It’s amazing what one can do with eggplant and cheese. It’s like love and marriage, a union made in heaven. Today’s recipe follows that concept. It’s similar to other dishes following that vein. For example, my post on Eggplant Parmesan (02/21/25), or Baked Eggplant with Tomato and Cheese (02/25/25). Only difference is that in this one we layer the eggplant with tomato and mozzarella. It makes for a wonderful meal, and a vegetarian delight.

This is the type of dish that even meat lovers will enjoy. With a crusty loaf of bread, or pasta on the side, and some good wine, it’s a treat for all.

EGGPLANT MOZZARELLA

Ingredients:

2 medium-side eggplants, about 3 pounds
4 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
2 cups breadcrumbs
3-(or 4) medium tomatoes, washed and cut into ¼-inch slices
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced about ¼-inch thick
1 tablespoon oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon garlic powder (or more to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees,
2.  Peel eggplant and cut into ½-inch slices.
3.  Beat eggs and milk in a small bowl and pour into a shallow dish.
4.  Place breadcrumbs in a large dish.
5.  Dip eggplant slices first into egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs to coat both sides.
6.  Alternate layers of eggplant, tomato and cheese in a greased baking dish or pan. Let me add that we prefer cast-iron, but that’s an individual choice.
7.  Top with oregano and garlic and bake for 40 minutes.
   Yield: 6 servings.

This dish is what some would regard as a version of a Nuyorican frittata. Yes, it has sunflower sprouts, but it’s complemented by the usual spices native to our cuisine (pepper, oregano, tarragon, etc..). It makes for a marvelous brunch and even as a dinner dish you can’t go wrong with it. Apart from sunflower sprouts, the main ingredient is zucchini, a vegetable that we love in our family. And it’s all topped with sour cream mixed with turmeric. The dish is pleasing to the eye and, by some, it might be considered a pie dish since. when serving, it’s sliced into triangles just like a pie. Could you call it a veggie pie?  No matter, It’s delicious and goes well a  crusty loaf of bread.

Some may wonder, why add sunflower sprouts to it? Full disclosure, my wife is a fan of sunflower sprouts. There’s a reason for this. According to nutritionists, sunflower sprouts are one of the best foods to add to your diet. They are are high in minerals, proteins and vitamins. So, with this recipe you get the health benefits as well. Can’t go wrong with that. If, for some reason, you can’t find sunflower sprouts then you can substitute any type of bean sprouts.  It’ll give you the same results health wise.

FRITTATA WITH ZUCCHINI AND BEANS SPROUTS

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and mined
2 zucchini, cut into thin rounds (do not peel)
1 5 oz. package sunflower sprouts (can substitute bean sprouts)
6 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill or 1 tablespoon dried
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 pound carton sour cream

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in large frypan or skillet.
2.  Add onion and cook until wilted
3.  Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes more.
4.  Add zucchini and bean sprouts, season with salt, pepper and  and oregano.
5. Stir in chopped dill and  cook for 3-4 minutes.
6.  Stir in eggs and cook until eggs are set within the vegetables.
7.  Mix sour cream with turmeric and spread atop  zucchini and sprouts.
8.  Place in oven and broil until top is set with a yellow-orange color, about 2-3 minutes ( but do not burn). Serve immediately.
   Yield: 4-6 servings.

This is just your basic Spinach Omelet recipe. No cheese, no cream,  no ham, nothing from what is known as the French Canon (in terms of Continental cooking). Pair it with a crusty loaf of bread, some good light red wine (like a Beaujolais, Gamay or Bardolino), and it makes for a great brunch or dinner.

Note that you can use fresh spinach, if desired. This time around we couldn’t find it fresh, so we went with frozen and it was just as good.

SPINACH OMELET

Ingredients:

1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 medium tomato, washed and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
4 eggs lightly beaten
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook spinach  in a medium-sized pan per package instructions.. Drain well, add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, tomato and parsley. Heat, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2.  Add eggs, salt and pepper, Stir to combine.
3.  Heat, to a sizzling point, the reaming 3 tablespoons olive oil in a 9-inch skillet or frypan (we prefer cast iron, but a nonstick pan will do). Pour in omelet mixture, spreading evenly.
4.  Cook, covered, over medium heat for 10 minutes. Mixture should be fairly firm when done.
5.  While omelet is cooking, heat broiler. Place skillet under broiler for 1-2 minutes to set top of omelet. Cut into wedges and serve
   Yield: 4 servings.

This recipe is mainly stuffed tomatoes with an egg on top. Nothing  fancy, not hard to prepare, and delicious. We all know about stuffed bell peppers. Well, tomatoes stuffed with bread crumbs mixed with the pulp of the tomatoes and, finally, baked with eggs, is another glorious variant. With a good crusty loaf of bread, nothing could be simpler or more appetizing.

BAKED TOMATOES WITH EGGS

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried
1 teaspoon thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon  fresh chopped marjoram or ½ teaspoon dried
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
¾ cup bread crumbs
4 eggs at room temperature
½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees  F.
2. Cut out the tops of the tomatoes at the stem end and scoop out the pulp.
3. Mix about 1/3 of the pulp with the onions, basil, thyme, marjoram and garlic. Add the bread crumbs and fill each tomato about half full.
4.  Drop an egg into each tomatoes, cover with grated cheese. Arrange on a baking dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until eggs are set to a firm softness and the tomatoes are soft but not collapsing.
   Yield: 4 servings.

This is a simple quick meal that is a novel way of doing fried eggs: cook them in pepper rings. You can use whatever bell pepper desired, be it green, red or yellow. The color combination is up to you. The dish can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner, your choice. For breakfast you can add the usual bacon as an accompaniment. For lunch, you can pair the eggs with French fries. For dinner, we prefer to serve the egg rings over rice. You can call this recipe a multi-purpose meal.

Note that you may have to cook the eggs in batches. Even with a large skillet you can cook about four pepper rings at a time. If, by chance, you have a skillet that can accommodate more, then more power to you.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2-3 sweet peppers of your choice of colors
8 eggs
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
Sprinkle of dried oregano

Instructions:

1. Wash peppers under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Slice crosswise into ¼-inch rings, seeds removed.
2. Warm butter in a large skillet until butter sizzles. Add three or four pepper rings, spread out, and crack an egg into each and cook until set. In our crowd we like well-cooked eggs, so we don’t mind if the yolk gets broken. But, if you prefer a soft yolk, be gentle so it stays intact. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano, then flip over with a spatula and cook just until set on the other side.
   Yield: 4 servings.