More branching out in the veggie world. I have only made eggplant parmesean.
More adventures in increasing the quantity and variety of plant based foods in my diet, vs animal proteins.
Today, I roasted some eggplant slices, brushed with olive oil with some crushed garlic in it. Then I made into a salad with a very good summer tomato, chick peas, torm basil leaves, and a basil salad dressing that I make. It tastes good!
Also, I experimented with "massaged kale salad" this week. LOL. Basically, you work some lemon and EVOO into chopped kale and it softens/cooks with the acid, and looses the bitterness. Yesterday's was so-so, but edible, and good with the beets, and cranberries an dgoat cheese crumbles.
Today, I will try combining some of the pesto dressing into the kale I have left and have this eggplant salad with it.
Maybe a lot of oil in this, so not low fat, but all EVOO, and fresh, local produce.
I *love* roasted eggplant!
I slice it into 3/4" rounds, and then cut the rounds into chunks (comes out mostly like triangle shapes). I brush evoo on non-stick foil, put out the eggplant to lay flat, then brush evoo onto all of it. Eggplant sucks up evoo like nobody's business, so tossing it doesn't really work.
I roast it up at 400F until done. meanwhile...I've de-seeded roma's or a winy heirloom tomato...and roast that in a glass dish along side.
Then..I sea salt everything to season and it goes in the fridge.
I make a cold salad from cheese tortellini, the roasted eggplant and tomato, and basil (or spinach), and mix it up with olive oil.
SO GOOD!
I also will put the eggplant onto pizza or in a toasted sandwich (eggplant, tomato, mozzarella)
YUMMERS!
Adrienne
Oh, yum!
I did think about roasting the tomato as well. But was lazy, trying to minimze dishes.
I think I overcooked it a tad, but I still like it.
This is one of ours fave ways to eat eggplant. You roast eggplant rounds. While you're doing that, make a sauce if EVOO, balsamic, chopped parakeet, chopped kalamatas. Capers if you've got them. Whisk together. When you remove the eggplant from the oven, too with the green sauce. Wowza!!
Quote from: Macabre on September 01, 2014, 09:20:38 PM
Eggplant with amazing green sauce (parsley, kalamatas, capers, olive oil, balsamic or red wine vinegar).
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b205/McCobbre/Mobile%20Uploads/144F8AF0-54F0-4EFF-B0C1-D7D2F854629F_zpsxxtha7mz.jpg)
If I don't cook eggplant well enough my mouth itches a bit.
LOL. Chopped parakeet??? Is ds okay with that?? :misspeak:
I am trying to imagine what that is supposed to say. So funny! :rofl:
Ah, i see in the photo caption that is was supposed to say parsley.
Oh my goodness. I am laughing so hard I am crying! :rofl:
The board is a dangerous place for buns and birds today! (See Annie's/General Mills thread).
That is too funny to fix. Unless it freaks anyone out. I'll have to tell DS. He'll crack up. He adores this dish, btw. We've made it for the last six years or so--comfort food for him.
I have a recipe for meatless eggplant based chili that we love. Would you like it? It does not contain chopped parakeet!
If you find the Kale strong, try rainbow swiss chard.....so yummy!
whoa, chopped parakeet. :misspeak: Poor birdie! 'Twould make a colorful dish, tho.
PC, do you mean using the Rainbow swiss chard raw for a salad? Do you still have to "massage" it like kale? I am kinda liking the kale salads I have done. Just an acquired taste due in part to texture. But I like it. several years ago, when I first tried kale, I never would have thought I would enjoy it in anything but soup.
And if you have time, PC, I bet a few of us might like that eggplant chili recipe. :yes:
Chopped parakeet. An instant classic! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
DH said you broil the eggplant.
But not the parakeet. He stays in his cage.
I could have sworn you roast it. I think you do. I think DH is wrong about this.
Vegetable Chili (adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook)
1 medium size eggplant, unpeeled, cut into ½" cubes
1 tbs coarse Kosher salt (I don't use this)
¾ cup or as needed olive oil
2 medium yellow onions cut into ¼" dice
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 large green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ¼" dice
1 can (35 oz) Italian plum tomatoes
1 ½ lb fresh ripe Italian plum tomatoes, cut into 1" cube
2 tbs chili powder
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tbs dried basil
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds (I use a tablespoon)
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup canned dark red kidney beans drained (I use a whole can)
1 cup canned chick peas (garbanzos) drained (I use a whole can)
1 can of small black olives drained (my add, we love black olives!)
½ cup fresh dill
2 tbs lemon juice
1. Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with coarse salt. Let stand for one hour. Pat dry with paper towels. (I don't do this.)
2. Heat ½ cup of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant and sauté until almost tender, adding more oil if needed. Remove eggplant to a large pot.
3. Heat ¼ cup of oil in same skillet over low heat. Add onions, garlic, and green peppers and sauté just until softened, about 10 minutes. Add to the pot with oil.
4. Place the pot over low heat and add canned tomatoes with liquid, fresh tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, fennel, and parsley. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently for 30 minutes.
