Eggplant Quinoa Bites with Pesto

Only lately have I found out the limitless possibilities of cooking with eggplant. I have simplest cooked with it on a few activities until currently, however now it is often on my grocery list as I explore this underrated and sadly unnoticed vegetable. Many people in my circle of friends suppose that eggplant is flavorless, bland and soggy, yet so many of the recipe books I personal contain severa recipes for eggplant and the local marketplace continually has an amazing supply handy all 12 months spherical. I wager that eggplant isn't always as unpopular as I at the beginning notion.

It all depends on how you put together this vegetable, though technically it's miles a fruit. True, it does not really have tons taste, however from a culinary factor of view it is a instead perfect vegetable to cook with as it absorbs seasonings and flavors properly. Eggplant would not preserve for long, so it's far satisfactory to buy it a day or so earlier than the use of it. Lightly salting the eggplant and letting it sit down for an hour or so before patting the slices dry allows dispose of a number of the moisture and bitterness. If you're including it to soups or stews, add close to the end of the cooking time. You don't want to peel the eggplant due to the fact the pores and skin is edible, but maximum chefs do until they need to bake it whole within the oven, or filled. In either case, the skin will no longer in all likelihood be consumed.

Bake it, steam it, fry it, roast or broil it, and you will come up with numerous serving thoughts. Eggplant is typically covered in stews, soups and casseroles, curries, salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes amongst different favorites appearing on the dinner desk. Often overlooked is that eggplant in reality does shine on its very own because the center piece of a tapas platter or as a standalone appetizer to stimulate the palate earlier than the primary path. To illustrate this declare, I came up with those little eggplant bites. I defy eggplant skeptics to forestall at best one.

The quinoa right here is mixed with a as a substitute unconventional pesto as part of the topping, but I discovered it labored perfectly, including a further layer of taste to the tapas.

In addition to serving as an appetizer, you can need to include them as part of a mild lunch or dinner, served with a gently dressed lentil or leafy green salad. A phrase of warning in case you are serving them as an appetizer previous to a complete path essential: these little nibblers are addictive, so resist the temptation to devour too many, or serve them well earlier earlier than the rest of your culinary efforts grace the dinner desk.

Other small bites from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you are positive to enjoy:

Stuffed Mushrooms with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Olives

Olive Cheese Balls

Goat Cheese Olive Balls

Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers with Goat's Cheese and Sun-dried Tomatoes

On the top of the reading stack: Simply More Indian: More Sweet and Spicy Recipes from India, Pakistan and East Africa

Audio Accompaniment: Robert Rich

Stuffed Eggplant Poriyal

It was once that eggplant become some thing I not often taken into consideration cooking with, but now that I have commenced, there may be no stopping me. Even my own family contributors who concept of eggplant as gentle and bland are willing to strive my creations. Since I began gambling around extra, I actually have pretty a great deal stuck with broiling or baking this flexible vegetable, but this time I desired something spicy and went in advance with stuffing small eggplants with a highly spiced dry paste of coconut, cashews and lentils and simmering them in a tangy and fragrant tempering sauce. Certainly the maximum eye-catching way I even have organized and loved eggplant but, and it's miles just best for dinner served with a steaming warm mattress of buttered rice.

I adapted this recipe from one of my very favorite vegetarian cookbooks, Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan. If I could retain only a few of the books from my extensive collection, surely this would be one of them. Though I have cooked from this book on many occasions, each time I pick it up and glance through the beautiful illustrations, I am tempted again and again to keep exploring the authentic south Indian delights offered up. If you want to know about sambars, rasams, poriyals and kootus, beautiful rice dishes, aromatic spice blends that are an essential element of Indian cooking and just don't me started on the snack and appetizer section, this is the book you surely must have. The desserts and sweets are also too tempting, even for this savory girl.

More eggplant recipes you are positive to enjoy from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Baked Gingered Chickpea Stew with Eggplant and Spinach

Eggplant Quinoa Bites with Pesto

Eggplant and Tomato Caponata

Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Curried Vegetables

This highly spiced, filled and baked eggplant dish makes for a maximum pleasing vegetarian meal, specifically when served with a steaming warm mattress of rice. It is alternatively clean to put together and yet some other excuse to warm the kitchen and your frame too because it has some greater kick to in reality spotlight the eggplant and veggies that make up stuffing.

You likely can have more filling than you want, depending on the scale of your eggplants. If you do, serve it alongside facet the filled eggplant or keep it for the following day and serve over a grain of your desire.

