Ratatouille is one of the most frugal dishes in my repertoire. When my garden is in full swing the only ingredient I have to buy to make this dish is olive oil. As much as I like ratatouille, I must confess it has a couple of downsides. First, if I turn on the oven on a hot July day and only have vegetables to show for it, I will have a mutiny on my hands. Which brings me to the second problem with ratatouille: it is entirely comprised of vegetables. It takes more than a Disney movie to convince my kids to eat ratatouille.

I can get around cooking this dish in the oven by grilling the vegetables individually and then combining them to make the ratatouille:

Convincing the kids to eat it is a little trickier. Here are a few things that work for me:

Serve salad dressing on top. My daughter will eat most vegetables as long as she is allowed to put salad dressing on them. She defended her decision to add Asian dressing by saying, “Ratatouille is basically just a cooked salad”.

Serve it over rice. My oldest son doesn’t mind that ratatouille is comprised entirely of vegetables. He minds that dinner is comprised entirely of vegetables. Serving it over rice helps fill the ever-growing teenager’s hollow leg.

Top it with spaghetti sauce. My youngest child is still at the stage where he prefers his ratatouille hidden under a thick layer of spaghetti sauce.

Substitute vegetables. I made this recipe with traditional ingredients, but there was a time when my husband and kids would not eat eggplant. If members of your family will not eat one of the vegetables in the recipe, you can substitute it with potatoes. I also try to add ingredients my family likes. I found some portabella mushrooms on sale and splurged since my husband enjoys them.

Eggplants.  The purple gems of the garden.

Also known as a tasty treat for pesky chipmunks.  I saw 3 eggplants fruit in my garden in the last month and a half or so. And every one of them ended up as a meal for my little critter friends. Enemies, really.

It helps knowing that they didn’t get to enjoy the eggplants like we get to enjoy eggplants.  They have to eat them raw, with their bitter juices and all.

We get to eat them grilled, sauteed, panini-ized, and with pasta or on bread. Mmmm…

A few of our favorite Eggplant Recipes -

• Eggplant Rosemary Focaccia Bread

• Eggplant Bites

• Eggplant Penne Pasta

• Grilled Eggplant Panini with Rosemary Aioli Sauce

• Simple Moussaka

• Roasted Garden Ratatouille

And now for an simple Eggplant Parmesan…that could be made as a main dish, or a side dish with pasta and a protein of sorts.

My brother in law, sister in law, and niece are in town for the weekend. We headed to grandma’s for dinner and I brought this eggplant parmesan.

Slice, salt and drain off the bitter juices from the eggplant. (More on that in the directions.)

Fresh rosemary from the garden. (Run your knife through it just enough to crack the leaves and let all the aromatics and flavor out.)

Fresh garlic and rosemary, sauteed then mixed in with the tomatoes for the sauce.

Breaded eggplant slices, sauteed.

Then baked underneath tomato sauce and provolone-mozzarella cheese mixture.

(And I’m sorry to say I don’t have a finished product photo. I forgot to take my camera to grandma’s for the feast. You’ll just have to trust me that it’s good!)

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, top and bottom removed, sliced ($1.50)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (from garden)
• 4 medium garlic cloves, crushed ($.15)
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (used crushed tomatoes for less chunky sauce) ($.24)
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste ($.19)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg ($.10)
• 1 tsp water
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (I used homemade that I keep in the freezer.) ($.25)
• Olive oil for sauteeing ($.50)
• 2 cups mozzarella-provolone shredded cheese mixture ($.99) Sale, store promotion, coupon

Directions

1. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4 inch or smaller width pieces.  Place in a colander in the sink and sprinkle salt onto both sides of each eggplant piece.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  Bitter juices will be drawn out of the eggplant and will drain into the sink.  After 30 minutes, rinse each piece to remove any salt and pat dry.
2. While eggplant is draining, run a knife through the rosemary and crush the garlic.  Saute it in olive oil for about 2 minutes, and then pour the diced tomatoes and tomato paste, plus 1 cans worth of water, into the skillet or saucepan.  Stir together until tomato paste dissolves into the sauce.  Let simmer on low for 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is finished.
3. Place the egg whisked with the tsp of water into a shallow bowl.  Place the bread crumbs into a neighboring shallow bowl.  Dip the eggplant slices, one by one, into the egg, then dipped into the bread crumbs.  Saute these pieces in a large skillet with olive oil for 3-4 minutes per side. Once both sides have browned, transfer to a nearby 9×13 inch baking dish.  Repeat until all the slices have been browned.
4. Cover the browned slices with the tomato sauce.  Top with shredded mozzarella-provolone mixture.  (Plain old shredded mozzarella will done.  Perhaps add some Parmesan cheese as well.)
5. Bake at 350 for 30 – 35 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and begins to golden on top.
6. Serve Eggplant Parmesan as a main dish or side dish.

Cost $4.02

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

If you’d like to learn more about Square Foot Gardening, please check out the Square Foot Gardening books by Mel Bartholemew.

We love hearing what’s happening in your garden each week!!! Feel free to link up your blog post below…or leave an update in the comments if you’re not a blogger!!!

Introducing Alea…you’ll be seeing more of her!

Last year when I saw pictures of Erin’s eggplant flowers, I resolved to grow them in my own garden. Not for the fruit, mind you, but for the flowers. I have never grown eggplant before because my husband has always professed that it is the one vegetable that he did not like. He insisted that they taste like rubber tires and had brainwashed convinced my children that eggplant was inedible.

This spring, when visiting a local garden center, I saw some eggplant seedlings. Without doing any research, I impulsively picked the healthiest looking plant from the bunch and brought it home. All I wanted was a couple of pretty purple flowers and perhaps a few eggplants that I would cook up for my lunch at the end of the season.

As luck would have it, I bought a Hansel Eggplant which is a profuse producer. I also happen to have the perfect conditions for growing eggplant: lots of sun, moist, well drained soil, and manure rich compost. I have not captured any great flower pictures, but I now have over 20 eggplants on my bush.

As much as I like eggplant, I knew that I could not eat all that this bush is producing and decided I needed to make converts of my children and perhaps even my husband! I can get my kids to eat anything that includes pizza in the name, so I began my campaign with Eggplant Pizza Bites.

Ingredients:

3  8-10 inch fingerling eggplants, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup pizza sauce or leftover spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
basil
garlic powder
oregano

Directions:

1. Although Hansel Eggplants are not supposed to be bitter, I followed Erin’s steps to draw the bitter juices out of the eggplant.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

3. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil. Place the slices on a baking sheet and baked until browned and almost tender, approximately 4 minutes each side.

4. Spoon pizza sauce onto each eggplant slice. Top with cheese and sprinkle each slice with dried basil, garlic powder, and dried oregano. Bake until the cheese melts, approximately 4 minutes.

My husband and kids made quick work of the pizza bites. Three eggplants down, seventeen to go!

(Erin here. We are so making these with the eggplant that just budded out in the garden!  I’m even gonna splurge on some dairy-free cheese to make them!  Thanks Alea…amazing!)

Do you have any child-friendly eggplant recipes? Do share your favorites!!!

Alea shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home at Premeditated Leftovers. She is committed to providing her family with homegrown, organic produce despite living in an inhospitable climate. Alea chronicles her gardening efforts at One Determined Gardener. She can also be found on Twitter. Check out all of her $5 Dinners Recipes too.

I mentioned yesterday that we had an impromptu Italian dinner feast with Tricia and her family. And I might have mentioned that I made some Eggplant Focaccia bread.

Turned out to be quite good…a little tough on the edges…but what a yummy combination of flavors!

It was only after about 5 seconds that Tyler and Tessa were holding hands. (They are less than 1 month apart in age.)

And it was only 30 seconds after that when the footsy began.

Uh. Huh. Uh. Huh. These babies didn’t waste anytime getting acquainted.

We had a lovely dinner and a lovely “adult” conversation. I’m sorry I didn’t get any photos from our feast…I was too busy watching Tyler…making sure he kept his paws off Tessa.

On to the Focaccia…

But be forewarned. Photo deluge coming.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup warm water…not hot, not lukewarm…warm
1 package active dry yeast ($.25)

5 1/2 cups flour (I used 5 cups white, then 1/2 cup wheat…I ran out of white…I recommend all white flour.)
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil ($.50)
About 3/4 more cup of water

1/2 white onion, sliced into circles ($.15)
1 tsp olive oil ($.03)
1 tsp sugar ($.05)

1 eggplant ($1.12) $.99/lb from the market on Saturday
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary from the garden
1 garlic clove ($.05)

Kosher salt
Olive oil for drizzling ($.25)

Directions

Let’s start with the dough. Since it takes a while to rise…and stuff.

Place the warm water in a bowl and stir in the yeast. A tablespoon of yeast from the jar, if you don’t do the packets. Let sit while you get the flour going and get out the other ingredients, 5 to 10 minutes.

Place the flour and salt into a stand mixer or bowl where you will make the dough.

Toss the flour and salt together, then stream in the olive oil.

Pour in the yeast and water and let the dough hook works its magic. Stream in some more warm water (I did about 3/4 cups), until dough ball forms. Let knead for about 10 minutes.

Don’t have a stand mixer and dough hook. Use a wooden spoon and then knead the dough yourself…and get a nice forearm workout in the process.

Dough ball will form…keep kneading until smooth.

Meanwhile, wash the rosemary and the eggplant. Pat dry.

Thinly slice the eggplant. Then place into a strainer.

Sprinkle the eggplant pieces with salt and set in the kitchen sink.  The salt will draw out the bitter eggplant juices and they can drain into the sink.

While the eggplant is draining and the dough is kneading, slice the onions.  Caramelize them.

Place the olive oil and sugar into a small skillet.  Let the oil and sugar heat up, then toss in the onion slices.  Cook on high until they look like this…then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Once cooked, chop up the caramelized onions and set aside.

Take the rosemary leaves of the sprig.

Chop away.

Peel a garlic clove and mash it with the side of the knife.

Rub the garlic along the inside of the bowls that will hold your dough, as it rises.  Add a little olive oil to the bowl to prevent sticking. Then mince the garlic to add to the dough after it rises.

Add smooth dough.

Cover and let rise about an hour.

Once rise, add the chopped rosemary and minced garlic to the risen dough.  Work the spices into the dough and then begins kneading the dough and stretching it out.

Let gravity help you stretch the dough out. Do NOT ROLL OUT focaccia dough. I repeat. Do NOT ROLL OUT focaccia dough!

Pull and knead the dough and place on a greased baking sheet. (Here is where I wished I’d have used my pizza stone.  I think the edges would have turned out better if I had used it.)

Dimple option #1.

Dimple option #2.

Dimple #3. Use whatever you like. Make dimples all over your dough.  Cover and let rise about 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 as the dough is rising again.

Once risen again…add the sliced eggplants, the chopped caramelized onions, some kosher salt and some drizzles of olive oil.

Brush the olive oil around.

Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven, slice with pizza cutter.

Consume.

Cost $2.40

This dish sorta turned into an experiment.  I started with a plan in mind.  And it kept changing as I found new things in the fridge to add to the dish! 

I needed to use the eggplant and Cubanelle peppers I picked from the garden this week.  And I had 2 green tomatoes in the fridge (more on the green tomato situation in the next garden update!).  Why not throw those in too?

So this is what we got! 

Ingredients
12 oz. spaghetti noodles ($.65)
2 tsp olive oil ($.06)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped ($.30)
2 green tomatoes, diced (from the garden)
1 Cubanelle (aka Italian frying) pepper, seeded and diced (from the garden)
1 small eggplant, diced (from the garden)
1 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
1 tsp Italian seasonings ($.05)
Salt and pepper
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained ($.65)
2 small chicken breasts, diced ($1.79) About 1 lb.
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ($.62-$1.25)
About 1/2 lb. green beans (from the garden)

Directions
1. In medium saucepan, cook spaghetti noodles as indicated on the package. Drain and place into greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. In large skillet, add olive oil, onion, pepper, eggplant, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper.

3. Saute over medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes, or until green tomatoes soften and onions become opaque.

4. Stir in diced tomatoes and diced chicken breasts.  Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until chicken pieces have cooked through.

5. Combine the spaghetti noodles and the chicken and veggie sauce in the baking dish.

6. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.  As you can see below, I only used cheese on half the dish so the boys have have a dairy-free version of the meal!  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese has melted and begun to golden.

7. Steam green beans in stovetop steamer for 4-5 minutes.
8. Serve Baked Chicken Spaghetti with Green Beans. 

Cost $4.80

I had a surplus of about $25 from my August grocery budget. 

