Sundays Are For Football…and New Recipes!

Another Sunday, another day of food, football & friends.

Although we have a smaller crew today we’re still having a great time…and we definitely didn’t skimp on the food!

Jay & I always have such a fun time with Joe & Kate!

Oh and of course, we can’t forget about Cody!

“C’mon Mom, really? Just let me watch the game…”

So like I said, we definitely didn’t skimp in the food department. Here’s a look at some of the spread:

Fresh veggies – who says football food has to be unhealthy?

CHEESE! (FYI: This cheese was absolutely PHENOMENAL.)

Kate brought over this block of Maple Leaf Apple Harvest Cheddar Cheese with Cinnamon that she found at Price Chopper yesterday to share…and I was SO GLAD that she did. The cheese just screamed FALL; the perfect flavor of cinnamon, tiny chunks of apple, and subtle cheddar flavor, this cheese was amazing.

Sassy Spinach Cream Cheese dip – also courtesy of Kate

Buffalo Chicken Dip, done completely by Jay. He was so proud. It may not photograph well, but we all know how fantastic buffalo chicken dip is!

Tomato, Mozz, & Basil Bruschetta

To make: I simply cut up some of the Italian bread I picked up at the Farmers Market yesterday, lightly toasted it, and topped it with a bruschetta dip mix I had in the pantry, some diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and a little mozzarella cheese. Then I lightly drizzled a little EVOO & balsamic vinegar, popped ‘em under the broiler until the cheese was melted, and VOILA…bruschetta!

Aaaaand, a NEW recipe! Roasted Eggplant & Feta Dip.

I’ve had an eggplant sitting in the fridge for a few days now, and it was time to put it to use. After browsing the Eating Well website for a while, I came across this recipe that sounded like it could possibly be a winner. I made a couple minor changes, but followed the recipe for the most part.

Let me tell you…it was definitely a winner! Not only was it suuuuper easy to make, but the flavors in this dip were amazing. Even Jay liked it, and he “does not do eggplant.”

I served my dip along with some parmesan & herb pita chips…and may have possibly eaten my body weight in it all.

Roasted Eggplant & Feta Dip

(Original recipe can be found here)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant, (about 1 pound)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of sugar

Directions:

1. Position oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source; preheat broiler.
2. Line a baking pan with foil. Place eggplant in the pan and poke a few holes all over it to vent steam. Broil the eggplant, turning with tongs every 5 minutes, until the skin is charred and a knife inserted into the dense flesh near the stem goes in easily, 14 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board until cool enough to handle.
3. Put lemon juice in a medium bowl. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and scrape the flesh into the bowl, tossing with the lemon juice to help prevent discoloring. Add oil and stir with a fork until the oil is absorbed. (It should be a little chunky.) Stir in feta, onion, bell pepper, basil, parsley, chili powder and salt. Taste and add sugar if needed.
4. Serve with pita chips and ENJOY!

Time to watch the Jets game!! Keeping my fingers crossed for a better showing than last week.

Tagged as: Apple Harvest cheddar, bruschetta, buffalo chicken dip, eating well, football, Jets, Maple Leaf cheese, roasted eggplant and feta dip