• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Lay the puff pastry sheet flat on the baking sheet and spread with the ricotta cheese, leaving a ¾- to 1-inch border around the edges. Arrange the eggplant over the cheese, sprinkle with the pine nuts, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Cut into 1½-inch squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Food Trivia:

The eggplant is a member of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family. Its close relatives are potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. First cultivated in India, eggplant was thought to be poisonous because many members of the nightshade family have large amounts of alkaloids, which can be fatal in large amounts. Although the standard purple oval-shaped eggplant is available in the U.S., there are many other varieties available in Asia and India. They can be green, white, reddish, or dark purple and are often much smaller and thinner than the large American eggplant.

Potato Skins Stuffed with Green Chiles, Cheddar, and Smashed Avocado

Potato Skins Stuffed with Green Chiles, Cheddar, and Smashed Avocado

I stole this version of potato skins from one of my favorite bars near my university. They use green chiles and serve them with ranch dressing. I decided a variation using avocado would be even better, and it is. Don’t get me wrong, I love ranch dressing, but this cheese, potato, and avocado combination can’t be beat! –M

Makes 12 potato skins

6 potatoes

1 green onion

1 clove garlic

1 avocado

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 (4-ounce) cans green chiles

1½ cups grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Wash the potatoes and poke each one several times with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes, or until fairly soft when squeezed. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool slightly. Adjust the oven to the broiler setting and place an oven rack 4 to 5 inches away from the broiler.

Meanwhile, trim the green onion, discarding the ends, and cut the white and about 1 inch of the green part into thin slices. Peel and finely chop the garlic, or pass it through a garlic press. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Smash the avocado with a fork, add the green onion, garlic, sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro, and stir well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the flesh with a large spoon. (Store it in the refrigerator and use it for something else, like mashed or fried potatoes.) Brush the potato skins inside and out with the oil and place skin side up on a baking sheet. Broil for 5 minutes, then turn the potato skins over and broil for 5 to 6 minutes more, or until the potato skins are crispy.

Remove the pan from the oven and spoon some of the green chiles into each potato skin. Top with some of the cheese and return to the broiler for 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Serve the potato skins on a plate with the smashed avocado on the side.

Food for Thought:

No way could this be construed as a low-cal recipe, but even small changes can help. If you spray the potato skins with cooking spray instead of using canola oil, you’ll save 20 calories per potato skin. Although it may not seem like much, it has no effect on the flavor and it’s easier, so why not?

Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks with Honey Mustard Sauce

Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks with Honey Mustard Sauce

This dish is like fried zucchini—minus the actual frying, but just as delicious. The zucchini are super simple to prepare, and you don’t have to worry about last-minute preparation because once they come out of the oven, they’re finished. I especially love the recipe we came up with for the sauce. It really tastes like what you would get in a restaurant. –M

Makes about 60 sticks

Zucchini Sticks

Cooking spray or oil

3 zucchini

½ cup flour

Salt and pepper

1½ cups breadcrumbs

2 eggs

2 tablespoons water

Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise

1