Warm Roasted Eggplant Salad... yum!

I recently had some eggplant hanging out in my fridge begging me to cook it. Okay-- so begging isn't the right word, but you get the point. It was time to use it or loose it.


I've done eggplant Parmesan and I've also done Nepolians, but I wanted to do something really easy and I had some delicious feta cheese in my fridge which was the inspiration for this warm roasted eggplant salad.

Cheese happens to be one of my favorite things on the planet. Please excuse me if you don't agree, but I have been known to tell people that I can live on cheese, pears, and wine and be perfectly happy. I literally swoon while circling the cheese island like a predator at the grocery store. I have to be monitored closely or all of my hard earned money might go to fresh mozzarella in whey, double cream brie, or heaven forbid, fresh dutch sharp cheddar. This stuff ain't cheap folks-- but it's my weakness, okay? There--that's my confession for the day.

That being said, I always have either a feta or blue cheese in my fridge along with the old stand-byes sharp cheddar, mozzarella, muenster, Jarlsberg, and pepper jack. If you don't have feta, you can substitute Gorgonzola, blue cheese, or even a little dab of cream cheese cut into small clouds to top this dish would be delicious. I may have to try that next.



Note: I also recently made this recipe with shrimp on top that I sauteed in a skillet with a tsp. of olive oil and minced garlic and brought it to my writer's group and they loved it! They said they didn't want to know what the original recipe was because what I brought was so delicious! You can also add chicken if you want some added protein.

Warm Roasted Eggplant salad

1 small eggplant; skin washed and diced

4 garlic cloves; minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup fresh corn

1 tbsp. Italian seasonings

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can artichoke hearts

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes; oil packed

1/2 cup walnuts; chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Combine eggplant (with skin on), garlic, olive oil, corn, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Transfer to an oven safe dish and bake in 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

2. Add the sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts to the mixture and return to the oven for 15-20 more minuntes.

3. Meanwhile place the walnuts in a small dry skillet and toast over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. When the nuts become fragrant they are done.

4. When the eggplant mixture is ready to serve, plate with fresh spinach leaves underneath (if desired) and top with the toasted walnut pieces and crumbled feta.

Servings: 10 servings

Nutritional Skinny:


100 calories / 6.8 g fat / 7.6 g carbohydrates / 3.3 g fiber / 3.5 g protein



Mental Health Benefit:  Eggplant is an excellent source of fiber and is very low in fat and calories making it the perfect substitute for meat when cooking. It has a meaty thick texture so you don't have to miss the chewy texture. I also leave the skins on because the skins have nasunin which is a powerful source of anti-oxidants which fight free radicals and help prevent aging. Eggplant also have a low glycemic index which helps those of us who are diabetic or looking to reduce carbohydrates in our diets.

Oh and I had to share! This is what got me out of bed this morning! Enjoy this recipe and your day. May it be filled with health, wellness, and abundance!

Gettin' Real

Last night was the Academy Awards and mom were hoping to get nominated this year, but unfortunately, narrowly missed the getting the nod. That doesn't stop us though, we decided to create our own party right here at home. I pulled out my old prom dress and mom pulled out her galabaya from Egypt. We both put our gowns on in the morning to make sure they still fit. We were good to go. I decide to take a little bike ride and when I get back mom says there has been a change of plans. One of our dear friends had called and wanted us to help her pick out some new clothes in town. Mom and I don't get too many invitations and when we do we always say "yes"! So off to town we went with our girlfriend and spent the day in the stores making her look and feel like the Goddess that she is. By the time we get home, we are all worn out and I open a bottle of wine. I whip up some of my Humdinger Hummus (published on the 1/8/10 'Evening In Cairo' blog) and the three of us start munching. I get ready to whip up dinner still in my jeans and look over at mom, "Are we really wearing dresses?" We both look at each other and declare, "Hell no." Then my mom put her sweats on. This is much more REAL.

Isn't that the best when we can just be REAL with ourselves and others. It is an award we often don't allow ourselves. This gift of telling the truth no matter what and being authentic in every moment. I have heard people say to me that I look the best when I first get up in the morning. My hair a mess, no make up, and looking pretty dazzed and confused. Really, that is me at my best?!?! Seems highly unlikely, however I feel the same about them. It is when I catch a glimpse of the real authentic person that is inside that I truly understand, respect, and become close to another. What's silly is we spend hours in front of the mirror covering up what everyone really wants to see. The truth makes things better instead of worse; even when we think it is scary or ugly. Once it is set free, it makes the world seem like a lighter and better place.

