After being very skeptical at first bite, the dish was amazing. Now today as we are all watching what we eat, this is a great recipe to keep that waistline in perfect form. This dish is light but also very filling. You can serve this as a side dish or as the whole meal with some brown rice. Makes a great meatless dinner too.

Here is the recipe:

1 large Eggplant
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 can (4 oz) chopped; mild green
-chilies
1/4 cup Chopped green onion
1teaspoon Ground cumin
1teaspoon Garlic salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or 4 oz. pkg.)
6 ripe olives; sliced
1 cup Sour Cream ( or 8 oz. carton)

How you do it.

Peel and slice eggplant lengthwise.

Brush both sides of each slice with olive oil.

Place the eggplant on a medium hot grill and grill on both sides for 3 minutes.

Combine BBQ sauce, chilies, green onion, cumin and garlic salt in a sauce pan.

Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

In a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish, layer eggplant with BBQ sauce and cheese. Top with sour cream and olives. Bake at 350 Degrees for 20 minutes.

Once out of the oven, let the casserole cool down. You can cut into squares or just spoon portions out of the pan. Once the pan comes out of the oven the aroma is heavenly. The combination of the chilies with the grill flavor is a real winner.

Eat Well!

Chef Brian

Great BBQ SAUCE

Ingredients for Shrimp Cheese Ball

1 lb medium-size fresh shrimp – unpeeled*
1 8-oz. pkg. Cream cheese – softened
1 Tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated onion
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoon fresh parsley -chopped

dash of salt, pepper, old bay

How you do it.

Season your shrimp with salt and pepper and some old bay seasoning and place on hot grill.

Grill your shrimp for 3 minutes on all sides and remove and let cool down.

Peel and d-vein the shrimp then chop into bite-size pieces.

Combine shrimp, cream cheese, horseradish, lemon juice onion and liquid smoke in a bowl;

stir well.

Cover and chill 1 hour.

Shape the chilled shrimp mixture into a single ball then wrap in non-stick wrap and chill thoroughly.

Add your parsley; roll the ball into one

Place on serving plate and serve with assorted crackers.

I love this recipe so much, I use it whenever I have guest over for a small party. You can make this at least a day in advance and place in your fridge until the party. You can also substitute smoked trout or even smoked chicken. This will sure to be a great party dish for you and your guest.

Eat Well,

Chef Brian

Great BBQ Sauce

There is a huge controversy on whether or not to wash mushrooms. The purist say that washing mushrooms will ruin the flavor and water-log the mushroom. I happen to believe that a quick rinse under cold running water that is just dripping out of the faucet works best. Make sure you dry your mushrooms with a paper towel immediately after washing.

Ingredients for Stuffed Mushrooms

12 large stuffing mushrooms
1 pack (8 oz) cream cheese-softened
3 green or spring onions; with the tops
2 sweet or hot Italian sausage-links;

cooked and crumbled or chopped into small pieces
1 c Grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons Butter; for sauteing

How you do it.

Clean and d-stem the mushrooms then saute in about 1 T butter till slightly cooked. I recommend unsalted butter. Be careful not to break the mushrooms while cooking.

Remove and set on sheet pan with the underneath side up ready to stuff.

In a food processor or blender, chop the green onions, then add and pulse the cooked sausage till crumbled fairly small. Add softened cream cheese and Parmesan cheese and blend until thoroughly mixed. Use a teaspoon or piping bag to mound filling onto mushroom caps. Bake at 350F about 10-12 minutes,. You?ll need to keep an eye on them because after the internal temp of the filling reaches 350F, they will begin to cook at a much faster rate. Better still, use your nose, once you smell the Parmesan cheese baking, they are very close to being done.

Eat Well

Chef Brian

The Best BBQ Sauce

Ingredients for Mahogany Wings

1 lb -boneless, skinless chicken -breast cut into 1  inch strips (or use 2lbs chicken wings)
Tablespoons Teriyaki sauce
1 cup bottled Plum Sauce (or plum-preserves)
2 Tablespoon Brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 Tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
2 Tablespoons Water

How you do it.

Make ahead marinade:

In a med saucepan, combine the Teriyaki sauce, plum sauce, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, ginger, corn starch or arrowroot and water.

Heat, whisking the sauce, until smooth and thick and the sugar and arrowroot are dissolved. Set aside while you prepare the chicken.

This recipe is easiest if you use the chicken strips. If you choose to use wings, separate them at the joints, or buy them disjointed. Cut off any visible fat. Wash and pat dry.

Put the chicken pieces in the hot marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a large baking pan with no stick cooking spray. Drain marinade from chicken. Place the chicken pieces on the baking pan and Bake for 15 min until they are tender and crispy. (Bake chicken strips for 10 min.) Serve hot.

Eat Well!

Chef Brian

This recipe was from an old friend of my Mothers. She was tired of making basic meatloaf with ground beef and decided to try to make it with ground pork. It was an instant hit. Once she added the cheese and the BBQ sauce, it became a family staple. What I enjoyed about this recipe the most is that I could get a taste of BBQ even if it was winter time. Smelling the pork bake in the oven with the smokey flavor of the BBQ sauce made me think of grilling on the outdoor patio. What a treat.

Here is the recipe:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
2 cups soft breadcrumbs (4 slices bread)
1 small onion, grated
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup barbecue sauce

Mix ground beef lightly with 3/4 cup of cheese, egg, bread crumbs, onion, salt and pepper until well blended; shape into a loaf. Bake in a 350F oven for 1 hour; pour off drippings. Pour barbecue sauce over loaf; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake 30 minutes longer.

Let the Meatloaf rest for 15 minutes before slicing, this will keep the meat from breaking apart and loosing all of it’s juices. This dish is great served with a side of peas and carrots. I also like to make some fresh mash potatoes to go along side. Make extra BBQ sauce and use for dipping, your family will thank you for it.

Eat Well

Chef Brian