I decided to go on a “tomato spree.”

The farmer’s market just down the road from me offers a “You Pick” price for Roma tomatoes of $.69/lb.  Not too bad.  Plus we (yes, I took the kids for “the experience”) got to have a little fun and learn about “good” and “bad” tomatoes!

All that you see above (2 habanero peppers, 4 anaheim hot peppers, 1 yellow squash, 1 “you pick” eggplant, 4 “Q balls,” and about 20 pounds of tomatoes!) only cost…

$21.41

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients
About 12 lbs of Roma tomatoes
1/2 large eggplant (from the picture above)
1 yellow squash
5 carrot sticks, peeled
10 garlic cloves
3 yellow onions
Handful of fresh basil, parsley and rosemary (from the garden)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Puree all the ingredients in small parts in a food processer or VitaMix.  Pour into large saucepans.  Bring to boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Can.  Here is a set of great directions! I did not, however, peel the skins when making the spaghetti sauce.

I’ll be sharing my salsa recipe with you soon!

Here is the final result…

6 quarts of spaghetti sauce and 6 pints of salsa

So that has GOT TO BE the fanciest recipe title I’ve come up with yet!

Because I used so much from the garden for this meal, I was able to be a little more creative and made up a delicious rosemary-garlic aioli sauce for these paninis! 

These were “UH-MAZING,” according to the Hubs! 

So if you’ve got an eggplant in the garden, or come across a great deal on eggplants…I highly recommend these paninis!!!!

Ingredients
1 eggplant (from the garden)
Dashes of salt
1 loaf pugliese bread, sliced ($2.50) I would have used ciabatta, but the loaf at my store had milk, so I opted for the dairy free option!
1 large ripe heirloom tomato (from the garden)
1 zucchini, thinly sliced ($.64) a little less than a lb…on sale this week $.77/lb!
1/4 cup mayo ($.20)
2 Tbsp lemon juice ($.05)
1 tsp olive oil ($.05)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.05)
Palm full of fresh rosemary (from the garden)
Salt/Pepper
4 slices of swiss cheese ($.75)
Handful basil leaves (from the garden)
2-3 tsp olive oil, for sauteing ($.10)
2-3 tsp olive oil, for brushing bread before grilling ($.10)
4 corn cobs ($.76) On an unadvertised sale for $.19 an ear!

Directions

1. Slice eggplant into 1/4 or smaller slices.

2. Lay them into a strainer and sprinkle both sides with a few dashes of salt.  Place the strainer in the sink and let sit for 30 minutes.  The salt will draw out the bitter juices and will give the eggplant a better flavor.

3. Meanwhile, slice bread into 1/4 inch slices.  I thought these would be too thick after I cut them, but they really “smoosh” down!

4. Slice tomato into semi-thin slices.

5. Slice zucchini into semi-thin slices.

6. Prepare Rosemary-Garlic Aioli sauce.  Whisk mayonaisse, lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, chopped rosemary and salt and pepper, to taste.  (I had some leftover which the kids used to dip their extra bread pieces!)

7. After 30 minutes, the eggplant will have produced beads and become softer.  Pat dry and place in skillet with 1-2 tsp olive oil.  Saute for 3-4 minutes, then flip and saute the other sides for 2-3 minutes.  Once they have browned a bit, they’ll be ready for the sandwiches.  In the same skillet, add 1-2 more tsp olive oil and saute the slices of zucchini for 3-4 minutes, then flip and saute the other sides for 2-3 minutes.

8. On bread slices, add swiss cheese slice, basil leaves and the aioli sauce to the other bread.

9. Add sliced tomato, sauteed zucchini and sauteed eggplant.

10. Put sandwiches together.  (I had some 1 piece of extra bread and extra eggplants, zucchini, and tomatoes, so I made an open faced panini with the following layers, from the bottom up: bread, aioli sauce, tomato, basil, zucchini, eggplant and piece of swiss cheese.)

11. Add about 2-3 tsp olive oil to a plate and then press both of the sides of the panini into the olive oil before placing on the grill.  Place on the grill and carefully balance the brick on the top so that it won’t slide off.  Once the veggies and bread soften and come together, the panini will stick together.

12. Watch the panini get smooshed and the cheese ooze and melt!  Be careful to use a hot pad when handling the brick!  Flip the panini and grill both sides.