More eggplant dishes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you could experience:

Baked Gingered Chickpea Stew with Eggplant and Spinach

Eggplant Quinoa Bites with Pesto

Stuffed Eggplant Poriyal

Southern-Style Eggplant and Potato Casserole with Chickpeas

I become by no means virtually crazy about eggplant till a few years ago, however now I regularly find myself attracted to recipes that show off this flexible vegetable. Although it doesn't have a good deal flavor in itself, it becomes spongy whilst cooked and fantastically absorbs aromatic spices and melds properly with the alternative components it's mixed with. Those that think they do not like eggplant are very probably to trade their thoughts after feasting on this casserole.

Essentially a vegetarian version of "Country Captain", a famous curried dish within the Southern states that usually contains chook and is served with rice, eggplant is here used in location of the fowl. The Indian influence is obvious. How could I withstand spiced up eggplant with loads of greens and chickpeas? Often made at the stovetop, this one is baked. As that is one of the coldest winters I can don't forget, I were searching out masses of excuses to turn at the oven in recent times.

I nearly decided to skip the almonds, because of laziness on my element, but I'm satisfied I did not, as they may be a perfect garnish for the casserole for textural and nutty comparison. I used my personal vibrant combo of curry powder. I endorse you attempt it as it's smooth to make and could preserve for an amazing few months in a nicely-sealed jar. I've also protected some homemade fiery curry paste, but this is optional. As a spice fiend, I introduced it for some more kick. Traditionally, Country Captain is served with rice, however I idea some nutty quinoa become a perfect replacement.

More dishes offering eggplant from Lisa's Kitchen:

Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Curried Vegetables

Eggplant Quinoa Bites with Pesto

Stuffed Eggplant Poriyal

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Though I am now not a vegan, many of my foremost meals are free of dairy. I do but have a weakness for cheese and now and again I will indulge. I will also admit a weak spot for lasagna on uncommon occasions ? The event this time become a want to satisfy an urge after receiving a cookbook for possible evaluation.

This delightfully cheesy Provençal roasted vegetable lasagna is adapted from Cooking Inspired by Estee Kafra. After leafing through a copy of her book, I was immediately seduced by the beautiful photos throughout. When I got to the lasagnas in the book, I was sold on the idea of a cheesy meal. Craving comfort food, I had a difficult time deciding which one I wanted to try first, but I went with this one because of the number of vegetables included and I happen to adore ricotta and goat cheese. The result was a very lush lasagna with complex and competing flavors.

Ms. Kafra's e book is all about "bringing creativity and passion back into the kitchen". All of the recipes are kosher friendly, and selected from KosherScoop.Com. There are many gluten-unfastened recipes and ones for Passover too that are without problems recognized. Over two hundred recipes are fantastically presented, whole with snap shots, maximum of which might be taken via the writer. You absolutely don't have to be Jewish to revel in this book. Alas, it is not vegetarian, but there are plenty of offerings for vegetarians and some that vegans could revel in too. It is a refreshing innovative adventure illustrating the relationship among the senses, pals and own family, healthy residing and unique activities to food. Certainly I changed into stimulated to get innovative in my personal kitchen.

As constantly, the opinions expressed right here about this ebook are my own.

Notes: I made my own tomato sauce for this lasagna as I figured that if I was going to treat myself, the experience could only be enhanced with a homemade sauce. The original recipe called for the inclusion of 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes to be stirred into the roasted vegetables with the olives and capers. Instead, I made a Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce. This time, I changed my sauce a bit. I used a small shallot instead of a large onion, I added about 6 fresh mushrooms, adding them to the pan after sautéing the shallot, ginger and carrot, and omitted the chili flakes and used 1/2 teaspoon each of basil, thyme and oregano instead. I still included a jalapeño for a bit of heat.

More lasagna recipes you're sure to revel in from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

Asparagus Pesto Lasagna with Mushrooms

Ricotta Pesto and Mushroom Lasagna

On the top of the reading stack: Rawsome Vegan Baking: An Un-cookbook for Raw, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Beautiful and Sinfully Sweet Cookies, Cakes, Bars & Cupcakes by Emily von Euw

Audio Accompaniment: silence

Roasted Eggplant Tomato Curry (Baingan Bharta)

Eggplant is one vegetable that I in no way definitely used to enjoy in any respect till I found out how to appreciate its finer characteristics. Despite having little flavor in itself, it does take at the flavors of the opposite additives of dishes it appears in and really much acts like a sponge to absorb spices and seasonings because it does on this curry. Although it's far the megastar component, keep in mind serving this one as much as folks that suppose they do not revel in eggplant because the textural element it provides here combined with the tomato, peas and seasonings makes for an ideal aspect and also you might not even bet that eggplant is what brings everything together.

