Cooking School- Steamed Eggplant and Mushrooms with Peanut Sauce

Two months ago, I had zucchini and summer squash coming out of my ears and now it is happening with the eggplant! This photo is not very pretty- I apologize, but if you look at the picture with the recipe, it looks quite a bit more appetizing. I had to share this one, even if the photo wasn't the greatest, because I had some helpers putting it together and because this is the first time that my son has actually LIKED eating eggplant. I will repeat that, just in case you didn't have the chance to process it. My son ENJOYED eating eggplant the night we made this. He consumed it with no complaints, no fake fainting, no tears, no endless questions of why must we eat this- he just ate it. And then he even said that he liked it. I couldn't believe it. It must have been the peanut sauce or the mushrooms- I don't know exactly, but I was so happy.

So, if you have an eggplant hater in the house, this recipe might be the ticket to a happy night around the table. Oh, and I got so sidetracked about my son, that I forgot to mention that this dinner is also a good one for kids to help prepare because it is really simple and shows the technique of steaming veggies (I used my steamer basket) the the dressing is quick to measure and mix together.


Here is the recipe for Steamed Eggplant and Mushrooms with Peanut Sauce
* I served this with quinoa instead of brown rice, but I wish I would have used brown rice, so that there would have been something a little bit more chewy to contrast the veggies

CEiMB- Chicken Sate with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

Today's CEiMB recipe- Chicken Sate with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce, is one that I have been wanting to try for awhile now. I am so glad that Cathy picked it! You can find the recipe on her blog- The Tortefeasor, which I highly suggest you start reading, if you don't already or you can find the recipe HERE.

Now, I know my chicken is looking kinda sad, without any grill marks, but for some reason I decided to broil mine. Not really the best idea, since I put the broiler pan on the very top rack and even though I soaked my skewers, we still had some flames. Unbelievable!-especially since the day before my neighbor's kitchen was on fire. I stayed right there and watched them, but it was still a bit scary.

I moved the rack down to the next notch, a little bit farther from the heat for the next batch and luckily we didn't have any more flames.

My whole family liked the chicken. It was tender and flavorful, thanks to the marinade and the kids really enjoyed the whole eating-something-off-of-a-stick-that-you-can-then-turn-into-a-weapon-at -the-dinner-table idea.
Review on the peanut sauce- my husband said it was good. My son didn't like it, my daughters did. It was good, but not my favorite peanut sauce that I have ever made or tasted-It was a little too thick. Maybe I am too picky about peanut sauce. Maybe I have made too many different peanut sauces-idk. I don't want you to think it isn't good, it is! (This one is my favorite so far)

Overall though, we really enjoyed this recipe. Go see what the other CEiMBer's thought by checking out the Blogroll!

I also revisited the Oven Baked Onion Rings that I picked a couple weeks ago. The recipe uses Baked Lays Originals for the coating and I thought it would be fun to try it with some of the other Baked Lays flavors. We tried Cheddar & Sour Cream, Sour Cream & Onion and Barbeque Flavor. The Sour Cream & Onion were the fave and the BBQ were the least fave, a little too sweet, but it was fun to try other flavors.
Pam tried the onion rings again recently too- check out her post-HERE!

One Year Ago- What's in your Lunchbox #1-Finger picking chicken balls, mini caramel apples, mini bagel sammies, and fruit parfaits with homemade granola

CEiMB- Oven Baked Onion Rings

I like onion rings. Well, more than like.

I have never attempted to make them at home- I don't fry things very often. I save them for an indulgence when we go out, sometimes.
I chose this week's CEiMB recipe- Oven Baked Onion Rings.

I have been interested in making onion rings, so, I thought this was the perfect chance to try them out.

I didn't change the recipe at all. I made it exactly as it was printed. Sara, on the other hand, has made this recipe multiple times and has worked out a version that she prefers, which adds a few more spices to the coating.

I made these on the 4th of July, for our meal that we enjoyed before we went to the National Mall to get ready for the festivities.

I should have tripled the recipe. These were marvelous. All the kids LOVED them. And so did the adults.
My 7 year old said, "These are better than the Varsity." Coming from a kid, who was comparing my baked rings to the greasiest ones on the planet, I thought that was a pretty impressive compliment.

My kids have begged for them again and they will be making their way into my cooking rotation. What's not to love about a onion ring that tastes great and isn't bad for you?

Hopefully everyone else loved them as much as we did. To see what the rest of the Ellie's thought, go check out the CEiMB Blogroll!


I also made a couple of the recipe I have missed in the past 2 months.
I made the Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce and they were good-warm or cold.
I also made the Vegetable Cheese Strata when I was in DC. We enjoyed it before we set out to hike the Billy Goat Trail.

(Don't you just love the beautiful dishes my sister brought back from Portugal? It is kinda obvious I love them.)


Oven Baked Onion Rings by Ellie Krieger

• Cooking spray
• 4 cups baked potato chips
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet slightly with oil and set aside. Place potato chips in the bowl of a food processor and process into crumbs, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a shallow bowl, add cayenne, and set aside. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper and set aside. Slice onions into 1/2-inch circles and separate into rings, keeping only large, whole rings (reserve rest of onions for other uses). You should come out with about 12 to 14 rings.

Place the remaining flour in a sealable plastic bag, then add onions, and shake to coat. Dip onions 1 at a time into the buttermilk mixture, then dip into potato chip crumbs and place on baking sheet. Spray canola oil evenly over rings and bake for 20 minutes, or until coating is crisp. Season with salt, to taste, and serve immediately.

Recipe for Vegetable Cheese Strata

Recipe for Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce