{Week 16 Vegetable Challenge: Eggplant}

3/19/2012

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My 1st eggplant recipe is a little cliche, but I've never tried it before, so here we go with Eggplant Parmesan! This recipe bakes (not fries) the eggplant so it's healthier. And it had over 1000+ reviews and 4.5 stars, so how could it be bad? I did decide to reduce the recipe as a side and only used 1 eggplant in an 8x8 dish.

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-parmesan-ii/
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Surprise #1: The inside isn't purple! I guess if you know veggies, you would have known that, but it was a surprise to me!
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Surprise #2: Holy seeds batman! I thought my eggplant went bad until I googled it and found that it is totally normal...
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Based on reviews, I decided to "sweat" the eggplant by sprinkling sea salt on the slices. This removes the bitterness. The seeds hold a liquid that can make the eggplant taste bitter, and by doing this and letting is sit for 30 minutes, you can literally see the liquid that it draws out of the slices!
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After the salt, rinse & dry thoroughly!
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Dipped in egg & bread crumbs and placed on a cookie sheet. Baked for 10 minutes on each side (another tip from the reviews) - and use parchment paper so they don't stick to your pan :)
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Now for the yummy parts! Layered with sauce and cheese...
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Looks good so far!
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After baking for 35 minutes, hot, bubbly and golden brown!
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All of the surprises made me a little nervous, and I tried to remind myself that it's NOT lasagna so I wouldn't have that expectation...
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And the eggplant is a success! The sauce and cheeses were definitely a help for my first attempt at eggplant.

It was way better than I was expecting, but I still didn't love it quite enough to make as a main course yet... I'll have to let it grow on me just a little more for that...
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{Week 15 Vegetable Challenge: Shiitake Mushrooms}

3/17/2012

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No particular recipe this week, just sauteing a new type of mushrooms for dinner with our steak! I'm in love with Portabello, so I thought, why not give these little guys a try!
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All washed up and chopped... I like that the little fins on these mushrooms are white, so I really feel like I've cleaned them thoroughly...
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Good luck Shiitake!
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My dad helped with these, and we just threw some things together... butter, chopped garlic, shiitake, bell peppers and some fresh cracked pepper...
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Sizzling in the pan til tender...
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And topped on our t-bones!
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Not too scared of these ones since I know I like Portabellos...
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And they were good! Yummy flavor with the steak... I still think I like Portabello a little more, but it could be the marinade that makes the difference. Still, 2 out of 2 for fungus! ;)
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{Week 14 Vegetable Challenge: Carrots, not the baby kind}

3/7/2012

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This is kind of a vegetable re-do because my previous baby carrot recipe was a no-go. I was told that real carrots have much better flavor than baby carrots.
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So I bought big fat carrots from the farmer's market.
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And I bought little skinny carrots from the farmer's market.

And then I let them sit in my refrigerator for the past 2 weeks, because I really didn't want to eat carrots. Yes, I fell off the horse for a little here, but I got my act back together, made the darn carrots and I'm ready to move on! PS - the carrots are so much nicer looking when they still have the greens on top.
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So I peeled 'em, sliced 'em and dropped 'em in a Ziploc steam bag. Added 1T of water and some sea salt & ground pepper for a little flavor. I must say, these steam bags work quite well.
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Freshly steamed and not crunchy! (Woo!)
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Kate was willing to try them with me again. The skinny carrots were more tender than the big guys.
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And I actually ate them! They weren't fabulous on their own, so I slathered some good old butter on them with a little extra sea salt, and that made them better! (What isn't better with a little butter?) Carrots, by far, are not my new favorite veggie, but at least I can say I've eaten them as a side! I'll probably keep them in my soups or maybe mixed with other veggies.
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