Punjab Eggplant

Summer's here and a neighbor gives me a HUGE bag of organic eggplant she proudly harvested from her garden. I do not like eggplant. In fact when I was younger, it's the one vegetable I avoided in Pinakbet (a popular Filipino mixed vegetable dish my Dad loved). I was determined though to make good use of vegetables given to me. At the organic center where I work, we sell Tasty Bite's Punjab Eggplant. I looked at the ingredients and kind of worked out how it was made and added my own twists. Now, I find myself buying eggplant just to make this dish. It's that good!

 2 eggplants

oil for brushing on the eggplants

butter for sauteing

1 t grated ginger

1 small onion chopped

1-2 cloves garlic crushed

½ t turmeric

1 t cumin

½ t coriander

½ cup crushed tomatoes (I use half a box of Italian tomatoes)

salt and pepper to taste

chili or cayenne pepper (optional)

chopped fresh cilantro for topping (cilantro is not usually available in Japan so I usually make this dish without but it's wonderful if you have access to cilantro!)

Brush eggplants with oil. Roast for 30 minutes in the oven (roast or broil setting). Cool and peel off skin and discard. Chop up eggplants. Heat pan/pot, melt butter. Fry up onions, garlic and ginger in butter. Add the spices. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer. If you have a Thermos Shuttle Chef, leave the pot inside until ready to serve. 

Tastes Better Than It Looks Salad

It was that or "Scraps from the Vegetable Pile Salad". That's because my husband says the taste of this salad is always a pleasant surprise. I personally think the color mix is wonderful and I like the fact that there is something for every one (i.e. the kids like olives, I like chickpeas, my husband likes cucumbers). Prior to discovering this recipe, I have mostly bought ready made salad dressing. The only salad dressing I would make (which doesn't really count) is mixing Stillwater Olive Oil Co.'s Raspberry Vinegar and Lemon Olive Oil -- it doesn't count because this vinegar is so good you can drink the stuff as is. Coming back, the tedious part of this recipe is the chopping and slicing but otherwise is quite easy to make and is great for parties. I usually make do without the feta cheese. It still tastes great even without. I also do not follow the second part of the recipe strictly. If I find only orange and yellow bell peppers on sale, that's what I use. No tomatoes, no problem. It's a very easy going salad recipe that always satisfies. 

Dressing:
2 t olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper

1 can chickpeas drained
1 red bell pepper cubed
1 yellow bell pepper cubed
1 green bell pepper cubed
1 small onion chopped finely
15 tomatoes halved
1/3 cup olives sliced
1-2 cucumbers quartered
feta cheese

Toss everything. This salad can be prepared a day in advance but same day preparation also tastes great.