Roasted Garlic & Eggplant Dip with Almond Crackers

I picked an eggplant out of my garden this morning and went looking for a recipe to make a garlic eggplant dip. I found this recipe on pinterest ... I watched the video, took a couple notes and had it in the oven 10 minutes later !

While the eggplant was roasting, I went back to pinterest (my starting point for any recipe search these days!) and found an interesting looking recipe for crackers made out of almond meal. They looked easy to make. They were. 

I'll just write down the steps for the eggplant and then I'll tell you how to do the crackers.  Watch the video for the dip ... it's quite good and it's easier to understand than the written instructions will be.  And it cracks me up at the end when they just stand there munching on the crunchy crackers !

For the dip ... no real measurements as you'll see in the video.
Eggplant
Garlic cloves
Green chilli, I took the seeds out of mine and sliced them long
Olive oil
Salt
Lemon, for squeezing
Red Onion, finely diced
Fresh Coriander (Cilantro), chopped

Preheat oven to 230C/450F.

Make four long slits down the length of the eggplant.  Don't cut all the way through but go down far enough that you can stick stuff inside it.  I had to slice my garlic to fit inside the slits but in the video they leave them whole.  Put garlic and green chilli into the slits.  Put eggplant on a piece of foil and then drizzle eggplant with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Wrap up foil tightly.  Place in a small casserole dish and bake for 1 hour.  

When done baking, immediately remove eggplant from foil and put into the casserole dish.  Score skin on underside and then mash everything with a potato masher ... yep, skin and all !  Set aside to cool.

When cool, add red onion and coriander.  Season with salt and lemon juice til it's to your liking.

For the crackers ... 
I found this recipe on Home Cooking In Montana and she found it on Caveman Food.

1 cup almond meal
1 egg white
salt

Preheat oven to 350F/180C (although, I think I might go a bit cooler next time ... maybe 160/170)

Mix almond meal, egg white and pinch of salt.  Mix with a fork.  Roll into a ball.  If it's too sticky, add a bit more almond meal.  Put ball between two pieces of baking paper and roll out thin.  Cut (I used a pizza cutter) into squares and then lay on a baking tray.  I used the baking tray upside down because the crackers hung over the edge a bit ...

Bake 5-8 minutes or til crackers are golden.  Watch them towards the end because they brown up real quick !

Lemony, Garlicky, Cuminy Grilled Eggplant

I picked our first eggplant out of our garden the other day. I got this recipe over at Fine Cooking. I changed it a bit. Omitted a few steps and ingredients. Here's what I did ...

For the vinaigrette:

1 clove garlic, minced
Salt
Juice of a small lemon
1 small shallot, very finely diced

1.5 tsp sugar (may not need this but my lemon was very, very sour)
3 TBLS olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

For the eggplant:
1 eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
Olive oil
Kosher salt.
Feta cheese
Fresh cilantro 

Make the vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients and adjust to taste.  Set aside for flavors to combine.

Grill the eggplant: Salt both sides of eggplant.  Prepare a medium-high charcoal or gas grill fire. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil.  Grill 3 to 4 minutes each side.

To serve: Top grilled eggplant slices with vinaigrette, feta, and herbs.  Serve immediately.

Eggplant Burgers

Look, I know the photo leaves a little something to be desired but I'm going to make myself a light box ... hopefully on the weekend ... and then I'll be able to take good food photos at night !

But ... don't let the photo deter you from trying this ! I loved this. My kids loved this. My husband loved all but the eggplant.

And it was easy. Easy peasy.

Eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch slices. Salted and set aside.

Burger Patties

Tomato, sliced

Caramelized Onions

Mushrooms, sauteed with a bit of garlic powder

I started with the caramelized onion.  When that was about done, my husband grilled the eggplant and burger patties.  I sauteed the mushrooms.

To assemble ... eggplant, burger, tomato, mushrooms, onions ... the kids added cheese to theirs.  I had ketchup.  Rory had sweet chili sauce.  Jono has those two and BBQ sauce !

Zucchini & Eggplant Rolled "Cannelloni"

I combined parts of this Grilled Zucchini Roll recipe and this Eggplant Cannelloni recipe to get to this ... Jono and I loved it. Rory thought the goats cheese was a bit bitter. Alia ... well, we won't go there.

I think next time (yes, there will be a next time for sure !) I will add ricotta to the mix to try and reduce the bitter taste Rory didn't care for.

1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
3 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices

150g (5.3 ounces?) goats cheese
kalamata olives, I just scooped a couple spoons out of the jar, chopped
capers, 1 or 2 teaspoons
2 tablespoons fresh parsely, finely chopped

salt and pepper
olive oil

spring onions, about 6, chopped
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
juice of 1 orange
2 large red bell peppers (capsicum)

Roast your bell peppers. This is easy. Cut them into large pieces & remove seeds. Put them on tin foil, skin side up under the griller (broiler). Grill (broil) until the skins are black. Remove to a bowl of water. Skins should peel straight off.

Salt the eggplant on either side and let sit while you prepare the zucchini. Brush both sides of zucchini with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of eggplant with olive oil.

BBQ the eggplant and zucchini ... eggplant took about 3 minutes each side. Zucchini probably only needs 2 minutes each side. You just want them soft enough to be able to roll.

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute spring onions and garlic til golden. Add bell peppers and orange juice. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until peppers are soft, or until you remember to check it ! (oops) Cool. Zoop Zoop. (blend with stick blender)

Turn oven on to 400F/200C.

While the sauce is simmering, mix goats cheese, olives, capers and parsley in a bowl. Scoop about 1/2 a tablespoon of the filling at the end of each slice of eggplant and zucchini. Roll up. Lay seam side down in baking dish. Top with sauce. Bake about 15 minutes.

Eggplant

I, for one, have never been a fan of eggplant. However, I have recently discovered that it isn't half bad if chopped into tiny pieces (so it's well hidden in dishes) or fried. Also, there are several tips to selecting and preparing eggplant that help reduce the bitterness of this vitamin packed veggie.

(It is apparently high in cancer-fighting polyphenols - which are also found in apples)

(Some of the tips came from a recent MSNBC article)

Tip 1: Buy young! Size is not always a good indicator of age. If your thumb leaves an indent that doesn't bounce back the eggplant is too old and will be spongy, tough, and yucky!

Tip 2: Go oval! There is a "belly button" at the blossom end of eggplants. It will either be an oval or a round dimple. Only buy the ovals - the round ones have a tendency to have more seeds and less meat.

Tip 3: Salt! Slice your eggplant and lay each piece out (single layer). We usually lay it on baking cooling racks with a layer of paper towels under them to catch the bitter juice, but I suppose you could lay them out directly on the paper towel if you don't have cooling racks. Salt each piece (I think we use our sea salt grinder) and let them sweat for a half an hour. Then, rinse each piece (we sort of rub the salt off), blot dry, and proceed with your recipe.

Three simple steps that will help you fully enjoy this little veggie! Happy Cooking :-)

(Sorry no pictures...if I find good examples of these, I'll add some at a later date)

Grilled Vegetable Moussaka ~ With Meat

Rory and Jono were watching a cooking show the other day, saw Moussaka being made and promptly requested that I add it to the menu ... I'm glad they did because this is a delicious discovery !! I found the recipe here but of course, made a couple of changes ...

Ingredients:

3 large eggplant, thin round slices
3 large potatoes, thinly sliced
3 large zucchini, thinly sliced lenthwise
extra-virgin olive oil - for grilled veg
5 tablespoons butter
7 tablespoons whole wheat flour
5 cups milk
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt to taste
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 kg beef mince (ground beef)
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
large can of diced tomatoes
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Fire up your BBQ. Brush eggplant, potatoes, and zucchini lightly with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill until just tender and golden brown.

Layer potatoes into the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Next layer in the eggplant, followed by the zucchini; set aside.

Preheat oven to 190c/375f. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add the flour, cook until the flour smells slightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Gradually add in milk, about a cup at a time ... if you haven't worked it out, you're making a white sauce here ! Add nutmeg and salt. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes.

Place the egg yolk into a bowl, and quickly whisk in 1/4 cup of the white sauce, Quickly stir the egg yolk mixture into the white sauce, mix until smooth, then set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef and onion. Stir in the oregano, parsley, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Turn heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To assemble, spread the meat mixture over the vegetables, and sprinkle with the feta cheese. Pour the white sauce over the top. Bake moussaka in preheated oven until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Eggplant Parmesan

I am not and original cook. Most of the recipes I will be sharing, either came from a book or http://www.foodnetwork.com/. :o)
Thank you Bonnie for the invite! I can't wait to try all this great food!
Here's my first contribution. Sorry no picture. Next time I make it I will be sure to snap a photo, and edit this post.

Eggplant Parmesan
Recipe courtesy Juan-Carlos Cruz - http://www.foodnetwork.com/

1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 medium eggplant, sliced into 6 (1/2-inch) rounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed and then minced
1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
2 (15-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place bread crumbs on a shallow plate. Pour egg substitute onto another shallow plate. Place a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet. Take a round of eggplant, dip it into the egg substitute until fully covered, and then drag through the bread crumbs until completely coated; transfer to a wire rack. Repeat for each round of eggplant and then bake in oven for 15 minutes.

While eggplant is baking, heat olive oil in a 5-quart nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the chili flakes and stir to incorporate. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and stir to blend completely. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the basil, and remove from heat.

Remove eggplant from oven and leave oven at 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a medium-sized casserole dish (about 13 by 11 inches) with the eggplant rounds. Pour the tomato sauce over the eggplant. Top with the cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes until cheese is soft and bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis per serving	Calories 245
Fat 10 grams	Saturated Fat 4 grams
Carbohydrates 26 grams	Fiber 5 grams