{Week 22 Vegetable Challenge: Fairytale Eggplants}

Yes, these tiny little eggplants are really called Fairytale Eggplants... How could you not want to try them? I even color coordinated my attire with them today ;)

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Not only are they cute, but these tender little eggplants are less bitter than regular eggplants and don't require "salting". (See previous eggplant post...)

I'm going to attempt to make Eggplant Croquettes with them. This recipe had hundreds of reviews with 4.5 stars, so I figure it has to be good, right?

Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-croquettes/detail.aspx

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Chop em up, nuke em til tender, and then mash! Larger eggplants should probably be peeled, but peeling all of these tiny things would have taken forever...

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Form patties... I recommend adding some extra bread crumbs if needed until it's a good consistency for forming the patties.

Based on some of the reviews, and my preference to avoid frying, I baked them in a 350 oven for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

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I didn't intend on making veggie burgers but that's basically what these are... I've never eaten a veggie burger, and would have probably hesitated at the thought, but since I know exactly what went into them and they look pretty good too, I have to give them a shot...

Side note: When I read reviews that recommended putting them on a bun, I decided to add some of my fave burger seasonings to the mix before making the patties, which included worstershire sauce and spicy montreal seasoning.

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Sniff test... It didn't really have a distinct smell...

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Eggplant veggie burger = success! I put it on a bun with some mustard and it was quite good! You could layer on lettuce, tomatoes, and any other normal burger toppings...

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Or you can make it a southwest veggie burger by adding killer salsa like Brandon does... :)

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