Eggplant Caponata

Eggplant Caponata

This is a dish I cooked back when it was still warm outside and I wasn't eating every meal on my back deck, or on the way to a Spring sporting event.  But now that my garden is beginning to bloom, I thought it was time to share a recipe that I would be happy to make again when I have my own fresh eggplant, tomatoes and herbs to work with.  I like to think of this dish as an Italian version of  a Mexican mole because of the use of cocoa powder.  And of course anything made with chocolate is a favorite of mine!  I also like how versatile it is because not only can it be served hot over pasta, like I did here, but it is also great room temperature and would make a fantastic appetizer on crusty bread while sitting out on my deck this summer as well.  It doesn't take very long to cook, is full of intense flavor, nutritious vegetables, herbs and spices. So try something a little adventurous the next time you are entertaining and incorporate cocoa into the main meal as well as dessert!

Italian Sausage Pizza Casserole

Italian Sausage Pizza Casserole

The smell of this baking is just heavenly.  A cross between pizza, bread and tomato sauce, all mixed up into one delicious aroma of warmth and sustenance. This meal is super easy to assemble and because it takes a little while to bake, it leaves time for other things in between, like helping out with homework and preparing a side salad.  Made of super healthy, easy to find and inexpensive items, it is not only delicious and filling, but packed full of vitamins, antioxidants, fiber and protein.

Italian Sausage Pizza Casserole is also extremely versatile and the particular ingredients can be swapped out easily so long as the underlying recipe remains the same.  Don't want to use regular milk? Use plain soy or almond milk.  Prefer a different type of cheese? go ahead! Don't like spinach? Use some cooked broccoli or peppers. Rather use cooked pork sausage, cooked hamburger meat, vegetarian soy crumbles or canned white beans?  All of them could easily be used in place of the organic chicken sausage.  Trust me, I plan to try different variations of this casserole and promise to post the results.