauce:
Heat the oil, add the onion, cook gently until soft.
Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and the paste and simmer for 15 minutes or until thick-maybe 25 minutes.
Season with salt and ground black pepper.

Heat oven to 200C/ 400F.

Slice the eggplant thinly and shallow fry in oil in batches for 3-4 minutes, until golden
Place 1/3rd of the slices into a 20cm oven dish.
Top with half the  bocconcini/mozzarella and cheddar or add 1/2 the cheese and top with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt on each slice.
Repeat the layers.
Finish with an eggplant layer.
Pour over the tomato sauce
Scatter with basil leaves or the small dollops of pesto.
Top with parmesan, add more to cover basil or pesto.
Bake 30-35 minutes. Let it rest before cutting into squares.

Serve with broccoli or a green salad, add crusty bread for a full meal.
A personal favourite!

Honey Cake with Almonds

OH SO Scrumptious and a lot better for you.

Ingredients:
140g butter, softened slightly
1 cup of honey
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 eggs
3/4 cup plain yoghurt.
1 cup plain flour
1 cup wholemeal/wholewheat flour
1/2 cup ground almonds/ almond meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
30 - 30 g slivered almonds
A little maple syrup.

 1. Grease and line a 21cm ( 8 inches) x 6cm ring tin
 2. Cream butter, honey and essence until light and creamy.

3. Beat in eggs one at a time, add 2 Tablespoons of the flour with each egg to avoid the mix curdling.
if it does, it won't matter.
4. Beat in the yoghurt.
5. Sift the rest of the flours  and the baking powder and soda into a big bowl, add the almond meal and the bran from the sifter.
6. Fold the mix and the flour gently together
7. Spoon mix into the tin
8. Scatter the almonds over the top.

Have the oven already heated to 180C/350F.
Bake for 45minutes, test with a bamboo kebab stick or a toothpick

While still warm drizzle with a little maple syrup as a glaze if you like.

 Unable to wait until it cooled!

     Serve with maple syrup marbled Greek unsweetened yoghurt. And coffee!

      This cake is moist and tender and also goes well with a cuppa.

                                   

Tasty 20 minute Italian Sausage and Spinach Pasta.

Serves 3 or double it for 6.

Ingredients: 200-250g pasta of your choice. Penne or ridged Macaroni work well.
3 Country Pork or spicy Italian sausages
1 bag of spinach or a bunch swiss chard.
1/2 red onion
1 or 2 spring onions
2 tomatoes
1 clove garlic
nutmeg
3 Tablespoons blue cheese
200ml lite cream
ground pepper.

1. Put a saucepan of water to boil, then add pasta till al dente, drain reserving 3 Tbsp cooking water.
Meanwhile:
2. In a large frying pan fry, in olive oil, the half red onion gently.
3. Chop the 3 sausages into small slices, add to the onion in the pan. When almost done add the 2 sliced tomatoes, put on the lid and simmer.
4. In another pan melt a little butter and olive oil
5, Add the spring onion, chopped garlic, chopped chard stalks fry until soft.
6. Add the spinach or chopped chard to the pan, simmer then add grated nutmeg . Cover.
7. When the tomatoes have softened and all is cooked in the sausage pan add the 3 Tbsp crumbled blue cheese , allow it to melt.
8. Add half the cream to the spinach pan and half to the sausage pan, mix gently. Bring to boil turn down to very low.
9. Finally add the spinach mix to the sausage pan.
10. Lay down a bed of pasta and top with the mixed sausage,  tomato and blue cheese. gently mix the creamed spinach into it and top with lots of ground black pepper.

Serve with a fruity white wine.