Showing posts with label eggplant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eggplant. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Harvesting Purple Beans Eggplant
The kids are back to school and summers winding down, although you wouldnt know it here. Temperatures have climbed back into the 90s and Ive got a garden that just wont quit.
Some veggies, like dark leafy greens, I planted because I love and theyre a daily staple of my diet. Others I planted, well, for their color. Yes, long before singing dinosaurs and Steven Spielberg made it popular, Ive been a fan of the color purple. I look fabulous in it, and I like to eat it.
Just look at those Royal Burgundy beauties. Gorgeous! Ive been enjoying them fresh-picked, as is. Mmm, so good. Much more flavorful than any "green" bean.
So, what gives em their vibrant color? Anthocyanins, the same thing youll find in elderberries, blackberries, blueberries, and grapes. Those are some mighty powerful antioxidants, so eat up and enjoy!
I had some guests over the weekend and wanted to include a side dish for our alfresco dinner on the back deck. Heres what I did:
Garlic Garden Beans
6-8 C filtered water
2 pounds fresh beans, stem snapped off
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp tamari (or Nama Shoyu if you are gluten tolerant)
1. Boil water and allow to cool slightly. Place beans in a deep bowl and pour enough hot water to cover. Allow to sit 2 minutes. Drain and rinse.
2. Return to bowl and toss with prepared mixture of garlic, olive oil and tamari. Plate and serve.
Okay, heres a little science lesson for you: Remember those anthocyanins I mentioned? Well, they change color with acidity levels. Heat dilutes the acidity of the cell sap and causes a decomposition of anthocyanin. Less anthocyanin means less purple.
Now, I didnt boil or steam my beans which would have resulted in them turning from purple to green, but submersing them in the hot water for even two minutes, caused my Royal Burgundy beans to transform into a lovely shade of lavender. Magic!
Thats exactly how I felt this winter when I spied these cutie pies: Fairy Tale Eggplant. Oh, even the name had me dreaming of happily-ever-afters.
Arent they darling? The perfect size for a dwarf or sleeping beauty. But, the best part? The flavor! Tender, sweet, succulent. No bitterness here, I promise.
Normally, Id suggest "sweating" your eggplant prior to preparing. Eggplant skins can be rather bitter, so youd cut the eggplant into whatever size/shape your recipe calls for, place it in a colander, salt lightly, and leave for about 30 minutes. Then youd rinse, pat dry, and begin preparing your recipe. But, really, with these little guys, I have yet to encounter any bitterness.
So, this makes me wonder...folks with arthritis should try and limit their intake of nightshades – eggplant, tomatoes, peppers – because there seems to be a link between joint stiffness and solanine, which is the toxin found in nightshades. Im wondering if thats what also gives nightshades their slightly bitter taste. Since the Fairy Tale eggplant isnt bitter like traditional eggplant, perhaps its a variety individuals with arthritis could safely enjoy. Anyone know?
Anyways, Ive been slicing mine into thin rounds on a mandoline
and marinating it in some olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and garlic. Then, I toss with kalmata olives, red onions and fresh basil from the garden. To.die.for.
Okay, tell me, what have you been harvesting recently from your garden (or local farmers market)?
Some veggies, like dark leafy greens, I planted because I love and theyre a daily staple of my diet. Others I planted, well, for their color. Yes, long before singing dinosaurs and Steven Spielberg made it popular, Ive been a fan of the color purple. I look fabulous in it, and I like to eat it.
Just look at those Royal Burgundy beauties. Gorgeous! Ive been enjoying them fresh-picked, as is. Mmm, so good. Much more flavorful than any "green" bean.
So, what gives em their vibrant color? Anthocyanins, the same thing youll find in elderberries, blackberries, blueberries, and grapes. Those are some mighty powerful antioxidants, so eat up and enjoy!
I had some guests over the weekend and wanted to include a side dish for our alfresco dinner on the back deck. Heres what I did:
Garlic Garden Beans
6-8 C filtered water
2 pounds fresh beans, stem snapped off
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp tamari (or Nama Shoyu if you are gluten tolerant)
1. Boil water and allow to cool slightly. Place beans in a deep bowl and pour enough hot water to cover. Allow to sit 2 minutes. Drain and rinse.
2. Return to bowl and toss with prepared mixture of garlic, olive oil and tamari. Plate and serve.
Okay, heres a little science lesson for you: Remember those anthocyanins I mentioned? Well, they change color with acidity levels. Heat dilutes the acidity of the cell sap and causes a decomposition of anthocyanin. Less anthocyanin means less purple.
Now, I didnt boil or steam my beans which would have resulted in them turning from purple to green, but submersing them in the hot water for even two minutes, caused my Royal Burgundy beans to transform into a lovely shade of lavender. Magic!
❧❀❧
I have seen women looking at jewelry ads with a misty eye and one hand resting on the heart,
and I only know what they’re feeling
because that’s how I read the seed catalogs in January.
~ Barbara Kingsolver
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
❧❀❧
Thats exactly how I felt this winter when I spied these cutie pies: Fairy Tale Eggplant. Oh, even the name had me dreaming of happily-ever-afters.