Last night we got real; as real as the sun rises and sets. We threw out or original, more complicated, recipe ideas and adapted to what we had on hand. We snacked on Humdinger Hummus, and I whipped up an Easy Cheesy Salsa. Then we tucked into Playin' It Cool Calzones, and Real Roasted Cauliflower while we sat curled up on the couch with TV trays (which are a guilty, but real treat for us) and watched the awards being dished out to those that had worked hard to receive them. We also acknowledged that we deserve our own award, for being adaptable and getting real.

We might not have won an Academy Award last night, but I shared the Gettin' Real Award with my mom and I think it was well deserved. Here's hoping that you too allow yourself to get real. It is so much easier than anything else I've done, so I am planning on sticking with it. Enjoy your reality and these very delicious, very real recipes!

Easy Cheesy Salsa

1 jar of your favorite salsa (16 oz)

1 package of cream cheese (8 oz)

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. hot sauce

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cayanne pepper

1 tsp. olive oil

1. Heat a large skillet and add the olive oil and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese has softened and has a satin feel. 

2. Add the salsa and spices and continue stirring to combine. Cook on medium heat until the cheese and salsa are bubblin; approx 5-7 minutes. 

3. Serve immediately with chips for a great and easy appetizer! A dear friend of mine turned me on to this delicious and simple start to something real. I think you will really like it!

Playin' It Cool Calzones

1 can tomato paste

1 can crushed tomatoes (14.5 oz)

3 tbsp. sundried tomatoes

3 cloves garlic; minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. white onion; minced

2 tbsp. fresh basil; minced

4 all beef hot dogs; sliced into rounds

1 cup mozzarella cheese; shredded

phyllo dough

olive oil spray

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add garlic and onion; saute for 2 minutes. Add the sundried tomatoes, basil, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and stir for 5 minutes. Next, add the hot dog slices and allow to heat for another 5 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 

3. Lay the phyllo dough out and separate 3 sheets and lay on a greased cookie sheet. Working quickly, spray the phyllo dough with olive oil (you can also use a pastry brush if you don't have a spray) and scoop 1/4 of a cup of the hotdog tomato sauce mixture in the lower left corner of the phyllo, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and fold the phyllo dough up forming a triangle shape. 

4. Repeat three more times, making 4 triangle shaped calzones. Reserve 1 cup of sauce. Spray the top of the phyllo calzones with olive oil spray and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Bake in the 300 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and top each calzone with reserved sauce and serve immediately.

These taste great with the Real Roasted Cauliflower and nice green salad! Enjoy this healthy version of the traditional calzone.

Real Roasted Cauliflower

1 large head of cauliflower; stemmed and chopped

1 tbsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. Italian seasonings

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl mix the cauliflower and olive oil, stirring to coat the chunks of cauliflower. Next, add the rest of the ingredients, tossing to coat the cauliflower. Once coated, place the cauliflower on a greased baking sheet in a thin layer.

3. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 40 minutes. The aroma alone will have you singing and getting real!

Mental Health Benefit: These recipes are easy and crowd pleasing. We are here to help you keep your meals healthy, simple, and sane. We also want to make sure you get real with yourself, your expectations, and everything else that you deserve. It is so easy for me to set my expectations too high and miss them. The only one who can be real with me and what I deserve is me. I am working on setting realistic goals that I can meet every time. My wish is for you to do the same. Remember everything can be accomplished one step at a time!

Here's our reality check from our kitchen to yours!

~ "Too Lovely" Hot Messes in the kitchen

Cheesey Hummus Dip and Twisted Italian Bread

My mom and I trade dinners with our neighbors (pretty much the only other people who live in Dayton during the winter). We share a meal, stories, and a piece of our lives together. Last week was our turn to host and mom and I whipped up a Cheese from Overseas appetizer and served our Favorite Italian Chicken along side my homemade Twisted Italian Bread and of course it is important to always have something green, so we made a nice salad to go with too. 

Over dinner my mom and I talked about what we are doing with our blog and since they don't use a computer. We tell them a little about our mission to bring everyone back to the table. Then we begin talking about how they grew up.

Phil is Italian and his wife is from Switzerland, so they have lots of memories to share that are different from ours. Phil shares that once a week on Sunday, his mom would give him and his siblings a dollar and they would go to the bakery and pick out anything they wanted. That was their weekly treat. Madelene laughed and said, "Oh we had desert everyday and my mom baked something magnificent for desert." Phil's mom evidently wasn't, but it comes up later that his mom was the best cook ever and Madelene responds, "Yeah, I don't even try to compete."

