Drummer Man Cookie Jar

Eggplant

K, Tevita does not enjoy the incredible edible egg(plant). Heaven knows he's tried. But it's just not for him and heaven also knows that he's had to make adjustments to his taste buds since marrying me. . . let's just say his wife loves garlic only second to her husband. So I don't fault him for setting a boundary, drawing a line if you will, in our menu. And it's not like he hates eggplant, he just prefers not to eat it if given a choice.

Anyway, eggplant was in abundance at the farmer's market so I bought it. And since Ti has his preferences, I basically ate it all by myself. Which I love because have you ever had roasted eggplant on crusty bread with olive oil and kalamata olives? Divine.

So basically, I roasted all the eggplant in batches.

That's the before photo up there, sliced eggplant with olive oil, salt, and minced garlic.

And below is the "after" picture! They come out with the skins on! It's an eggplant miracle.!

Yeah, obviously one batch is peeled and another is not. I like the skins on but wanted to try something different. It's a pain to peel Japanese eggplant and since I like the flavor, I leave the skins on.

I put all the batches of eggplant in a bowl for storing and made some pretty tasty dishes:

Flat bread with eggplant spread (heated and mushed roasted eggplant from above), feta, and tomato. Cook in 450 degree oven till the edges of the bread is brown. I added kalamata olives after I took the photo.

There's another photo. Just playing around with my camera. This was a really good dinner. I think I ate it with sliced apple.

Another night, I added that same eggplant mush to these:
Added more garlic and heated it all up in a pan! Then added the sauce to:
and Gah! I can't find the photo on the gobs of pictures on my camera. But basically, it's a yummy and very filling pasta (duh.), dish! And also the only one that Ti tried and enjoyed!

And look at this!
It seriously looks disgusting. Ew. It's a veggie and polenta bake. But it tastes WONDERFUL. So I'll end this post with this recipe and hopefully, somebody will dare to try it and take a more appetizing photo.

Veggie and Polenta Bake

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup water
1 10oz bag of baby spinach (a couple of handfuls)
1 1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup chopped basil
1 8x8in pan, polenta already cooked
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, divided (omit if dairy free)
pinch of hot pepper

Heat oil in non-stick skillet and add the next four ingredients. Stir till tender and beginning to brown. Add water and spinach; cover and cook till wilted, stirring just once. Stir marinara sauce and hot pepper into the vegetables and heat through (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Sprinkle polenta with 3/4 cup cheese, top with veggie mixture, add remaining cheese.

Bake in 450 degree oven until bubbling and cheese has melted (about 15 minutes).

And enjoy!

Tuscan Bean Soup

This soup is delicious. I promise you, it'll knock your socks off. It's one of those dishes where you don't realize or you forget just how tasty it is until you take that first bite. I haven't made it in awhile and am going to make it tonight. This big pot lasts us about 3 or 4 days in my house. Crusty bread and sliced apples or crusty bread and a bowl of berries are excellent side dishes to this soup. And is it a soup?? I don't know about that. It "eats like a meal". And sorry for the 80's reference, I can't think of anything creative right now. My head is exploding with love for our Capitol, which is where Ti and I have been the last week. We're in love with Washington, D.C.

The recipe might seem daunting at first because of all the chopping. At least it did for me. But ultimately, it's a dump and cook recipe. See all those beans? With the red potato and the barley? I can't find the spinach in these photos but it's in there! . . . Come to think of it, maybe I forgot to add it in this batch but it's great with the spinach.

Tuscan Bean Soup

1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped, including some of the greens
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil ( I end up using triple that. Just keepin' it real).
1 tablespoon of flour (can omit if gluten-free)
1 tablespoon of rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary (I used dry and the teaspoon is overflowing)
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme (again, overflow)
1 large bay leaf
black pepper to taste
4-14.5 ounce cans organic chicken broth (I like the salt. You can use reduced salt and it will still be flavorful)
1 cup frozen baby lime beans, rinsed (not a science. I throw the whole frozen package in)
1 15oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 15oz can red beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup barley, uncooked (brown rice for gluten-free)
1 medium red potato cut into cubes (I used three)
2 sliced carrots
1 cup packed, slivered spinach leaves

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the oil 2 to 3 minutes; stir in the flour, herbs, garlic, and pepper, and saute until the onions are tender. Add the chicken broth, beans, and tomato paste to the saucepan; heat to boiling. Add the barley, potato, and carrots. Return to a low simmer, and cook for 25 minutes. Stir in spinach. Cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and fish out bay leaf!!

I hope hope hope somebody out there tries this and shares in the joy!!