I wanted to feel less guilty about eating a gooey rich mac&cheese, so I decided to add some veggies. I used zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes as the “noodle layers” and the mac&cheese as the sauce layers. It was awesome it just doesn’t serve as pretty as a true lasagna. I used a basic cheese sauce that’s used in a lot of recipes, and you can change the ratio and/or cheeses used in the sauce. I used about equal parts gruyére and cheddar - fontina and a blue cheese would also be a great compliment. I also put some images of the different stages in case I don’t explain it well. Here’s how it happened:

Serves 6

1 lb elbow macaroni, or any small pasta

1 quart of milk - I like to use whole milk for cooking

8 tablespoon (1 stick) of unsalted butter

1/2 cup all purpose flour

8oz Gruyére cheese, grated

8 to 12oz Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1.5 cups bread crumbs

2 small eggplants, sliced thin

2 zucchini, sliced thin

2 tomatoes, sliced

salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile heat milk in a saucepan, but don’t let it boil. Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan, about 4 quarts. Add the flour and continue to whisk for about 2 minutes. While whisking, add the hot milk slowly and continue to stir. Let the milk cook for another minute, until it’s thickened and smooth. Turn off the heat and add all of the cheese and stir until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and the nutmeg. In a large bowl, add macaroni and coat with the cheese sauce.

3. In a 13×9 inch oven proof dish, layer about 2 cups of the pasta on the bottom of the dish. Next, layer with the slices of zucchini, covering the bottom pasta layer. Add another layer of mac&cheese. Layer Eggplant. Spoon on one more layer of mac&cheese and top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs. Bake uncovered in the oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly. Let stand for 5-7 minutes before serving.

This was a great hearty meal that made us feel great when we were stuffed full of veggies. I had seen the dressing recipe on Tyler’s Ultimate this past weekend and thought it would be a great fall flavor over some roasted veggies. I also used half of one of the last tomatoes of the season, without roasting. The lettuce is a red leaf and a bibb lettuce from the farmer’s market. Actually, this entire meal, minus the maple syrup is from the farmer’s market. I roasted sliced eggplant, parsnips, and carrots at 400F for about 20 minutes. Just drizzle the dressing, add whatever veggies move you that day, a slice of good bread and you have an amazing flavorful salad - and I don’t usually buy the whole salad thing unless it’s covered with cheese.

I wasn’t sure what to call these little roll ups. I always appreciate when a cook has a sense of humor and titles something like Big Bob’s Horseshoe Rings, and I thought about calling this one Michele’s (my mom) Injury Special or something like that. But I decided to make this one descriptive, and this was such a yummy meal. I had bought the shaved ribeye from Super H here in Atlanta. I had never seen a cut like this before, and I might have a hard time recreating this up North. I had brought down some NY State eggplants and green beans and needed to use them. So I kind of brought things I like together, especially a balsamic fig reduction drizzled over everything. Rather than describing the whole thing for lines and lines, here’s the recipe:

Serves 4

3/4 lb shaved/sliced beef ribeye

2 small eggplants

1lb green beans

2 dried figs, diced

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar - use a good one, it makes a big difference

1 teaspoon sugar

salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Slice eggplants standing up, so you get thin steaks. Place the eggplant on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until soft and flexible.

2. In a small saucepan, add balsamic vinegar, figs and sugar. Let the pan come to a low boil and let the sauce reduce by about half, stirring frequently. The sugar will make it syrupy and a tad sweet.

3. Heat a stove top grill. Assemble the ribeye rolls by placing one or two slices of eggplant on each slice of meat. Roll up the meat, and continue to assemble roll ups until you’ve run out! Lightly salt each roll up and place on the grill. Let them sear and when they no longer stick to the pan, they’re ready to turn over - about 2 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, steam or boil green beans - however you like. Serve 2-3 rolls/person with a heaping side of green beans and drizzle with balsamic fig sauce.

After charring the eggplant, let it cool a bit.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed. I think its a combination of me making this dish for the first time, and maybe making some tweaks to Jamie’s recipe. It just missed the mark. The eggplant was great - not too soggy, and you could still taste the flavor, which is usually overpowered by an abundance of cheese and bread crumbs. I would recommend either adding more parm - I used about 1/3 of my half pound chunk. Make a bit more sauce, and add the mozzarella to the top, so it gets a bit more gooey and browned on the top. Overall we really liked it - it was very rustic and fresh plus we have enough for both of us for lunch today. Tonight is the Honey Chicken with grilled corn salad. I’ll also try to make the pictures a bit more pleasing - I’m currently in a battle with my overpowering flash.

The end product

One of the first things I knew needed to change in our diet was our fruit and veggie intake - which I think applies to a lot of us. We were eating a lot of meat and pasta and cheese (yummy, not heart healthy). So my first weeks menu includes just 2 dinners with meat. I used to be a vegetarian, which my husband is thankful I’m not anymore, but I felt so much more healthy while doing it. I also want to try to buy organic and antibiotic free meats, so less meat is less $$$.

I’ve planned out our whole week’s dinners, with plans on leftovers for lunches. This is another goal of ours - smaller portions so there are leftovers.

I also want this to be realistic. I’m not an expert cook - I just watch a lot of Food Network and pour over cook books. I’m going to share my failures (not easy for me to do) as well as things that have worked well for me. I also know lots of people work 9-5, or work on different schedules. I’d love to hear how you cook and shop! I have many friends who are actors and artists, and keep really different schedules from most people. Together we’re our own experts.

So, here’s the menu for the week - things may shift depending on how much time I have

Monday - Eggplant Parmigiana - Jamie Oliver

Tuesday - Honey Chicken Skewers and Corn Salad - Real Simple

Wednesday - Tomato Basil Soup w/ crusty bread - The Farm to Table Cookbook

Thursday - Summer Quiche - The Farm to Table Cookbook

Friday - Moroccan Lamb w/Carrot Salad - Real Simple