Eggplant with Marinara and Mozarella

I'm really not sure what to call this, other than delicious. It is warm, comforting, low-carb, and completely more-ish. Make sure to find (or make) a marinara sauce that you love, since it will be a major player in this dish!

I came up with this one afternoon when I wanted something hot and yummy for lunch. I set this up on the stove to bubble away. It simmered, covered, while I made some lunch for the kids. Once they were set up, my lunch was good to go! You can cook this either on the stove, covered, over medium low heat, or in the oven, at 300. Be careful in the oven, as the cheese can burn!

Slice yer eggplant. 

Smother yer eggplant.

Cover yer eggplant. 

Cheese yer eggplant. 

Cook yer eggplant.

Devour yer eggplant. 

Yer welcome. 

Eggplant with Marinara and Mozzarella

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 eggplant (Chinese, or American)
Marinara sauce (enough to cover the eggplant)
2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese

Slice eggplant, and layer in a cast-iron skillet. Cover with marinara sauce, and top with cheese. Simmer over medium low heat, or bake in 300 degree oven, until cheese is warm and melted, and the eggplant is cooked through - about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Turkey Meatloaf (aka Turkey Fatty)

When I first started researching kamado grills, a few recipes came up over and over. Boston butt. Ribs. Atomic buffalo turds. Fatties. 

Some were more obvious than others. (i.e.- ribs!) Some, less so. (ATB's are bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeños.)

Tonight, I attempted my first fatty! A fatty is, at its most basic, a weave of bacon wrapped around a log of sausage, filled with onions, peppers, and plenty of cheese. They are called FATtie for a reason! 

When I made mine, I attempted to slim it down a touch. I used ground turkey instead of sausage, for starters. I also chose to simply mix in chopped onion and spices, rather than do a cheesy filling. I used regular bacon instead of turkey bacon, as I didn't want the loaf to come out too dry or crumbly. 

The resulting loaf got thumbs up from 6/7 diners. (SJ didn't like the flavor, but choked it down, slathered with ketchup.) 

This loaf fed four adults and three children, with about half the loaf left over. We had this with a generous portion of salad, some cubed melon, and Mai fun chow mein. 

Enjoy! 

Aunt LoLo's Turkey Fatty 

Serves 8-10 

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground turkey

1 pound bacon (not thick cut)

1/4 cup steel cut oats

1 yellow onion, diced 

2 tsp garlic salt 

2 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp ground black pepper 

1 tsp ground dried cumin 

Preheat kamado grill (or oven) to about 375. Set it up for indirect heat, with a large drip pan. 

While that is heating up, make your bacon weave. Lay out 8 strips of bacon horizontally, sides touching. Starting at one side, lay strips of bacon vertically across your horizontal strips, lifting alternate slices to allow the vertical pieces to go over/under alternating slices to make a solid mat of woven bacon. 

In a large mixing bowl, use a spoon to combine remaining ingredients. Carefully from the ground meat mixture into a log in the middle of your bacon mat. Gently use the mat to wrap the log, tucking in all ends. Sprinkle with ground black pepper. 

Use a large spatula (or a surgeon-steady hand) to move the wrapped load to the grate of your grill. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 (about 1.5-2.5 hours). Serve sliced, with ketchup. 

Enjoy!