Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts

Has anybody ever had undercooked eggplant? As far as I know, it’s the only vegetable that is absolutely disgusting if it’s not cooked to death. Slight crunchy carrots? Delicious. Asparagus that retains its crispness? Awesome. Chewy eggplant? Nasty.

When I saw this recipe in Food and Wine for Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts, I was excited but wary.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/stuffed-eggplant-with-lamb-and-pine-nuts

I loved the idea of using cinnamon, lemon, tamarind and sugar to create a salty sweet balance. However, the idea of piling the lamb on top of the eggplant without hollowing it out terrified me. Undercooked eggplant alert! Therefore I carved out the eggplant and roasted the shell and the chopped up insides separately for 40 minutes ahead of time.  I then mixed the chopped eggplant with the lamb and loaded the ‘eggplant boats’ up and roasted for another 20 minutes until I was absolutely certain it was cooked.

This makes for a hearty dish so I served with an arugula, pomegranate and pecan salad for some color as well as a bit of hummus.  

Lentil Soup with Toasted Coconut and Cilantro

Back to back work trips stink for a lot of reasons. I miss my family, my fake exercise classes (Zumba!) and my own home. I also miss cooking and eating the type of foods I enjoy. Because of the nature of my job, eating in the field is divided into two categories: 1) Delicious but often incredibly unhealthy local street food like chicharron, fried yuca or empanadas and 2) overpriced hotel food that is often described as 'international' on the menu and tastes like an industrial-sized kitchen's spin on Olive Garden.

 Despite the total absence of anything green, I usually stick to the street food. However, on certain trips when I'm stuck in meetings or trainings, I don't have a choice but to sit down with everyone else for the buffet lunch. On offer is chicken with sauce, pasta with sauce and boiled-to-death vegetables....with sauce. It's awful.

 I have a few days in NYC between trips this weekend so I immediately turned to my favorite standby: lentil soup.

 

http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/home/2012/10/2/spiced-lentil-soup-with-coconut-milk.html

 
My first stab at this simple recipe turned out a bit sweet so I'm having it for breakfast. It's awesome though so I think next time around I'll bump up the red pepper flakes and add a bit more curry powder. Don't skip the toasted coconut flakes and cilantro. They make the dish. Now if only I could bring soup as a carry on.

Teff Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

Cookies without sugar, eggs, butter, oil or wheat flour? I was skeptic! So skeptic in fact that I dusted half the batch with sugar as a precaution in case the others weren't edible.

I'm happy to report that the extra sugar was totally unnecessary. These bad boys are really good and stay moist and chewy for at least a week..and counting.

The only ingredients you need are peanut butter, teff flour (an Ethiopian grain available widely now), maple syrup, apple sauce and vanilla.
http://melshealthykitchen.com/2011/06/03/teff-flour-peanut-butter-cookies/

It's a decent amount of maple syrup so I wouldn't say these are like eating carrots sticks but they are healthy enough to have for breakfast in my book.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Lamb Tagine

For the first time in my life, I’m looking forward to fall. I think because dealing with a toddler who won’t wear a hat or sunglasses, acts like sunscreen is liquid acid and is too young to realize it’s cooler in the shade is a bit exhausting. Lazy summer days reading on the beach with a cold beer are behind me….for now.

So I welcomed the first bit of chill in the air. To celebrate, I got down my slow cooker and poked through some Moroccan lamb recipes. I ended up going for one with garbanzo beans, dried apricots and my entire spice cabinet. I didn’t have eggplant on hand but that would have been a good addition. Olives would be good too. I skipped the prunes as they sounded too sweet. I served it with cilantro and toasted almonds over millet.

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=558120

It was incredibly tasty with a glass of red wine on a fall evening. I know that come February I will despise stews and heavy red wines but for now I’m loving the change!

Spicy Baked Shrimp

Shrimp are off limits these days but it didn’t stop me from whipping up my favorite recipe the other day for Mamita, Amie and Heather.  It’s my “go to” shrimp recipe as it just involves tossing all the ingredients together and popping them in the oven. It’s ideal if you are hosting (that’s code for gossiping and drinking wine with friends) and don’t feel like stir frying or grilling those juicy little critters. Although in this case I think we opted for baking because none of us could figure out the grill. Not exactly feminism at its best.

Combine ½ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons Cajun or Creole seasoning, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a handful of chopped cilantro. Toss with 1 pound of uncooked shelled shrimp and marinate for one hour (if you have time). Cook for 10 minutes in the oven at 450. Serve with French bread to mop up the yumminess. 

Coffee with Cardamom and Cinnamon

Flavored coffee reminds me of late night stops at 7 Eleven in college to buy Gatorade and Wows. The sickly sweet smell of hazelnut flavor still makes my stomach turn. Gross.

Do it yourself flavored coffee is a different story. Mix in some fresh spices with the coffee grinds and your standard morning cup of Joe takes on a little kick.  I prefer the cardamom and cinnamon combination – mostly because I love cardamom but can’t figure out enough ways to eat it. If you take your coffee with milk, a small splash of vanilla in the heated milk is delicious too.

Ideally you’ll enjoy this cup of coffee after 7 a.m. Hear that Xavier?

Beluga Lentil Salad with Dandelion Greens and Walnuts

In case you haven’t heard me complain lately, I can’t eat anything anymore! In an effort to kick this autoimmune disease kicking around my gut, my nutritionist has cut out everything from my diet. No more rice with my curries or corn tortillas with my tacos. No more cheese, almonds or strawberries. And no more steak. Agghhh! The list goes on.

Anyways, luckily I still have that ‘love affair with lentils’ I mentioned a few years ago.  Lentils, unlike other legumes, satisfy that meaty craving I get and fill me up in a way most vegetarian meals can’t. Beluga black lentils are also just gorgeous to look at – although admire them before you cook them as they lose their caviar-like sparkle when they hit the pot.

1.  Cook one cup of rinsed black lentils in big pot of water for 15 minutes and drain.
2.  Sautee a big helping of cremini mushrooms in olive oil, garlic and shallots until almost cooked. Then toss in a healthy helping of greens such as dandelion or spinach. You can also just throw the greens in raw at the end for a more salad like meal.
3. Make a mustardy vinaigrette with 2 teaspoons Dijon, 2 tablespoons vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil.
4.  Toss the lentils and mushroom and greens mixture with the vinaigrette. Top with toasted walnuts (and cheese if you are lucky!) Serve with a wedge of lemon.