Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Day 7: Remember To Love Each Other

     Well I missed out on sushi TWICE yesterday, but dinner was amazing! JLH and I went to Cru in West Village (www.cruawinebar.com/). It’s a little hole in the wall wine bar right next to The Magnolia Theater, but don’t let it fool you, it was great! We started out with Goat Cheese Beignets drizzled with honey and fresh lavender buds…unreal. I had the margherita pizza and JLH had the crab cake. Like a fatty, I devoured the pizza, but it was a petite one so I didn’t feel too bad. The wine was the key feature of our time together…JLH chose a malbec while I drank Vinifera, the same wine that we had at our anniversary dinner. : ) Three glasses (with exceptional pours I must say) over three hours was just the right amount. Its so important to remember to keep up with your friends, especially friends that you have had since you are 5 years old. Close friendships nourish the soul in ways that relationships, marriages, and even church can’t compete with.  
     Unfortunately while celebrating the fact that our friends, The Wootens, were able to come back home yesterday from their weeklong-plus stay in Houston (see website listed at the bottom of my blog for more on this), we received some devastating new last night about a friend whose older brother passed away. I feel like so many of my friends are going through hardships right now. Life is so fragile. As overused and cheesy as it may sound, you have to cherish and celebrate every single day of your life, because we are not promised a tomorrow. Always tell the people you love that you love them. Appreciate, love and care for each other with great passion, because that’s what makes life worth living. It’s always hard to see the purpose behind such tragedies, but that’s just a part of having faith. As my mother said to me when I first learned of the Wooten’s story, ‘God gives us only what we can handle’. He is a constant presence in all of our lives, even if we don’t realize, or even chose to acknowledge it. Trust in Him will get you through any hardship you face, and I hope that my friends can see that right now.
     I didn’t get home until 845, and I promptly washed my face and plopped on the couch, so needless to say, I didn’t make my lunch for today. However, I think I am going to the salad route today and eat the Mediterranean salad from Le Madeleine. It sounds pretty good, and myfitnesspal claims it has 720 calories, but that’s with chicken so I presume it will be about 520 (mainly due to the lemon vinaigrette dressing). Le Madeleine had become a favorite of mine, before I starting packing my lunches again, because of their great lunch selection, easy online order menu, and it’s the closest restaurant to my office.
     Tonight I am going to try a recipe that I have not made in a long time – Eggplant Lasagna. J and I were talking about it on Sunday, because apparently he makes his lasagna with cottage cheese! I’ve never heard of such a thing, but it does sound intriguing. I think I am going to try to replace the ricotta with cottage cheese tonight and see if I like it. Obviously, it cuts down on the fat content, but I wonder how the creamy rich flavor of the lasagna will be affected.
Eggplant Lasagna
Ingredients
3 fresh eggplants
1 box lasagna noodles (whole wheat if you’d like)
1 large can crushed tomatoes (low sodium, plain)
1 medium can stewed tomatoes
I medium onion, diced
1 container cottage cheese
3 Tbsp chopped garlic
I bunch fresh basil
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried oregano
13x9 cooking pan
Preparation
1.       Preheat the oven to 350F.
2.       Cut eggplant lengthwise into ½ strips, place in a colander, cover in coarse salt and let stand for 15 minutes or so.
*This is a trick that drains the eggplant of any excess water, therefore making it more tender and easy to cook). Rinse eggplant thoroughly once time is up.
3.       While the eggplant is sitting, make the pasta sauce. Sauté the diced onion for about 5-8 minutes, add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the tomatoes. Season with dried herbs, salt and pepper, and let simmer.
*If you have your pasta sauce recipe, you can make it. I make my sauces different every time, and I never use a recipe, so the one I used here is a just a generic. Some add mushrooms to this recipe, but I want the eggplant to be star and not become overwhelmed by the woody mushroom flavor. *
4.       Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a palm full of salt, then add your pasta noodles. Cook as you would any other noodle, making sure to cook thoroughly, but not to the point of the noodles breaking.
5.       I usually grill the eggplant before I start the layering process, but you can also just sautee it quickly in a large pan or you can leave it raw and season with salt, pepper, EVOO and whatever other herbs you would like.
6.       Start layering! I usually put a little bit of pasta sauce on the bottom of the pan so the noodles won’t stick, then I begin to layer:
-          Noodles
-          Sauce
-          Cheese
-          Eggplant
-          Cheese
-          Sauce
-          Noodles
Repeat until all the eggplant and noodles are used, leaving the noodles on top. I usually then add another layer of cheese, and since tonight we will be using cottage cheese, I will do it guilt free!
7.       Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes, slice, and serve! I will
*The purpose of life is to enjoy every moment*

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