Spending huge amounts of our income on food became an annoyance to me. I'd rather go to Europe thank you very much!! We wanted four things, to eat well and enjoy our meals while keeping our weight and our expenses under control. Incentive was born and I started to do something about it. I hope to use this Blog to share what I've discovered.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Stuffed Eggplant

Here is a great recipe, easy to make and tastes good


4 medium eggplants
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
One half tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Trim tough ends off of eggplants then slice them in half lengthwise. Cook eggplants in lightly salted boiling water for 7 minutes or until just barely tender. Drain and set aside to cool.

Cook ground beef in frying pan and then drain off fat. Add onion, garlic and tomatoes and mix well. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then.

Transfer meat mixture to a bowl. Scoop out cooled eggplant halves, leaving about 1/2 inch thick shells and reserve the pulp. Remove the seeds from the pulp as best you can. Add pulp to the ground beef mixture then stir in egg, nutmeg, cumin, salt and pepper and half of the cheese.

Spoon mixture into the eggplant shells. Place the shells in a baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.

Add this salad with the main couse.

Cucumber Salad

3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced
One third cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh mint, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
One half tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Place cucumbers in a bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over cucumbers and stir to coat.

Enjoy