Go vegetarian tonight

Sometimes I get so focused on protein that I forget how good a vegetarian dinner can be.  When I originally looked at this recipe for stuffed eggplant, I assumed that it was intended to be a side dish so I served it with Parmesan fish.  The garlicky eggplant smelled so good as it roasted in the oven that I could hardly wait to taste it.  I ate the entire half eggplant before I even touched my entree and by that time, I was too full to eat my fish.  I saved the other half of the eggplant to eat for lunch the next day.  This time I ate it as my entree with some whole grain bread.

This recipe for stuffed eggplant was in the 2011 October issue of Eating Well magazine. 

Baked Stuffed Eggplant
2 small eggplants           
1 red bell pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil           
3 plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt           
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic               
1 teaspoon sugar               
2 bay leaves

Cut eggplant in half, lengthwise.  Sprinkle the cut side with salt and place face down in a greased roasting pan.  Bake 15 minutes at 400.  Thinly slice onion and mince garlic.   Slice 1/2 of the pepper into thin strips and dice the other half.  Thinly slice 1 tomato and dice the other 2 tomatoes.  Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in skillet and saute onion and garlic for 1 minute.  Add diced bell pepper, diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup parsley, sugar, bay leaves and salt.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and discard bay leaf.

Remove eggplant from oven and carefully scoop out the center.  Dice the removed eggplant and add it to the vegetable mixture.  Stuff each eggplant with vegetable filling and arrange pepper strips and tomato slices on top.  Add 1/4” hot water into roasting pan with eggplant and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.  Garnish with remaining parsley.




 If you have a favorite eggplant recipe, send me a comment along with your recipe.  By the way, I am a big fan of yellow squash and zucchini too. 

Bon Appetit!