Other eggplant recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Curried Vegetables

Stuffed Eggplant Poriyal

Eggplant Quinoa Bites with Pesto

Black Bean and Quinoa Chili Casserole

Every yr I sound like a broken file as I claim that each winter is the only to be able to never cease, as it usually feels like that, even in March and now April. Comfort meals can often enhance my mood. And despite the fact that this dish is not the maximum photogenic, or at least I changed into in an excessive amount of of a hurry to spend a great deal time with plating and lighting fixtures, it's miles a balanced, big and comforting meal.

Vegetables, grains and legumes are all baked collectively within the same dish with masses of grated cheese. I normally move mild at the cheese, but there are times while a tacky dish is just the factor to cheer you up and fill a grumbling tummy. Besides, I don't sense too responsible in any respect due to the nutrients that are scooped onto the dinner plate. I recommend serving with a refreshing lightly dressed leafy inexperienced salad to complete the meal. You can also wish to serve with a few dollops of sour cream for a few greater decadence and perhaps some crusty bread or cornbread if you are feeding a small crowd. Either manner, frigid temperatures and dreary climate might not be the focal point of your interest after some forkfuls of this.

More comforting casseroles you're sure to revel in from Lisa's Kitchen:

Pasta and Goat Cheese Casserole with Black Olives

Azuki Bean Casserole

Baked Tempeh & Japonica Rice Casserole

Southern-Style Pinto Beans with Rice and Fried Eggplant

Simmered in a wealthy, zesty and tangy spiced solar-dried tomato sauce seasoned with a bit liquid hickory smoke, these pinto beans are so hearty and filled with rich barbecue flavor that even your maximum fish fry-crazy carnivorous pals won't pass over the beef at the grill with this dish. They won't even pass over the grill in any respect, because it's all achieved at the range-top. They'll probable be surprised that it is no longer best vegetarian, however vegan too.

As if the beans are not scrumptious enough by means of themselves, they are additionally crowned with exquisite eggplant slices tossed with a dry-rub spice and herb seasoning and fried in hot oil. Complete the enjoy via serving the beans and eggplant on a mattress of warm freshly cooked brown rice for a thoroughly nourishing and attractive dinner with a view to have your circle of relatives and pals asking for seconds. I made up approximately 1 half of cups dried rice that yielded about four cups cooked rice for the amount of beans that this recipe gives.

This incredible beans and eggplant dish is adapted from a recipe in a book that I recently received called "The Southern Vegetarian " by Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence. Not just a collection of meat-free adaptations of American Southern classics — a cuisine that most of us don't associate with vegetarian-friendly food — Burks and Lawrence use Southern ingredients and techniques to come up with dozens of truly unique and creative vegetarian recipes with a modern Southern flair. This is one of the most exciting cookbooks to cross my path for some time now, and I'm looking forward to trying ideas like strawberry-basil shortcake sliders, sweet potato pancakes with peaches and pecans, green pea hummus, vegetarian gumbo, curried cauliflower soup, peach and tarragon pesto pizza, and plenty more. I'm getting hungry just writing this!

(Note: I received a copy of The Southern Vegetarian for review, but the opinions expressed above are entirely my own.)

Now without further ado, let's get cooking.

More pinto beans recipes you're certain to experience from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Refried Beans with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Pinto Bean and Avocado Burritos

Corn and Pinto Bean Dip

Pinto Bean and Zucchini Hummus

I'm sharing this with Jac's Bookmarked Recipes and also Ricki's Wellness Weekend.

On the pinnacle of the studying stack: various cookbooks

Audio Accompaniment: Lux by Brian Eno

Penne with a Spicy Eggplant and Mushroom Tomato Sauce

I'm nevertheless getting better after spending a lot of the summer time inside and outside of the medical institution. I am thrilled to subsequently be domestic and have started making food once more. A longing for pasta became the foundation for this thick and chunky, sturdy and high-priced tomato sauce presenting eggplant, cremini mushrooms and a few spice for a piece of heat, all served over warm fresh cooked entire wheat penne. It's clean to prepare, mainly as soon as the preparation is finished, and the pasta chefs at the same time as the sauce simmers away. I used complete wheat pasta because it has a pleasant chewy texture and makes for a pleasing evaluation with the mushrooms and spices blanketed in the dish. Serve with a crusty bread and you've a first-rate and filling lunch or dinner. Nothing else is certainly required and I guarantee your diners might not be leaving the table hungry.

Other pasta dishes to experience from Lisa's Meatless Kitchen:

Indian-Style Macaroni and Paneer Cheese with Spinach

Vegetarian Mushroom Bourguignon

Vegetarian Mushroom and Spinach Lasagne

Lemony Pasta with Broccoli and Chickpeas

Quinoa with Almonds and Mixed Vegetables

Quinoa is a really perfect meal accompaniment simply on its own or with a little seasoning, simply as rice is. And much like rice, the nutty flavor of quinoa is simple to dress up to take the grain enjoy to an entire new level. It's a scrumptious and simple vehicle for incorporating vegetables into your meal, consisting of on this colourful, nourishing and filling tackle an Indian pilaf.

Quinoa is manifestly no longer a conventional Indian grain, however it cooks up simply as quickly and easily as the greater customary white rice and takes on Indian spices just as properly too. Plenty of sparkling vegetables are loaded into this Indian-inspired quinoa dish in addition to a few almond meal and fried sliced almonds for additonal flavor and crunch texture. It's as exact because it appears, if no longer even better. Each chunk is a flavor enjoy.

Frying the potatoes before tossing them into the dish prevents them for going mushy.

Other quinoa dishes to revel in from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

South Indian-Style Quinoa with Potato, Pumpkin and Tamarind

Curried Quinoa Salad with Lentils and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Millet-Quinoa Hash with Peppers and Zucchini on Saut?Ed Greens

Quinoa with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Corn

On the top of the reading stack: The Essential Ayurvedic Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Wellness

Pasta Shells with Roasted Vegetables and Black Olives

Pasta is another one of winter's comfort foods that I don't actually eat all that often, but I certainly have friends and a husband who would like to eat it more frequently. But I will indulge them — and myself — more often if the pasta is dressed in an interesting, delicious and nourishing way. And in the winter, what better to toss pasta with than roasted vegetables?

This shell pasta I dressed up with a zesty combination of lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and olives along with the roasted vegetables. This pasta is delicious served hot but also works just as well as a cold salad. I have no doubt that fresh grated Parmesan cheese would be tasty on this pasta, but I added a good helping of nutritional yeast to give it that pasta-friendly cheesiness in a vegan way — but feel free to substitute with Parmesan or omit the cheesiness altogether. My husband, who is the biggest pasta fan I know, was delighted with this.

Other pasta dishes to enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen:

Zesty Green Pea and Jalapeño Pesto Pasta

Lemony Pasta with Broccoli and Chickpeas

Vegetarian Mushroom and Spinach Lasagne

Penne Pasta with Ricotta, Parmesan and Tomatoes

Red Kidney Bean Jambalaya

This thick and hearty vegetable stew is a vegetarian version of the classic highly spiced Cajun jambalaya stew loaded with purple kidney beans, brown rice and lots of greens. And as soon as the beans are cooked, it is basically a easy one-pot meal with the whole lot you need for an entire meal. The Cajun combo of herbs simply complements the entirety inside the dish and it makes a fair amount too so that you can share with friends and have leftovers besides. Adjust the recent sauce according to taste, and be sure no longer to pass the liquid smoke as it provides an crucial flavor.

Other kidney bean dishes to revel in from my kitchen:

Kidney Bean Curry ( Rajma )

Spicy Kidney Bean and Chickpea Stew

Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup with Kidney Beans

Vegetarian Jamaican Patties

Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Curry with Swiss Chard and Roasted Eggplant

Black-eyed peas have lengthy been considered one of my favourite legumes, adding a welcome earthiness to dishes made out of tangy, zesty or highly spiced flavors that make them a first-rate base in curries. In this nourishing curry, earthiness takes the primary stage with roasted eggplant and Swiss chard.

The eggplant isn't virtually the main celebrity on this dish, but it does add texture and roasting the vegetable brings out a delightful trace of sweetness. Fried eggplant is fun too, but roasting brings out a unique flavor profile that I don't find frying pretty matches ? It turned into so right simply as is, with salt just out of the roasting pan, that it's a surprise any of the eggplant ended up inside the curry. Next time I would possibly try it in a salad to realize the goodness of this beneath appreciated vegetable.

