Life Worth Living

This is a simple recipe that is baked in one casserole dish. This makes for easy clean up afterwards. Baked Eggplant: 2 cups of tomato sauce (see Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce Recipe -December 2012) 1 medium eggplant seasoned bread crumbs (approx. 1 cup) 1 cup of half and half (you can use skim milk also) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray. I usually don't use olive oil for this step because it can get greasy. Slice 1 medium size eggplant. Each slice should be about 1/4 inch thick. Have a bowl filled with half and half, and a pie plate filled with seasoned bread crumbs. Dip each piece of eggplant in the half and half until fully coated, then into the bread crumbs. Lay the eggplant slices on the baking pan and cook for 15 minutes on one side, flip them, and cook for another 15 minutes until the slices are soft. Parmesan Potatoes: 4-5 medium size red potatoes 1/2 red onion 2 tsp garlic powder (or more if you are a garlic lover ...

Did you know Guacamole was invented by the Aztecs? This avocado spread dates back to the 1500's. This lovely dish is also very healthy for you because avocados are a real super food.  You can read more on the history of Guac here: http://www.burritophile.com/articles/2006/02/quick-history-of-guacamole.php Ingredients: 3 ripe avocados (I prefer Hass) 1 medium size tomato diced 1/2 red onion large handful of cilantro Salt to taste Juice of 1 lime (optional) Directions: In a food processor, blend the juice of the lime, cilantro and and onion. Cut and scoop the avocado into a small bowl. Add the diced tomatoes and the mixture from the food processor to the bowl. Then add salt to taste (approx. 1-2 tsp) Using a fork or a large spoon, mix everything together well and mash down the avocados. Voila! Avocados can become brown very quickly just take the pit of the avocado and place it in the guacamole and it will never go brown. This is a very handy tip when you  h...

This is a basic chicken and rice dish. It is easy to make and only 1 pot is used so the clean up is very fast. For this meal, you will need a large pot and a food processor. This recipe will serve 4-5 people. Ingredients: 6 chicken drum sticks or thighs 1 tomato chopped (chop the tomato into 5 or 6 large chunks) 1 sweet onion 6 garlic cloves 1 bunch of cilantro 1 red pepper 1 green pepper 1 hot pepper (optional) 1 packet of Sazon Goya con Culantro y Achiote salt and pepper to taste 3 cups of dry white rice  1tsp. sugar (optional) Directions:  In a food processor blend the onion, garlic, cilantro, and peppers. It will make a nice paste. Pour a little olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot and add the sugar. Brown the chicken on both sides over medium/high heat. If you use the sugar, the chicken will brown very quickly. Once the chicken is browned, add the mixture from the food processor to the pot. Saute for 5-8 minutes on medium heat. Ad...

Hummus is a favorite of mine. This basic recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks "Moosewood". I made some small changes to the recipe. Hummus is an Arabic and Middle Eastern dish that is very versatile. You can use it as a spread on sandwiches instead of meat, or it can be used as a dip for fresh vegetables. Hummus is an ancient food. The earliest known recipes similar to hummus were written in cookbooks published in Cairo in the 13th century. Hummus is not only delish, but it is also very healthy. It is high in iron, vitamin C, folate and vitamin B6.  Here is my simple recipe. Feel free to experiment with different seasonings. I have included two of my favorites. You can use canned chick peas as well, but I prefer the dry beans. Just remember to soak the dry beans the night before. This recipe makes a lot. I use 2 containers, and put half in the fridge and the other half in the freezer for a later time. Ingredients: 1 bag dry chick peas (makes approximately ...

I just created this recipe from the vegetables and meat that I had in the fridge. I wanted to use these items up before they went bad and voila!  Ingredients: 6 chicken legs one bunch cilantro one bunch parsley 1 small sweet onion 6 garlic cloves 6 carrots 2 large handfuls of green beans (fresh) 6 red potatoes peeled 1 green pepper 1 sweet platano (optional) 1 box of strained tomatoes (I like Pomi) Salt and pepper to taste Directions: In a food processor blend cilantro, parsley, onion, garlic, 3 carrots, and pepper.  Chop the green beans, platano, 3 carrots, and potatoes. Add everything to the crock pot including strained tomatoes. Add 2-3 cups of water to the crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 7-10 hours.

This meal is very easy and wonderful to take to a gathering. Ingredients: salad dressing- (recipe is also in the January archives)           1 cup mayonaise           1/3 cup sugar           1/4 cup apple cider vinegar bacon 1/2 yellow and orange peppers diced 1 cup raisins 1 head of broccoli chopped 1 package of bacon (cooked and patted dry to get off the excess fat) Directions: In a large bowl, crumble the bacon. Add the raisins, broccoli, diced peppers and the salad dressing. Mix well together and Voila! Make sure you stir the salad well because the dressing will seep to the bottom of the bowl. Enjoy!

One Pan Meal means easy cleanup! This recipe is going to make you a brussel sprout lover too! 1 pound brussels sprouts (fresh or frozen) handful of broccoli 1 head of fresh garlic olive oil 2 pork chops with bone (you can use any meat with this meal) Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil the pan, and add the brussels sprouts/ broccoli. Then peel half of the garlic head and cut into small chunks.  Take the rest of the garlic (leave the paper on) and separate the cloves. Add the garlic to the pan. Stir everything around in the oil. Use a little salt and pepper to taste. Bake covered for 30 minutes.  Then push the vegetables to one side, and add your seasoned pork chops. Cover and bake until the meat is done. I had thick pork chops with a bone. It took 30 minutes to cook without drying them out. I recommend cooking them for 20 minutes then cutting the meat to see if it is done to your liking. You can eat the garlic that has the paper. It is...