"Appetizers"- Eggplant Rollatinis

Are there any 'food choices' that are different between you and your significant other? They say that....after years of living together, a couple becomes 'like' each other. Do their food preferences change too???

Between me and 'M', there are many 'food differences'. I love Rice and dishes made with rice.He eats rice in the form of 'Biryani' only. I like eggplant.He hates eggplant.I like bananas.He can't stand bananas.I like prawns....he can hardly taste them....

So, when he is out for work..I indulge into my favorite foods!!! 

This was one such 'Eggplant' indulgence for me....

Ingredients:
8 Eggplant slices(about 3/4th cm thick, cut from center of a large eggplant)
1/4cup Cream cheese
1/4 cup pepper jack cheese shredded
2tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/2tsp red pepper flakes
1/4th tsp ground black pepper
1/4tsp garlic paste
1/4th cup chopped cilantro
salt
oil
Maggie hot and sweet sauce/ Marinara sauce/ ketchup

Method:
1) Apply salt and pepper on the eggplant slices. Rub a little oil.Grill on a 'grill pan' for a minute on both sides to cook the eggplant and get those gorgeous 'grill marks'.
( I love to eat the grilled eggplant just by itself too!!!!)

2) Mix the cheeses, red pepper, black pepper, salt, cilantro,garlic. etc to get the filling.
3)  Place the filling in the center of the grilled eggplant and roll it up into 'Rollatini'

4)  Serve along with Maggie hot and sweet sauce ( this one is my favorite.I can eat anything and everything with it!!!)  or Marinara sauce or Plain ketchup.

5) You can also bake the Rollatinis before serving with extra sauce and cheese on top.

                Enjoy the cheesy,spicy eggplant rollatini warm or hot!!

" Appetizers"- Pea Pesto Crostini

Last month during Christmas sales, 'M' bought me this Solid Cast Iron Grilling Pan that I wanted for quite sometime. I was so excited!!! Before he got me the pan, I kept thinking about all the recipes I could cook in the pan with those amazing 'grill' marks! But after getting the pan....I kept postponing its 'opening' to cook something special in the pan.
Finally yesterday, it occured to me .....I SHOULD open the pan today!!!
My New Grill Pan:

Coincidently ....I was watching 'Food Network' with my afternoon tea, and saw Giada make this really simple but tempting Appetizers- Crostini with Green Peas Pesto. Tadah!!! I had a recipe to cook in my Grill Pan!!
I pretty much followed her recipe with few changes here and there.
Original Recipe can be found here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pea-pesto-crostini-recipe/index.html
 I just had plain white sandwich bread which I cut up into triangles to make the Crostini, instead of the Ciabatta bread mentioned in the recipe. And the tomatoes I used were 'Roma Plum Tomatoes' ..coz..I did not have any cherry tomatoes on hand.
My pan gave beautifull grill marks on the bread and made perfect CRUNCHYYY Crostinis!

 

Peas Pesto:

I hadn't tried this one before , but it tasted pretty good. It was little sweet from the peas, salty and nutty from Parmesan cheese and had hint of garlic.Couldn't imagine at first, how a puree of peas would taste like, but did not taste bad at all!! Only thing I would change next time was to add little 'heat'....may be red pepper flakes...
Pea Pesto Crostini: Perfect Appetizer for Parties Or just a Yummy Snack
Everything can be done in advance...crostinis, pesto,cutting tomatoes.The guests can assemble the crostinis by themselves or you could assemble just before the party.Looks Great...Tastes great!