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eggplant

Easiest Eggplant Parm

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Oh, early week dinners. They can sometimes feel sad. Maybe we’re trying to do better by our bodies after a weekend, maybe we’re hurried with work and activities and life, maybe we’re just out of inspiration and tired.

Easiest ever eggplant parm to the rescue! Marinara + cheese is a pretty universally loved combination, and I make versions of this all the time: throw random veggies in with marinara and cheese, top with something crunchy, bake until tender, done.

This version with eggplant ends up almost creamy when the eggplant softens because we slice it with a mandoline. If you don’t have one just slice the eggplant as thinly as you can – or buy a new kitchen tool, you’ll use it a ton once you have one!

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Roasted Eggplant with Raita and Mint

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Oh hey seasonal eating that is healthy and feels decadent all at once.  

We can thank the internet for this one.  I don’t have a great story here except that I read an article with a recipe similar to this and couldn’t get it out of my mind. This happens a lot.  My favorite Persian restaurant in Greenville has an appetizer that involved eggplant and yogurt drizzled over top, so the combination wasn’t terribly foreign to me.  

This, however, was roasted chunks of eggplant over a raita/tzatziki combination with fresh tomatoes and something green on top for good measure.  The original recipe had crispy kale, there was a version with microgreens, and I went with just fresh mint because 1. it grows on my porch and 2. eggplant and yogurt with mint is a really wonderful flavor combination.  

The story here is that I made this last week as Jay and Beck were about to head out for an outing.  We hadn’t had lunch and it was getting late so I was like “here, have this before you leave!” Jay had a few bites and then left, and I ate the entire thing by myself.  Rest assured, I was plenty full when it was gone (and omg garlicky), but this is a dish that doesn’t weigh you down even when you fill up on it, if that makes sense.  The eggplant makes up the bulk of the dish, and if you use a fork instead of ONLY naan for shoveling into your mouth this becomes a pretty nicely balanced dish.  

See also: fresh mint can’t stop with it. 

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Roasted Eggplant Salad with Miso Dressing

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We haven’t had any Japanese food in, like, totes a long time, have we?

Sorry about that.

I cook it all the time, and I don’t tell you about it.

That’s on me.

This is a new one, though!  I made this last week when we celebrated my dad’s birthday – he hems and haws every year about what to have, and then invariably requests homemade sushi, which suits everyone just fine.

This year, I added this salad, which was DANG good.  It was easy too, and you’ll want to add it to your roster of Asian Things To Try (hehe) asap.

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Planning For Next Week – A Make-Ahead Meal

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I like planning.  To a fault.  I also like cooking, to a fault.  The problem with that is that you can’t always plan how much time you’ll have after work, and often I get cravings for meals that take a bit more time to make and simply don’t have the energy to make them on a weeknight.  This is one of those meals.  The baked, spicy spaghetti is delicious every single time and KEEPS really well in the fridge.  When I have the right ingredients I like to make a batch on Saturday or Sunday and then bake it in the oven whenever I need a quick meal during the week.  It’s also a great meal to take to someone who’s sick, just had a baby, or who you feel like you owe a meal because you did something inappropriate at their house after drinking too much Baileys.

Also, there’s sausage in this meal.

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Easy French Cooking – Vegetarian Ratatouille

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Awhile ago after a particularly bountiful trip to the farmer’s market, I had some zucchini and eggplant that I needed to use.  My parents used to make ratatouille when we were growing up, and it was one of my favorite dishes, mainly because I got to use parmigiana to excess on top of the dish.  Luckily, I’ve matured a lot since then and rarely go overboard with cheese usage.

Rarely.

I made this a few weeks ago after Jay and I spent many hours on a kayaking excursion that left me wondering why I’d agreed to go, if my arm muscles would ever work again, and whether or not Jay would leave me for being supremely unathletic.  We were tired and cold and wanted something cozy and comforting but healthy, and this is what we came up with!

I’m happy to report that my arms are still doing well at typing sarcastic things and Jay hasn’t wised up yet.  I still have no clue why I agreed to go.

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