Day 76: Coconut Cake and Baked Pasta

Workouts. . .
30 min. walk with sister and the dog

I made the mistake of creating a coconut birthday cake for my dad’s birthday, which isn’t actually until the 26th, but he’s here now so we’re celebrating early. Anyway, I made a fresh cake with nice, soft coconut buttercream frosting. It was way, way too good, so we ate it. But at the very least, it was nice to know that I sliced the thing thinly enough to serve at least 20 pieces, rather than the eight pieces that I would previously have cut it into. I’m getting slightly better at portions and choices. The coconut cake is way to decadent (and long) for me to post here, but I will definitely honor recipe requests.

Baked Pasta for the Family
1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 onion, thinly sliced
head of garlic, peeled down to the last skin
2 T olive oil
1 package Tofurky Italian sausages, sliced
1 lb tube or bowtie pasta
24 oz of pasta sauce
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T Italian herbs (or mix of your own favorites)
8 oz mozzarella

Heat oven to 450º. In a large bowl, mix together the eggplant, onion, garlic and olive oil, and spread across a baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, until softened and slightly charred. In the meantime, boil the pasta two minutes less than package directions and drain, reserving 1/2 c. pasta water. Pour roasted veggies back into the large bowl. Pull out the garlic cloves, peel and dice before adding back to the other veggies. Toss balsamic vinegar and herbs into veggies and sliced sausages, then add the pasta and marinara sauce. If necessary, add the 1/2 c. pasta water to loosen the sauce. It should be nice and gooey. Pour into an oiled 8” x 12” baking dish and cover with cheese. Place in the oven and turn down to 375º. Bake 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden and the marinara is bubbling.

What I ate today. . .
9 am – two triple berry muffins with pat of margarine, tea with milk
1:30 pm – serving of baked pasta, two slices of bread, 1 oz. soft cheese, huge pile of salad and Dorothy Lynch dressing with croutons, small slice of coconut cake
3pm – second small slice of coconut cake
8 pm – two slices pizza and part of G’s crust, honey for dipping crusts
9:30 pm – smaller slice of coconut cake