5. Stir in the kidney beans, chickpeas, olives, dill and lemon juice and cook for another 15 minutes. The eggplant peel should be tender.
6. Serve with brown rice (I don't do this) and shredded cheddar cheese
Makes 8 portions
I don't mind raw swiss chard. Just know that the stalks when raw can be tough so I do avoid thick stalks if I am not cooking it. Like spinach, the baby leaves are so much yummier raw. Wegmans sells bags of rainbow chard already washed and chopped if you are short on time. I eat it raw or cooked.
Oooooh yummy! I will make this. I'll use a poblano instead of the green bell--I can't eat green bells.
And I will never actually call it chili, lol, but this looks amazing. I mY make it tonight in my crock!
I haven't made baba ghanoush recently. I should do that. Here is a link to some eggplant recipes. The croquettes look great.
Eggplant Recipes (http://m.allrecipes.com/recipes/1084/fruits-and-vegetables/vegetables/eggplant)
http://fancytoast.blogspot.com/2007/04/parrot-three-ways.html (http://fancytoast.blogspot.com/2007/04/parrot-three-ways.html)
:rofl:
That is really, really funny.
*No parakeets or seventh graders were harmed in the making if this blog post. Or my autocorrect.
REALLY!!!!!!!!
Next time warn me to put my coffee down, I can no longer read my screen until I wash it!
Hysterical!
PC I made your dish. We loved it! It ended up very stew-like. I used a poblano instead of the Bell low-pepper and I forgot the lemon. But it was so good.
It is very stew like. Most likely because I toss the whole can of beans and chick peas instead of measuring plus the olives. So nice to know you liked it!
I take that chili to picnics and parents can not believe their kids love it! I've converted many non egg plant eaters with it too! I always wonder what the lemon juice does as I toss it in.
Oooh. Also forgot the olives. We are low on kalamatas, but I did intend to use what we have. I also changed up the spices a bit. I used fresh oregano, thyme and Foxpoint from Penzey's. A bit of nutmeg, too.
I have never had eggplant before, but some of these recipes look really good. The camp cook made it a lot for vegetarians. I bet that DSD would really like trying it though.
I made an amazing Eggplant Parm Casserole the other night and have to share. Itbwas sooooo easy. DS and DH loved it. So did I!
Eggplant Parmesan Casserole http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-parmesan-casserole/ (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-parmesan-casserole/)
My adaptations:
I had one eggplant (and I did have to look at the video to see how he cut it)
I didn't have ricotta but had cottage cheese
I didn't measure anything
I used an 8" or 9" square Pyrex dish
We'll definitely make this again!
Quote from: Macabre on June 27, 2015, 08:50:38 AM
I made an amazing Eggplant Parm Casserole the other night and have to share. Itbwas sooooo easy. DS and DH loved it. So did I!
Eggplant Parmesan Casserole http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-parmesan-casserole/ (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-parmesan-casserole/)
My adaptations:
I had one eggplant (and I did have to look at the video to see how he cut it)
I didn't have ricotta but had cottage cheese
I didn't measure anything
I used an 8" or 9" square Pyrex dish
We'll definitely make this again!
I would totally make that, but baked eggplant brushed with olive oil and maybe use panko.
Well, you do use some light olive oil when you are making them tender in the pan. But it's very little. They need this step so they can be folded like a taco for the ricotta mixture. I'll say that 1% cottage cheese worked quite well for this. I'd have to compare it to ricotta for calories and fat when making it in the future, but this week I went purely with what we had on hand.
That looks yummy! Will have to try it.
Do you like sour /pickled/relish-type things? I can dig up some Russian eggplant recipes.
Let's see if google books search results copy.
Edited--didn't copy.
So here's my old lj version:
http://krasota.livejournal.com/110681.html (http://krasota.livejournal.com/110681.html)
That may not work, but I'm on the ipad at the moment.
I've made this with tomatillo, since I can no longer do tomatoes. I rarely make it, though, due to the histamine load. Sometimes make the mentioned baklazhannaya ikra, eggplant "caviar".
Oh wow. That sounds great! I've got some tomatillos that need using.
It's eaten hot or cold. I ate it cold very often in Soviet-style cafeteria lines in post-Soviet Moscow. It was reliably vegetarian. ;) I really like it cold.
So, making a variation on the eggplant lasagna. Saw a recipe that assembled it like a regular lasagna, with long slices of eggplant for noodles. I ran out of eggplant, but had a few no bake lasagna noodles to complete the top layer. Dh will be happy about that, lol. I grilled the slices to save on cleanup and to minimize ove use. Added turkey sausage to my sauce. Otherwise, I used ricotta with some spinach and Italian blend cheese and spinach in it. Layered the usual way with eggplant, ricotta, shredded Italian blend, meat sauce. Repeat, top layer of eggplant/pasta noodles. It is in the oven now. I hope it is good! I have a craving so my expectations are high!!
Both of us love this!!
