OHH YUM! Eggplant! it can be SOO good, IF...

you know what to do with it. TRUST ME!

The first time I used eggplant, I made this dish that was SO elaborate...I bought all of these expensive ingredients, and followed the recipe to a T! I tried it and YUCK! The Eggplant was so bitter. Never again..or until I thought?

IF you have had that happen to you, please do NOT give up on this wonderful vegetable. TRUST me. It will be your favourite veggie if you do the following.

Peel, slice and SALT your eggplant on paper towels for 20-30 minutes, then rinse off before doing ANYTHING with it....

That step is very important. It removes ALL the bitter flavours.

So tonight's WONDERFUL dish? OK, this is a GOOD one my friends!

I don't know what to call it though? Lets call it............

Greek Lasagna!

Grab an eggplant...peel and slice and put on paper towels. Sprinkle a liberal amount of salt..let sit for 20 minutes.

Brown some extra lean ground beef, a chopped onion, and as many yummy veggies as you can ( make your typical spaghetti sauce) we all know how to do that, right!? Mushrooms, peppers, lots of garlic, Italian seasoning, etc..

NOTE: I was making spaghetti tonight, but I had an eggplant that I had to use up, so I made spaghetti for the kids, but this for me, since I don't quite have the metabolism as the kids do!

Get a nice dish. Pour some crushed tomatoes on the bottom. Add a layer of eggplant. Add a layer of spaghetti sauce ( to get some meat in this dish, but not too much) If you are vegetarian, skip that part.

Sprinkle some Feta cheese on the layers...and top with eggplant and more sauce. More feta and VOILA! put in the oven.

The aroma will make you dance around the kitchen....ok, maybe not, but it sure smells good!

This is what it looked like coming out.






and now on my plate.




I had some fresh spinach leaves, so I added that for a side with some strawberries, drizzled with an aged balsamic vinegar. DO NOT GO EWWW! trust me. My lovely European neighbour said they put balsamic on strawberries over vanilla ice-cream. IT IS DIVINE! try it over frozen yogurt instead though and save the grams of fat. DELISH.

I had a grilled pepper in the fridge for sandwiches, and I like heat, so I added one of those too. Why not?

The wine!? CAN'T forget the wine!

Since my husband is still at work, I just grabbed a glass of what we had open. He might freak and say this is the wrong wine, but you know what? It worked SO well together! When he gets home, I will ask what he thinks.

WINE: 96 Points- 2005 Australian Shiraz-Viognier mix. BEAUTIFUL wine.
( ps. that is NOT 96 WW points..just the name! relax!)

Now off to watch the sunset with some vanilla frozen yogurt, balsamic, and strawberries...yum!

Georgian Bike Trail

We happen to live in a gorgeous part of the world. I have to admit. It is pretty nice around here. We happen to have a long bike trail ( recreation trail) all along the water from a town called Meaford, all the way to Collingwood. It is such a beautiful ride...plus we stop in Thornbury for lunch. Always yummy. Guilt free wine and food!

Our favourite place to eat is the Mill.

check out this lunch menu!


-- SMALL --

ROASTED LOCAL GARLIC SOUP
white bean and rosemary toast 7~

CAESAR SALAD
romaine, double smoked bacon, croutons, caper anchovy dressing 9~

FRISEE SALAD
lardons, pinenuts, goats cheese crostini, spiced pear and grainy mustard dressing 10~

ROASTED BEET AND PARSNIP SALAD
balsamic orange vinaigrette, hazlenut picada, arugula, house ricotta 9~

PORK AND SAGE RILLETTE
house apple butter, sweet and sour onions, grainy mustard, toast 9~


-- MEDIUM --

STEAK AND FETA SALAD
sirloin, feta, cucumber, red onion, peppers, tomatoes, honey Dijon dressing 14~

THE ORIGINAL MILL MUSSELS
leeks, red onion, tomato, garlic, black bean sauce, cream 13~

SPINACH AND RICOTTA GNOCCHI
northern woods mushroom ragu, house guanciale, parmesan 12~

MAC ‘N’ CHEESE
grilled pork belly, gruyere, mustard and herb bread crumbs 11~

HOUSEMADE TAGLIATELLE
oxtail ragu, arugula, fresh horseradish, house ricotta 13~


-- LARGE --

STEAK AU POIVRE ‘POUTINE’
grilled flatiron steak, cheese curds, spiced fries, green peppercorn sauce 14~

GRILLED PIZZETTA
local prosciutto, caramelized onion, apple, sage, gruyere 13~

CHICKEN AND LEEK POT PIE
organic root vegetables, crème fraiche, puff pastry 12~

FISH AND CHIPS
tempura white perch, preserved lemon tartar, house cut fries 11~

PULLED PORK SANDWICH
apple cider bbq sauce, celery root and apple coleslaw, house cut fries 11~

