Chicken and Eggplant Parmigiana

Carbs are my nemesis.  If I could I would eat pasta, potatoes, bread, etc for every meal.  Every. Single. One.  I once did the Atkins diet.  I stuck to it for 3 weeks and I lost, like, 15 lbs.  I was also in a permanent bad mood and literally cried when I was making dinner and served Cole his dinner with rice and I couldn't have any.  Suffice it to say, that diet did not last very long (and afterwards I may or may not have gone on a carb binge, but I'm not on trial here).

Point is, I love carbs.  Therefore, I love Italian food.  Cole and I are trying to put together an Italian Feast Night with a bunch of his friends so I thought I'd practice a bit before that.  Also, Olive Garden was playing a commercial for Eggplant Parmesan and it was making me crave it like no other.  I would complement them on their advertising, but it didn't make actually come into their restaurant.  So it probably didn't work out so well for them.  I decided to make some Chicken Parmigiana also because, well, it's delicious.

Chicken and Eggplant Parmigiana

What you need:

2 chicken breasts (cut in half so they are thinner, then pounded very thin)

Eggplant (cut into approx. 1/2 inch thick rounds)

Bread crumbs (Italian style)

2 eggs (beaten)

Mozzarella cheese

Grated Parmesan cheese

Marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)

Pasta

Garlic bread

What you do:

Slice mozzarella cheese.  (I'm not sure why I felt the need to picture this, but I did.  So there you go.).  Preheat oven to 350*.  Coat chicken and eggplant rounds in eggs then bread crumbs.  Pan fry the chicken and eggplant until they are nice and crispy on each side.  Don't worry about them being fully cooked, we are going to finish them off in the oven.  Put a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of glass baking dish.  Place the chicken and eggplant in the baking dish.  Pour a little more marinara sauce over the top of the chicken and eggplant, then top each one with a slice of mozzarella cheese and a bit of parmesan cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is nice and bubbly.  While the chicken is in the oven cook the pasta.  Serve the pasta and marinara on the side of the eggplant and chicken.  And please, whatever you do, don't forget the garlic bread.     

I also made a yummy Caprese salad as a little appetizer because, you know, there wasn't enough cheese with dinner.  

Thai Curry Chicken

I love Thai food.  It makes me happy.  It makes me even happier that I can make Thai food at home in, like, 30 minutes.  This dinner is perfect for those nights that I want to be lazy, but still eat something delicious and fairly healthy.  

Thai Curry Chicken

What you need:

2 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 medium bell peppers (whatever color you prefer)

Leek (thinly sliced)

5 cloves garlic

1 T curry powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 T dried basil

Salt and Pepper

1 T Olive oil

1 can coconut milk (I used light)

Fresh basil

What you do:

Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes.  Sprinkle curry, salt and pepper, and chili powder on the chicken.  Toss to coat and let sit for 1-2 hours.  

 In a large nonstick pan heat up olive oil.  Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes until it is no longer pink. 

Add in the vegetables and dried basil and cook until vegetables are at the desired tenderness (I prefer mine a little on the crunch side).

Add coconut milk and cook until it thickens up a bit and is slightly bubbly.  Go ahead and taste it and see if it needs any more seasoning.  I almost always add a little extra curry powder.  

Serve over rice, and with some naan (or pita bread) if you want.  Homemade pita bread recipe is forthcoming.

If you try this let me know what you think!