Thanks, McC for inspiring this!
Wooo! Glad it came out!
There's a dish my husband makes that I really like. It's based on an asparagus recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. He lightly fries thinly sliced (into coins) Japanese zucchini (long and skinny, can be white or purple or yellow) in oil, then dresses it with soy sauce (coconut aminos here), sesame oil, sugar, Shao Hsing wine, red wine vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic. Good hot or cold.
Becca--glad you found a new dish!
Invented a new eggplant dish tonight. Had a beautiful, huge eggplant, very even in size end to end. So, I sliced 1/4 inch or so rounds, and brushed very lightly with EVOO, and a light sprinkle of salt, and grilled them until tender, but still keeping their shape nicely.
Dinner tonight is tacos. Ds had a regular taco the way he likes it, on a flour tortilla(2, actually). For myself, I used one eggplant round, topped it with taco meat, some black bean and corn salsa, cheese, and broiled it. Added another round on top when it came out and topped with guacamole, and threw some lettuce and diced tomatoes on there. Dh stole my second one, lol. Then we had a couple more. They were smallish, so one was not quite enough, but I am very full now!
Still lots of eggplant. Tomorrow night we will do a similar thing, but make little pizzas, using the eggplant rounds as a base for some sauce or a tomato slice, and some cheese and toppings.
w
Quote from: Macabre on September 10, 2014, 12:09:51 PM
This is one of ours fave ways to eat eggplant. You roast eggplant rounds. While you're doing that, make a sauce if EVOO, balsamic, chopped parakeet, chopped kalamatas. Capers if you've got them. Whisk together. When you remove the eggplant from the oven, too with the green sauce. Wowza!!
Quote from: Macabre on September 01, 2014, 09:20:38 PM
Eggplant with amazing green sauce (parsley, kalamatas, capers, olive oil, balsamic or red wine vinegar).
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b205/McCobbre/Mobile%20Uploads/144F8AF0-54F0-4EFF-B0C1-D7D2F854629F_zpsxxtha7mz.jpg)
This is very good and so easy becca.
But I recommend substituting parsley for the parakeet.
Lol. Then there is the parakeet 3 ways. Dh hates olives and similar briney things, but that looks yummy to me.
There is a lot of labor on that plate! 3 salads and cornbread?
Thinking of doing something with eggplant and chicken and curry tonight. I got an email from my local farm stand about the current crops they have from their own farms. Also lots of other things from area farms.
I'm wanting to make baba ganoush tonight but can't find the tahini-free version I made a couple of years ago.
I adore th Pioneer Woman's entry for baba ganoush.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/baba-ghanoush/ (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/baba-ghanoush/)
Different take on eggplant lasagna: Ricotta Stuffed Eggplant
Farmers' markets and my CSA are finally getting in eggplant!!!! YUM YUM YUM
You'll need medium-large sized eggplants that when cut lengthwise will become a steady 'boat' for the lasagna stuffing. Wash outsides and dry, cut off stem, slice lengthwise. Scoop out the middle of the eggplant (melon baller works great) leaving 1/2-3/4" of eggplant. You'll want it scooped enough to be a good boat and get some nice filling in there, but also want a fair bit of eggplant.
Take the scooped eggplant and saute in olive oil and save for something else (like eggplant meatballs!)
Make your favorite lasagna filling. Mine is 1 c. whole milk italian style ricotta (smooth, not grainy), 1/3 cup grated parmesan, 1 egg, 1 TB freshly chopped parsley, 1/2 cup fontina cheese.
Assemble & Bake at 375F:
Put a little sauce on the bottom of your dish to protect that side of the eggplant while cooking. Use non-stick foil...just because you'll regret not doing so. Lay the eggplant boats in the dish and fill with lasagna filling. You can add spinach, meat, etc. if you like. Top w/ sauce. Cover with foil and bake 30m-1 hour. I know, I know. It depends on the type of eggplant, how thick, etc. I baked mine until the eggplant was really done (fork test). Undercooked eggplant makes my mouth itchy.
Do be sure the filling reaches 165F.
When the eggplant is cooked through and the filling is puffy, uncover and smother in shredded mozzarella/fontina. Or burratra...omg that would be awesome.
Melt cheese and your done!
That sounds yummy, Nameless! I might try a carniverous variation on that, but still with the ricotta filling, too. Maybe incorporate the leftover eggplant from scooping into with a sweet sausage filling.
Bump
My neighbor gave me 6 Japanese eggplant yesterday. I'm having stir fried eggplant for breakfast, lol.
I made this: https://food52.com/recipes/31268-japanese-eggplant-with-ginger-and-scallions (https://food52.com/recipes/31268-japanese-eggplant-with-ginger-and-scallions)
I didn't have jalapeño, so subbed in a little chili garlic paste, and I used Swerve sweetener, and arrowroot for the thickener, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. Oh, and added some basil I had sitting in the fridge. Otherwise, followed just about exactly. SO GOOD!
I think it would be good cold as well, with an Asian inspired salad.