MILL BURGER
house cut fries, sour cream and onion dip 10~
aged cheddar 10.50 blue cheese 11~ or housemade peameal bacon 11~

THE MILL'S CHICKEN BASIL
fusilli pasta, red onion, peppers, sundried tomatoes, cream or extra virgin olive oil 12~


-- SIDES AND SNACKS --

House cut fries, curried aioli 5~
Marinated olives 7~
Local prosciutto, fig relish, house ricotta, toast 9~
Cheese plate ~market price~


Desserts • Cappuccino & Espresso
•Licenced under L.L.B.O.•

Executive Chef - Oliver Frost
Food Allergies: Please notify your server of all food allergies
Please be patient . . . . We are not a fast food restaurant, all meals are prepared to order.

Home-made pizza and red wine! YUM!

two of my favourite things! Use lots of veggies, a lean italian style bacon, reduced fat cheese...and make your own whole wheat pizza dough and you will LOVE this!

Lunch- Starving..instead of the drive-thru...try this!

Last night I was grilling, so I put on an extra chicken breast. Always plan ahead, as it makes it easier to eat right that way.

For lunch, I was starving. So I made home-made potato chips. I thinly slice a regular potato,spray a plate with becal, place the potato slices, spray more becal, then sea salt. Microwave for 8 minutes or so...flip half-way, and cook until crispy. VOILA! fat free chips!

I made an onion dip out of fat free sour cream and a tsp of dry onion soup mix.

Toast a bunless whole wheat bun from President's Choice, smothered on fat free garlic and herb cream cheese ( instead of the mayo) a slice of tomato and lettuce.

Add some fruit, and check it out! YUM!

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin- another lean winner!

This was an experiment and it turned out great! I must share.


2 pork tenderloins
Fat free herb and garlic cream cheese
sun dried tomatoes
white wine
prosciutto


Slit the pork tenderloins down the middle, and stuff with cream cheese, and sun dried tomatoes. Wrap prosciutto around each stuffed tenderloin. Season with salt and pepper. Splash some white wine in the dish and take a glass for yourself.

Leave covered in your fridge until you are ready to bake.
Bake 400F for 30 minutes until juices run clear.

For a side dish..this is a super easy potato.

Slice baking potatoes in half, lengthwise. Season with olive oil, cracked pepper and sea salt. Bake cut side down on a baking sheet until crispy.

Mix fat free sour cream and a Tbsp of Blue cheese in a dish. Place a dollop on each potato with a few sprinkles of bacon bits. YUM!

Served with rolls and lots of Salad.

Wine Pairing: Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2007 from Cornellana Estates- Chile

I am SO happy I went on that Nature walk...

because my dog- Sam, LOVES walking outside with us. He loves exploring with his family close by, and last Sunday happened to be his last. We lost Sammy Monday night. I miss him terribly and my heart aches. He was a 14 1/2 yr old Chocolate Lab! The love of our life.

We lost a piece of our family....here are the pictures from our last day hiking with him around our property. Not great pictures as I didn't know this was going to be so important to me at the time.





My crazy dog went into the water. He was such a water dog. FREEZING cold this time of the year...nothing would stop him.




through the woods..




Looking up at our house




How high that hill REALLY is! All of our stairs that our 14 yr old Lab would run up and down all the time...

90 second Healthy Dessert!

Peel, core and slice up an apple. Any apple
Place in a bowl
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar ( I used splenda) on top.

Place in Microwave for 90 seconds, and top with frozen yogurt. In this case I used frozen caramel crunch yogurt!

YUM!

Rich, Creamy Sausage Rigatoni- BUT healthy!? YES!

yup! It is a healthy version. Trust me! This is an amazing dish! My taste buds felt guilty eating it, but not sure why? Check out the healthy ingredients.

1 pkg of Turkey Sausage ( read the label...so low in fat!)
1 bell pepper chopped- any colour
1 small onion-diced
1/2 shredded zucchini
1 jar of Healthy Choice tomato sauce
1 can of Fat Free Condensed milk.
minced garlic to taste
salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes, basil, all to taste.
Freshly grated Parmesan

Rigatoni noodles- preferably whole wheat

1. Remove the casings and saute the turkey sausage in the frying pan with minced onion until lightly browned. ( you might need a tsp of olive oil, as it is pretty lean)

2. Bring your Whole Wheat Rigatoni noodles to a boil and cook according to package directions.

3. Add remaining vegetables and garlic and tomato sauce to frying pan mixture. Simmer for a couple of minutes, and then add condensed milk. Stir and season. Let bubble up a bit as sauce thickens into a rich creamy consistency.

4. Drain al dente noodles and add to frying pan to coat with mixture. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and ENJOY!