Normally, Id suggest "sweating" your eggplant prior to preparing. Eggplant skins can be rather bitter, so youd cut the eggplant into whatever size/shape your recipe calls for, place it in a colander, salt lightly, and leave for about 30 minutes. Then youd rinse, pat dry, and begin preparing your recipe. But, really, with these little guys, I have yet to encounter any bitterness.
So, this makes me wonder...folks with arthritis should try and limit their intake of nightshades – eggplant, tomatoes, peppers – because there seems to be a link between joint stiffness and solanine, which is the toxin found in nightshades. Im wondering if thats what also gives nightshades their slightly bitter taste. Since the Fairy Tale eggplant isnt bitter like traditional eggplant, perhaps its a variety individuals with arthritis could safely enjoy. Anyone know?
Anyways, Ive been slicing mine into thin rounds on a mandoline
and marinating it in some olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and garlic. Then, I toss with kalmata olives, red onions and fresh basil from the garden. To.die.for.Okay, tell me, what have you been harvesting recently from your garden (or local farmers market)?
Friday, March 6, 2015
Spaghetti And Tofu Stuffed Eggplant Vegan And Gluten Free
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| Spaghetti makes a fun stuffing for fiber packed eggplants! Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK . |
Just for Fun!
Ive been wanting to do something with eggplant lately so I decided to stuff them. Most stuffed eggplant recipes use chopped meat or breadcrumbs. I thought, "wouldnt it be fun to stuff them with spaghetti"?
Eggplant
This purple beauty is packed with fiber and is an excellent source of manganese, potassium, folate and a host of other vitamins and minerals. They do belong to the nightshade family of vegetables so some people avoid them. Being Italian, its impossible for me to avoid nightshade vegetables which include tomatoes and peppers - how could I possibly cook without these wonderful vegetables? But some people are sensitive to the alkaloid solanine, contained in nightshades, which can aggravate joint pain in a small number of people.
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| Although these eggplants are organic, you can buy conventional with safety as eggplants are part of the "Clean 15" and are grown with very little pesticides. |
* * * *
Spaghetti and Tofu Stuffed Eggplant
Vegan, Gluten Free (when made with gluten free spaghetti)
Requires a large pot, a 3 quart saucepan and a 9"x13" baking dish
[makes 4 servings]
2 eggplants (1 pound each)
4 ounces whole wheat or gluten free spaghetti
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped,
8 ounces firm, organic, non GMO tofu
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 tablespoons vegetarian nutritional yeast
1/2 cup diaya mozzarella style shreds
1 cup prepared marinara tomato sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the 9"x13" baking dish and set aside.
Prepare the eggplant. With a sharp knife, score the eggplant 1/2 inch from the edge. Be careful not to penetrate the bottom of the eggplant.
With a spoon, scoop out the pulp leaving enough eggplant to provide structure.
Save 4 cups of pulp, discarding any with too many seeds.
Place hollowed out eggplant, hollow side down, in a large pot on a steamer basket. Cover and steam briefly until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Dont cook too long or they will lose their shape and be difficult to stuff. Carefully remove the eggplant shells and drain on a paper towel.
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| Score eggplant and scoop out pulp |
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| Leave enough eggplant to provide structure |
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| Cover and steam briefly |
Break the spaghetti in half. Using the smaller, 3 quart saucepan, prepare the spaghetti according to manufactures instructions. Cook "al dente".
Rinse and set aside.
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| Use your favorite spaghetti. For gluten free, use brown rice or quinoa spaghetti. |
Chop the eggplant pulp into 1/2 inch cubes and place in the 3 quart saucepan with a half cup of water, black pepper, dried basil and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until eggplant softens, about 5 minutes. Remove the cover and cook until most of the moisture has evaporated.
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| Cook eggplant pulp until soft and dry. |
Heat the olive oil in the large pot. Add the onions and cook until they soften, 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute.
Crumble the tofu and add to the onions. Cook several minutes, stirring constantly.
Turn off the heat and stir in the ground flax and nutritional yeast until well combined.
Add spaghetti and most of the mozzarella shreds, reserving 1 or 2 tablespoons for topping. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.
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| Mix all stuffing ingredients. |
Place the eggplant shells in the baking dish and stuff each with 1/4th of the mixture.
Cover with marinara and sprinkle with the remaining daiya mozzarella shreds.
Cover with foil making sure the foil does not touch the eggplant.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 5 minutes.
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| Stuff and bake. |
Remove from the oven and serve. Each eggplant half is one serving.
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| A single serving provides 15 grams of fiber! |
Per serving (made with whole wheat pasta): 326 calories, 11 g of total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 568 mg omega-3 fatty acid*, 1,677 mg omega-6 fatty acid*, 0 mg cholesterol, 15 g protein, 49 g carbohydrates, 15 g dietary fiber and 624 mg sodium.
Per serving (made with gluten free brown rice pasta): 336 calories, 12 g of total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 561 mg omega-3 fatty acid*, 1526 g omega-6 fatty acid*, 0 mg cholesterol, 13 g protein, 49 g carbohydrates, 13 g dietary fiber and 629 mg sodium.
* This does not include any contribution for omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids from daiya mozzarella shreds, nutritional yeast or the gluten free pasta since that information was not available from the manufacturer.
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