Grilled Greek Eggplant Rolls (a la Heather)

As the name suggests, Heather whipped these up at her impromptu Memorial Day barbeque, and they were a-ma-zing! No exact measurements, but you can tweak things to taste :)

1 large eggplant -- sliced lengthwise into broad 1/4-inch slices
olive oil
about 1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
about 1/4 cup mint, minced
a squeeze of lemon juice
1 chili pepper, minced
salt and pepper to taste


Brush the slices of eggplant with olive oil. Grill (or roast in the oven, if you're lacking in grill) until they're soft/roasted.

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. When the eggplants are done, place about two tablespoons of the feta mixture towards the end of each slice, and roll it all up.

Seriously tasty :)

Lemon-Caper Veggie Saute

I’ve officially discovered a new favorite ingredient: capers! (Thanks to Martha, for randomly having them in her fridge when I came over with a bag full o'random veggies and no plan for how to cook them). They give this really simple combination of ingredients an extra little salty kick to make an easy, tasty pasta dish.

Olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 small onion
1 cup eggplant, cut into cubes
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch of spinach
Juice from 1 lemon
About 1 tbs capers, or more to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
whole wheat pasta, cooked according to package directions

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan; add the garlic and onion and sauté for several minutes over low heat, until they start to turn golden brown. Add the eggplant and sauté until soft, adding a little water or extra olive oil if needed. Add the capers towards the end, allowing them to cook with the eggplant for a few minutes. Toss in the tomatoes and spinach, and cook till the greens are wilted.. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat, and squeeze the juice from the lemon over the whole thing.

Serve over whole wheat pasta. It would probably be fabulous with some fresh parmesan grated over the top :).

Eggplant (brinjal) curry

The eggplants here are TINY (like, the size of my thumb!) and really sweet . . . I think this would be best with the smallest eggplants you can find (maybe the long, thin Japanese ones?), though it might still work with the big ones. It's worth a try for this spicy curry that ends up being a little sweet as well, thanks to the coconut . . .

1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp moong dal
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 of a small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp meat masala
10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tbs fresh grated coconut
about 1 1/2 cups eggplant, chopped into bite-sized pieces or 2-inch strips
(optional: 1/2 cup potatoes boiled till about halfway done, chopped into bite-sized pieces)


Heat 1 tbs oil in a small pan; add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dals and fry about 30 seconds. Add onion and fry till brown. Add water to cover the onion, along with turmeric, chili powder, masala, curry leaves, and ginger-garlic paste; cook for a few minutes, adding water if it grows dry. Add coriander, salt to taste, and coconut; then, add the eggplant and potatoes.

Black Bean Sauce (for Stir-Fry)

This sauce adds a twist to the standard stir-fry, and it's good excuse for an excursion to Chinatown!

For stir-fry:
Whatever veggies you like - I used broccoli, eggplant, and zucchini
1 carton of extra-firm tofu

Drain tofu well (pat it dry!) and cut into bite-sized pieces. Fry in a little bit of canola oil till it's browned and crispy on all sides. Cut up veggies and cook however you like; you could stir-fry them as well, or steam them for a few minutes.

For the sauce:

1 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch chunk of fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons Chinese fermented black beans (I could only find black bean paste, so I used that instead)
1 tbs vegetable oil

Stir together the water, soy sauce, Sherry, maple syrup, vinegar, and the cornstarch until the cornstarch is evenly suspended.

Heat a tablespoon of veggie oil in a medium-sized pan or pot and stir-fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, less than a minute. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the pan. Whisk the sauce occasionally while bringing it to a boil and simmer 1 minute, until it thickens. Dump in the veggies and tofu and heat for another minute or so.

Serve over brown rice.

Three-Cheese Pesto Pizza

So simple . . . so obvious . . . and sooo flippin' yummy.

1 pizza crust (we used store-bought . . . though I'm sure homemade would be even yummier)
Enough basil pesto (with lots of garlic!) to cover said pizza crust
fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
feta cheese, crumbled
parmesan cheese, grated
1 small eggplant, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush eggplant and zucchini slices with olive oil and roast until the eggplant smells sweet (yummm) and the zucchini is beginning to brown -- about 30 minutes for the eggplant, 15 for the zucchini. Spread pizza crust with pesto; arrange mozzarella, zucchini, and eggplant on top and sprinkle the whole thing with parmesan and feta. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Enjoy :-)

Miso-Ginger Salad Dressing

This dressing is technically supposed to go over eggplant, but I liked it better over mixed greens. Serious yummy. Also, a general miso recommendation, based on recent experience; don't buy the floofy expensive organic miso you find in health-food stores . . . it might be organic, but it's not as good as the stuff you get in Chinatown. (I will never make that mistake again!)

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon chopped basil (I used fresh, which was really good, but I bet it would be fine dried)
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Whisk first 6 ingredients in bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper.