Spicy Eggplant Relish

I have to admit, I never thought the eggplant in this dish would dwindle down to fit in this little bowl!  Spicy Eggplant Relish has a whole eggplant, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and lots of delicious spice.  The veggies cook down for over a half an hour, making them incredibly soft and tender. I even mashed the relish a little more at the end to make it a little smoother.

It is used as an accompaniment to curry, which is exactly what I used it for. I made a veggie and tofu tikka masala and this relish went fantastically with it!

Enjoy this shadowy photo of the spread. A wonderful Indian meal.

Stuffed Eggplant with Red Pepper Purée

I made Stuffed Eggplant with Red Pepper Purée last night. It was such a great meal!  At one point the whole stove was going: cooking quinoa, steaming red bell pepper, sauteing onion and mushroom, and boiling potatoes for mashed potatoes!


I began by making the red pepper purée. A whole red pepper was cut into chunks and steamed on the stove. After it softened, I pureéd it in the blender and sent it through a sieve. The remaining smoothed out purée was stirred up with garlic, salt, pepper, and a dash of sugar.

Onto the eggplant!  This was a bit of a process, but totally worth it in the end. There were two choices for how to stuff the eggplant: Mediterranean Style or 1970s Alternative Lifestyle-Style. I chose the latter, not only for the awesome name, but also because it sounded so delicious! 


I began by cutting an eggplant in half, hollowing it out, and mincing up the insides. Onion, garlic, mushrooms, and minced eggplant cooked down on the stove with oregano, basil, and thyme. It made the whole kitchen smell so good ... something about cooking mushroom takes me back to my childhood. I loved scented moments that do that.

While this cooked, I made the quinoa. The real recipe calls for brown rice; oops ... I didn't have any. But I had quinoa!  And I have been trying for months to get Charlie into it, so this was the perfect chance to sneak it in. I cooked the quinoa in vegetable stock instead of water, which I think really made a difference, flavor-wise.


After everything cooked on the stove, the onion mixture and quinoa got mixed up in a bowl with a spoonful or two of cottage cheese, grated cheddar cheese, and some sesame seeds.  I spooned the mixture into the eggplants and sprinkled some paprika on top.  These bad boys were ready to bake in the oven!

They came out perfectly crispy on the outside.

I drizzled some red pepper purée over each.

YUM!  This whole dinner was a huge success.  I love the flavors in the stuffed eggplant and the red pepper purée was the perfect sauce to accompany it. Charlie even enjoyed the quinoa!  Win!

Macedonian Salad

This weekend I celebrated a fellow classmate's birthday at Golden Gardens. I made Macedonian Salad to share. The salad is comprised of roasted and marinated cubes of eggplant, which are then tossed with fresh veggies.

What comes first?  The eggplant, of course! Please note my chipping, home mixed nail polish and bounty of organic goodness. And the electrical outlet.

While the peeled and cubed eggplant roasted in the oven, I made the marinade: olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, thyme, basil, freshly minced garlic, salt and pepper.

One thing I love about where I live is this stupid little drawer. Seriously, I hate it and I love it simultaneously. It's a drawer inside a drawer and exactly in the spot where I'd like a REAL drawer to be. I had no idea what to put in it until I figured out that all of my spices fit perfectly in it ... with stacks of tea candles to prevent any rolling jars.

Did I lose you with my tangent?  Let's get back to the salad. The still warm eggplant marinated overnight in the dressing. It smelled outrageously divine, like a complicated garlic party.

Red and green bell peppers, fresh parsley, green onions, and heirloom tomato were chopped up and added to the salad.  It was a flavor explosion! I served the optional kalamata olives on the side. I'd love to put it in pita bread in the future.  The perfect beach party salad. That little sprinkle of sand is good for you!

Mushroom Moussaka

I am taking full advantage of these last few days of freedom before I start summer quarter. I had some free time yesterday and decided, on a bit a of whim, to make Mushroom Moussaka. This recipe required quite a bit of multitasking, but luckily, it's my middle name!