I stop on this thought. Isn't that what stops us from doing something great? This idea that someone else already does it better, or more, or we aren't good enough? If life was a competition who would win prettiest, happiest, most successful? That is a great question and my answer is that success and happiness is in the eye of the beholder. I feel extremely successful and I am completely bliss-filled.

However, I doubt that everyone would see it that way. Let's recap... I don't really have a 'job' so to speak, I made next to nothing this past year, and I live with my parents. Pretty much.

That is one way to look at it.

The other way is; I live in the most beautiful place in the country (or so I think), my parents are my best friends, and I am learning how to live minimally. I have enough and I am doing what I love. Writing and cooking and of course sharing these delicious and healthy recipes with you!  Just look at how beautiful this bread is! The swirls make a little heart!

Life for me isn't about 'stuff' it's about living life to the fullest and being happy. I would rather live in a yurt and be joyful in each moment, than live in a loveless mansion.

We all have choices and mine this year was to choose love. I am reminded of a familiar quote, "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken." I often look up to other people, admire qualities about them, and have found myself being envious of others talents and abilities. However, in the end, I can only be exactly who I am. Coming with that is all the good and 'perceived' bad.

It's hard to say, but my favorite thing about being me is how easy it is. I've let go of comparing and competing. I can only be who I am. There may be people who do a lot of things better than me, like say change a tire, or ice dance, but I will applaud them for their talents and continue on with mine. I have unique qualities to bring to  the table, as we all do. It is our individuality that makes the world a complex and wonderful place.

And these recipes are just that... simple and filled with luscious ingredients that make the flavors pop and your taste buds dance. 

Enjoy the recipes and enjoy exactly who you are!

Cheese from Overseas

4 oz. Low Fat Cream Cheese; Softened
4 oz. Plain Prepared Hummus

1/4 cup Black Olives; diced

2 1/2 tsp. Dried Italian Herbs

2 tbsp. Sun-dried Tomatoes; minced

1 tbsp. Garlic; minced

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1. Mix all ingredients together, place in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 

2. Serve alongside sliced celery, carrots, or bread sticks for a delicious appetizer or a delightful snack!

Twisted Italian Bread

1 cup Fat Free Milk

1 tbsp. Honey

1 Package Active Dry Yeast (1/4 oz.)

1 cup White Flour

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 Garlic Bulb, roasted (**Recipe Below)

2 tsp. Dried Basil

1/4 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes; diced

1. Heat the milk in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Add the honey and yeast whisking together and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes and the yeast will begin to foam.

2. Combine the flour and salt and pour the milk mixture into the flour. Mix into a workable dough. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. Let rest for another 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine the roasted garlic, Italian seasoning, and sundried tomatoes with a fork mashing the roasted garlic into the sundried tomatoes and herbs.

4. Roll dough into an 8 x 12 inch rectangle.

5. Spread garlic mixture over the top of the dough. Roll the dough up, this will create a spiral of herbs inside. Place the dough in a 8 x 4 inch bread pan and set in a warm place covered with plastic wrap to rise for an hour and a half. It will double in size.

5. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. When you slice this bread will make the most delicious looking spiral slices. It is irresistible to your eyes and taste buds!

Servings: 12


Nutritional Skinny:

83 calories / 1 g fat / 16.7 g carbohydrates / 1.2 g fiber / 1.8 g protein


**Roasted Garlic

1 Bulb Garlic
1 tsp. Olive Oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut the top of your garlic bulb off using sharp kitchen sheers. You want the garlic to just be exposed, but you don't want to actually cut any of the garlic.

3. Place the bulb on top of a sheet of aluminum foil. Pour the tsp. of Olive Oil over the top and wrap the garlic bulb up tightly with the foil.

4. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. When roasted the garlic cloves will be soft and after you allow it to cool for a few minutes you can just squeeze the bulbs out of the husk like you would squeeze toothpaste out of a tube! Easy as that!

Mental Health Benefit: These recipes seem like they could take tons of effort, when in reality they are very simple to create. Don't worry, whip them up and make every one feel like you slaved in the kitchen all day. You deserve the praise. Your secret is safe with me! ;)

Wishing you a joyful and 'self-filled' day from our kitchen to yours!

~ "Too Lovely" Hot Messes in the kitchen