Caprese Pizza Dip!

Caprese salad is always my fallback when I don't feel like the regular lettuce and dressing. Mozzarella and Tomatoes are definitely a match made in food heaven - a totally classic combo and Mozzarella being such a versatile cheese you are often tempted to try variations with it. So a caprese dip sounded like a fabulous idea and I was (very) tempted to try it. I was not disappointed. It has the unmistakable flavor of fresh tomatoes with mozzarella and being warm and melty, it definitely has the essence of your simple caprese pizza. The fact that all these fabulous ingredients take the shape of a dip makes this dish extra fun to eat as you scoop it out with your favorite chip or toasted bread.

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French bread pizza

rench bread pizzas are super fast and really easy to make and extremely versatile. You can make them with whatever ingredients/leftovers you have at hand..(have made them using aloo gobhi and baingan bharta :-) It is also a good use for any leftover bread that you may have.

My hubs in his bachelor days used to often eat the frozen ones from the supermarket. He showed me once while we were in the local grocery and I went "huh! that should be easy to make".. tried it and liked it. I make it on weeknights sometimes when we crave for pizza and am not in a mood to make everything from scratch or order a take out. It can also be served as a snack for small get togethers, just cut them into smaller pieces, stick a toothpick in and enjoy the compliments.

Here's how i make it..

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Eggplant Parmesan

I got introduced to this well known Italian delicacy a few years ago by my dear hubby during our post-engagement and pre-marriage long distance phone conversations :-) Him being a vegetarian.. living here in the US, he used to search for vegetarian food, everywhere. He used to survive on salad and baked potatoes :-( Then one day while in costco he found a packet of this in the frozen section, tried it and loved it. It was a double bonus for him as first it was vegetarian of course but the best part was it consisted eggplant which he is addicted to. One day during our chit chat I asked him what he had for dinner and he said baingan and cheese... and I went eww..!! :-)

Then after coming here one day he made these (frozen one) for dinner... and I liked it. It was different but good. To impress him I tried making it at home and it was a disaster.. runny sauce, raw eggplants and rubbery cheese. You name it everything went wrong. I promised to myself to never attempt making this again... ever. But then never say never and I tried again and again till I got to this recipe, and now he says this is one of the best he has eaten.

I cannot say this is the authentic recipe but this my version, a healthier and easy way. Instead of deep frying the eggplants, I bake them in the oven and use store bought or home made marinara sauce (see notes) for the sauce. Do give it a try and let me know how it came out. Here's what you need.

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