Cheesy Roasted Eggplant and Chicken Arugula Salad with Multi-Colored Cherry Tomatoes June 4, 2012

Jamie says: I made this tasty salad for lunch on Saturday and reaped the benefits of the delicious leftovers today. It started with me roasting an eggplant and then I just started to pull food out of the fridge and it turned into a salad. I’m going to confess a little secret. The chicken is leftover from my Chicken Strips and Guac over Spinach with Sweet Plantains and Lime Basil Tomato Salad dinner (whew, that was a mouthful to say). I now love using leftovers (especially good ones).

Cheesy Roasted Eggplant and Chicken Arugula Salad with Multi-Colored Cherry Tomatoes

I can’t get over how amazing the farmers’ market is. The tomatoes, eggplant, and arugula in this salad were all from my weekly trip there. I think what I love the most is the shopping experience and the vibrant colors and fresh taste of the produce.

Farmers’ market fresh!

The Parmesan cheese is the key to making this eggplant egg-cellent (minus the actual eggs).

The cheesy eggplant made this dish egg-cellent!

Cheesy Roasted Eggplant and Chicken Arugula Salad with Multi-Colored Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant (farmers’ market)
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• dash coarse sea salt
• dash freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Publix- sold next to refrigerated pastas and pesto)
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, 97% fat free fresh from Florida (Publix Greenwise, raised without antibiotics, no added hormones, vegetarian diet, no artificial ingredients or preservatives)
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• a dash of salt
• 4 cups arugula (farmers’ market)
• 1 cup multi-colored cherry tomatoes (farmers’ market)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice eggplant into 1/4″ pieces. Quarter slices. Place in a 13″ x 9″ baking dish and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil an sprinkle with oregano, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir. Bake for about 40 minutes or until soft. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to oven for an additional 2 minutes.
2. Slice chicken breasts into strips. Place in a frying pan with canola oil over medium heat. Add a dash of freshly ground pepper and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes. Flip. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until cooked throughout. Chop pieces.
3. Wash arugula and pat dry with a paper towel. Divide among two plates. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and divide among plates.

Servings: 2

• Nutrition note: Check out the farmers’ market for local produce. Since the food doesn’t have to travel as far, it will likely have more nutrients.

Farmers’ Market Multi-Colored Veggies over Ziti with Tilapia June 11, 2011

Farmers' Market Multi-Colored Veggies over Ziti with Tilapia

Farmers' Market Multi-Colored Veggies- Cherry Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers, Okra, and Eggplant

Jamie says:  I biked to the downtown farmers’ market this week with my good friend Melissa.  I bought lots of beautifully colored vegetables including little tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplant, and okra.  I used all of them except the okra in this recipe (I have to do a little research before I attempt to use this veggie).  It was the perfect post-workout (4,600 yard swim) dinner.

Farmers’ Market Multi-Colored Veggies over Ziti with Tilapia

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants (farmers’ market)
• 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 tsp coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp parsley
• 2 cups multi-colored cherry tomatoes (farmers’ market)
• 2 cups multi-colored sweet peppers (farmers’ market)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp basil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 lb ziti
• 4 filets of fresh frozen tilapia (Publix)
• 1 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Cut eggplant into cubes.  Place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (reserving 2 Tbsp) on top.  Add sea salt and parsley.  Mix well until well coated.  Bake for 40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cut tops off of peppers and discard. Cut peppers into 1/4 inch strips.  Slice cherry tomatoes in half.  Place in a baking dish.  Drizzle reserved 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil on top.  Add basil, crushed red pepper, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar.  Mix well.  Bake in the oven (with the eggplant) for 25 minutes.
4. Boil water in a large pot on the stove.  Once a roaring boil is reached, add ziti.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Drain.
5. Meanwhile, defrost fish in the microwave- using the defrost setting for about 12 minutes.  Melt butter on a large frying pan on medium heat on the stove top.  Cook fish for about 3 minutes on one side.  Flip and cook the other side for about 3 minutes or until flaky and brown.
6. Combine eggplant, peppers and tomatoes (with liquid in dish), and ziti.  Mix well.  Top with fish.  Serves: 4.  Enjoy!

Fresh and very flavorful with a little kick from the red pepper.  I like how the eggplant absorbed the olive oil and got soft.

• Nutrition note:  Have you seen the new ChooseMyPlate that replaced MyPyramid?  It recommends making half your plate fruits and veggies.  This dish follows ChooseMyPlate because vegetables are the main focus (about 1/2 the plate) with a smaller portion of the grain (about 1/4 the plate) and protein (about 1/4 the plate).