13. Boil corn in large saucepan for 4-5 minutes, or place in micrwavable dish with 1/4 cup of water and cover with plastic.  Microwave for 2.5 minutes for each ear of corn!

14. Serve Grilled Eggplant Paninis with Rosemary-Garlic Aioli and Corn Cobs. 

Cost $5.20

This meal is sorta “2-n-1″…it could be vegetarian…or it could be done with meat or diced chicken! 

Here’s the lowdown…

Since I only used 1 cup of the crushed tomatoes, I ended up using the rest to make spaghetti sauce for the boys while I’m gone this weekend.  Before stashing it in the fridge, I tossed about 1 cup with the eggplant and pasta for the boys…then tossed the eggplant and pasta with cheese for us.  Make sense?  I don’t normally make “2 for 1 meals,” but that’s how this meal played out tonight. 

So could be meatless, or toss in a bit of your favorite meat and spaghetti sauce!

Also, today I sliced up my green pepper and orange pepper with an onion and froze them.  I wanted to make chicken fajita pizza tomorrow night before I leave, but that’s not gonna happen…rather than let it go to waste, I froze them so that I could saute them with the chicken next week when I can make that pizza!

Ingredients
2 small eggplants ($1.50) $.75 a piece from the farmer’s market stop!
Couple dashes of salt
16 oz. whole wheat penne pasta ($1.49)
1-2 tsp olive oil ($.05)
Pepper
Bunch of parsley, basil leaves and rosemary leaves (free from the garden)
2-3 garlic cloves ($.10)
1 cup crushed tomatoes ($.30)
1/2 – 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese ($.40) From the freezer from a few weeks ago when just $1.25/2 cups!
4 ears of corn ($.68) From the freezer when on sale a few weeks back…$.17 each

**Add 1/3-1/2 lb. ground beef for the meatier version! Plus $.75!

Directions

1. Slice eggplants into 1/2 inch cubes or slightly smaller.

2. Place in colander and sprinkle with salt.  Set colander in the sink and let sit for 30 minutes.  The salt will remove the bitter juices from the eggplant and the dish will be much tastier!  After sitting for 30 minutes, rinse with cold water and then add to skillet for sauteing.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain and return to saucepan.  Chop fresh herbs.

4.  Saute egglant with the fresh herbs in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes, or until begin to brown.  Stir often.

5.  Add 1 cup of crushed tomatoes, or tomato sauce/diced tomatoes.  Stir through.  Add cooked pasta and shredded mozzarella cheese.  Toss and let simmer over low heat for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

6. In glass baking dish, add corn cobs with 1/4 cup of water.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 4-5 minutes.

7. Serve Eggplant Penne Pasta with Corn Cobs.

Cost $4.52 for meatless, $5.27 for meaty version

I’ve been wanting to try moussaka for a long time, but knew that I couldn’t pull it off for under $5. I used the recipe from Joy of Cooking and simplified it quite a bit. I did not use any Greek yogurts or cheeses. Yes, I know those are the KEY ingredients to the dish, but I’m trying to keep it frugal and simple here

Also, this seems to be “How to” week at $5 Dinners! From the split chicken breasts to the mangoes and now eggplant. I have always “feared” eggplant because I didn’t know what to do with it. Have that same problem? Fear no more. I’ve got step by step directions with photos below!

Can’t beat this…2 steaks for $2.08! “Manager’s Special” is the way to go! May not be the “best” cut of steak, but it was still delicious!

Ingredients
2 cuts steak ($2.08)
1/4 cup marinade ($.50)
4 potatoes ($1.oo)
3 cloves garlic ($.10)
1/2 cup milk ($.10)
2 T butter ($.20)
1 small eggplant ($.79)
2 T EVOO ($.10)
1/2 cup corn ($.20)

Directions
1. Marinate steak at least 30 minutes in fridge. Grill as you wish!
2. Boil potatoes, quartered. When soft, mash with butter, garlic, and milk. Add S/P to taste.
3. Slice eggplant. Place on paper towel and sprinkle with salt to draw out moisture. After a few minutes, flip and salt other side. Saute on both sides in extra virgen olive oil until tender. Season if you wish!
4. Enjoy a hearty “steak and potatoes” meal for less than $5!!!

Cost $5.07