Your kids can eat healthy too......and like it!

I'm merging last week with this week, since school's out for Rosh Hashannah, and we only have 3 days of school this week. (YAY!)

There was a student/parent cookout last Saturday, so on Monday we had a cookout with the leftover food, i.e., hamburgers, hot dogs, sweet potato fries, etc.. Not the healthiest meal, but the kids loved it. Sometimes, you have to give them a break. I made up for it the next day by serving turkey wraps, and warm cheddar apple baguettes as the veggie option. And yesterday, we served shrimp for the first time in Common Ground history. I made it with fresh tomatoes, basil, and parm over pasta. There were meatballs for the non seafood eaters. Here are some of last week's overheard student comments:

"The food is BLAZING"
"Lunch Rocks"
"You sure there's no seconds?"
"Whatcha gonna do with the rest of that food?"
(Staff hadn't eaten yet.....)

That makes me smile :)

Ta ta for now.....

GREEK GRILLED EGGPLANT PIZZA
(from eatingwell.com)

1 pound Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough
or other prepared dough
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/4 pounds), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 2 ounces)
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, divided

To cook pizzas on a charcoal grill, build a medium-hot fire in one half of the grill (two bricks placed end-to-end work well as a divider). For a gas grill with two burners, preheat one burner on high, leaving the other unlit. For a single-burner gas grill, preheat on high, and lower the flame to cook the second side of the pizzas.

Toss eggplant slices with 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl. Sprinkle the slices with salt and pepper and grill, turning often, until tender, about 8 minutes. Let cool; chop coarsely.

Combine the chopped eggplant with tomatoes, feta cheese, 2 tablespoons mint and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll out the pizza dough into 4 circles and place on a floured cutting board. Bring the dough, toppings and a pair of tongs to grill side.

Place 2 of the dough circles on the hot side of the grill. Within 1 minute the dough will puff slightly, and the underside will firm up and be striped with grill marks. Use tongs to flip the crusts over and onto the cooler side of the grill.

Distribute half of the eggplant mixture on the crusts after turning. Cover the grill and cook, rotating the pizzas once or twice, until the toppings are heated through, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pizzas from the grill. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 with the remaining dough and toppings. Just before serving, scatter the remaining 2 tablespoons mint over the pizzas.




GARLIC EGGPLANT SOUP

1 large bulb garlic
1 1/4 tsp olive oil
1 eggplant, about 2 lbs
1/4 cup minced onions
6 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup tomato puree
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cup half & half
1 tsp worchestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil.
Peel away any excess paper from the bulb of garlic, then cut the top off to expose the cloves. Rub exposed cloves with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil, and set onto the prepared baking sheet. Poke the eggplant all over with a fork; place onto baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until the garlic has turned golden brown and the eggplant is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool until cool enough to handle. Peel eggplant and chop into large chunks; peel or squeeze the roasted garlic from its skin, and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, then stir in reserved eggplant, roasted garlic, tomato puree, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.
Once cooked, carefully puree soup in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return soup to the stove in a clean saucepan. Stir in half-and-half, season to taste with salt and pepper; cook over medium-low heat until hot.