There are three layers in this moussaka: roasted eggplant, mushroom sauce, and béchamel sauce. I began by slicing and sweating out the eggplant. Sweating it meant sprinkling it with salt and letting it rest in a colander for 30 minutes.

Then the eggplant was dried off and roasted in the oven.

While the eggplant roasted, I prepared the mushroom sauce.  I coarsely chopped mushrooms and cooked them on the stove with onion, canned diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. The sauce was seasoned with oregano, basil, and an unlikely sprinkle of ... cinnamon!

Then I made the béchamel sauce. This was very similar to other cheese sauces I have made before: butter, flour, milk, and in this case, parmesan cheese. I also added a swift dash of nutmeg to the sauce.

So now I had all of the components to put together the moussaka!  Even though I halved the recipe, it was clear that this would only fit into a big pan. I started with a double layer of eggplant on the bottom:

Then all of the mushroom sauce:

Followed by the rest of the roasted eggplant (I miscalculated this part a little bit!) :

Then all of the béchamel sauce:

Then the whole thing got covered it a dusting of breadcrumbs and parmesan. While it bakes, you can eat a kiwi play Spider Solitaire. Just sayin'. It'll come out bubbly and browned and oh so divine!

I ate a portion of the moussaka hot. It later reheated beautifully and tasted like a complex combination of veggies with just the right amount of cinnamon!

Eggplant Scallopini Marsala

Life has been a little cuckoo bananas around here lately. I have been cooking like crazy, but just not documenting my adventures the way I should.  I am sorry, dear blog! I am currently settling into some new city digs and acquainting myself with a new kitchen.  I christened the sacred space the other day by making Eggplant Scallopini Marasala. The dish was full of veggies and so healthy!

I started by cooking onions with a bay leaf in a Dutch oven. Diced eggplant, bell pepper, salt, basil, and black pepper were added. I put the lid on the pot and let this cook down for about 15 minutes, until the eggplant was soft. Then I added marsala wine, diced tomatoes, and five cloves of fresh minced garlic! It was a lot of garlic but it added so much flavor.

I served the sauce over pasta and sprinkled it with parmesan cheese. The dish was so lovely. Just the thing to bless my new dwelling!

Oh, and one more thing: don't forget to take the bay leaf out before serving. Oops!

Eggplant and Peppers in Spicy Chinese Peanut Sauce

Eggplant and Peppers in Spicy Chines Peanut Sauce made an excellent topping for pasta. The sauce contains peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, cider vinegar, cilantro, cayenne, and a little hot water.  It was super strong and intense! I loved it though and will definitely make it again.

I roasted the pepper and eggplant in the oven, then let it cool to room temperature. The vegetables were then coated in the delicious peanut sauce, spooned over whole wheat pasta, and devoured!

Eggplant Curry

Eggplant Curry was both satisfying and satiating. Adrienne and I started the meal by heating mustard seeds and sesame seeds in a little peanut oil on the stove. When the seeds started popping, we sprinkled in finely chopped onion, tumeric, cayenne, and salt. We added 1 inch cubes of beautiful eggplant and cooked this for about 20 minutes with the lid on. The mixture was soft and fragrant. The curry was served over a bed of rice, with steamed peas and fresh cilantro on top. Seriously good curry!

Baba Ganouj

Baba Ganouj is roasted eggplant dip! I roasted a whole eggplant, scraped out the inside, then food processed it with garlic, fresh lemon juice, tahini, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Pita chips are the perfect vehicle for transporting garlicky goodness to mouth. Yum!

Gypsy Soup and Broiled Eggplant and Tomato Sandwiches with Faux Aioli

Gypsy Soup: tomato, onion, garlic, celery, sweet potato, bell pepper, and garbanzo beans seasoned with paprika, tumeric, basil, cinnamon, cayenne, and a bay leaf.

I love the way this recipe page is decorated!

Broiled Eggplant and Tomato Sandwiches with Faux Aioli: eggplant and tomato on sourdough. The aioli was made with silken tofu, garlic, parsley and chives.