Summery Portobello and Veggie Stackers

Summertime is the perfect time to enjoy fresh and healthy vegetables. These portobello and veggie stackers are the perfect reason to light up the grill!

Portobello and veggie stackers

1 cup Balsamic vinegar

¼ Olive oil

Salt and pepper

3 large portobello

1 small eggplant

1 yellow pepper

1 red pepper

1 red onion

1 small ball of fresh mozzarella

Marinate the portobello in balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper for at least an hour. Slice the eggplant, peppers, onions and fresh mozzarella into 3/4 inch slices. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan to medium high heat and start with grilling the portobellos for 5 minutes on each side. Once the portobellos are tender set them aside and cover them with foil to keep warm. Place the remainder of the veggies on the grill pan. Cook the veggies until tender. Once the veggies are done prep your stackers on a baking tray layering veggies and mozzarella. You can arrange the stackers to your liking however I usually start with the sturdy portobello on the bottom. Broil the completed stackers for about 5 minutes until the mozzarella is gooey and melted. Serve over a bed of arugula and drizzle with balsamic and olive oil. These are a delicious summertime treat!

Simple Salmon with Dill

3-5 ounce salmon pieces

1 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp Dill

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray pan with cooking spray and add the salmon. Dust the top of salmon with garlic powder and a heavier coating of dill. Bake for 20 minutes and enjoy. For a special sweet hint add a drizzle of honey over the top of the salmon as soon as it’s out of the oven, the flavor of the honey and dill is amazing! 

Eggplant Stackers

My boyfriend is always asking me to cook more eggplant, so when I stumbled across this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine I had to give it a shot. This recipe was originally created as open-faced eggplant sandwiches, however I opted to replace the country wheat bread with a nutrient packed bed of spinach. Let me tell you we didn't even miss the bread. Healthy and delicious, these stackers stacked up! They took just minutes to prepare and were great as a side dish and lunch the next day. Just be sure you don't walk away from the broiler while your cooking as the panko breadcrumbs brown up pretty quickly.  

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup lower-sodium marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 medium eggplant, cut crosswise into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Cooking spray
• 4 (1-ounce) slices country wheat bread, toasted
• 12 large basil leaves
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. 2. Place marinara in a microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave at HIGH for 2 minutes or until hot; keep warm.
3. 3. Place flour in a shallow dish. Place eggs in another dish. Place panko in another. Sprinkle eggplant evenly with salt. Dredge both sides of eggplant slices in flour; dip in egg, and dredge in panko. Place breaded eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil eggplant 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer eggplant slices to a plate. Place bread slices on baking sheet; top each slice with 1 basil leaf. Place 1 eggplant slice over each leaf; top eggplant with 1 basil leaf and 1/2 ounce cheese. Top cheese with remaining slices of eggplant; finish with 1/2 ounce of cheese over each eggplant slice. Broil eggplant stacks 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Spoon 2 tablespoons marinara over each serving. Top with remaining basil leaves.