This is my contribution to Eat Your Greens, a month-to-month event co-hosted with the aid of Shaheen and The VegHog.

Other black-eyed pea dishes to enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen:

Black-Eyed Peas with Coconut Milk, Curry Leaves and Spices

Black Tea and Gingered Black-Eyed Peas

Black-Eyed Peas with Fenugreek and Tomatoes

Black-Eyed Peas with Mustard, Cumin and Curry Leaves

Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Omelette

I do not generally tend to consume eggs all that regularly, however there are times whilst eggs demand to be cracked from their shells and made into something packed complete of goodness and protein. Omelettes are usually terrific with little adornment, but to pinnacle it up a notch, I folded them up with some oven-roasted veggies for an particularly enjoyable and filling dinner. The collection of peppers, eggplants and mushrooms is my personal preference, however the roasted flavors and textures combination wonderfully ? Experience loose to use your very own vegetable ideas, however just make sure that they may be all fairly smooth and quick roasting vegetables. Just right for these cold fall days.

Other egg dishes to try from Lisa's Kitchen:

Baked Avocado and Egg with Miso Butter

Deviled Curried Eggs

Eggs Vindaloo

Cheddar and Mushroom Shirred Eggs

Middle Eastern Inspired Spicy Chickpea, Eggplant and Tahini Stew

Many of my ideas for recipes are inspired not only from my extensive cookbook collection, but also from fellow bloggers. This is one such recipe that I was energized to make after reading a fairly recent post by Rosa Mayland. Rosa not only posts must-try creative recipes, but also photo essays that are breathtaking and reflections that are always thoughtful and considered.

Rosa certainly got my attention with this Middle Eastern inspired dish because it included some of my favorite ingredients. These days it seems I never can get enough eggplant or chickpeas, and with the Middle Eastern touch, complete with tahini, I was sure that this dish was not to be missed. I made some changes based on my preferences and what I had on hand, but many thanks to Rosa for the inspiration.

The addition of tahini here adds a nuttiness that is reminiscent of peanut butter. It adds a somewhat gritty coating to the plump chickpeas, and the pepper and eggplant contribute a pleasant texture and contrast to the tangy tomato broth. Spiced up with the flavors of the Middle East and some hot peppers I grew this past summer, and with the addition of fresh mint and lemon juice, this dish is one to look forward to and easy enough to make anytime of the week. Serve with rice for a complete and balanced meal.

More Middle Eastern dishes from Lisa's Kitchen:

Mesopotamian Barley, Chickpea, Lentil, Tahini Soup

Shakshouka (Tunisian Tomato & Pepper Stew with Eggs)

Chickpeas with White and Wild Rice, Cranberries and Spices

Barley and Lentil Herbed Salad

On the top of the reading stack: The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out by Angela Liddon

Audio Accompaniment: silence

Drumstick Sambar with Seared Eggplant

When I first commenced cooking Indian food, maximum of my dishes were inspired from conventional north Indian cuisine. As I have become greater snug with spicing and my curiosity elevated, southern Indian creations soon became a passion. Sambars are a signature part of south Indian eating, commonly serving as the first path of the meal along with rice, followed up by using a brothy rasam and other veggies dishes, inclusive of poriyals. These thick soup-like creations may be made with any quantity of veggies and are generally served with rice and other accompaniments. But sambars are giant sufficient to function the principle path of a meal, mainly whilst served with rice and a few Indian flat breads.

Drumstick features in this sambar. This is best the second one time I actually have cooked with this vegetable ? The primary time it starred in a vegetable coconut sambar, however I'm already a fan. A long skinny inexperienced pod, they may be typically utilized in Indian delicacies, often featuring in sambars as they do here.

The flavor and texture of drumsticks is pretty precise. If viable, it's far quality to discover immature drumsticks as they have a tendency to be even woodier and more fibrous the older they are. As it's miles, maximum of the skin is eliminated before cooking and they are sliced into portions earlier than cooking as it's miles the gentle pulpy interior that makes the vegetable so fun to consume. They're also pretty nourishing as sources of calcium, iron, phosphorus and vitamins and used for use to treat malnutrition in Asia.

Drumsticks can be discovered at Asian and Indian grocery stores. Look for the smoothest pods you may find. If you can not find drumsticks you may use any vegetable that you have available, together with carrots, green beans, radish, asparagus or candy potato. This dish might nonetheless be scrumptious, but I might noticeably recommend the seared eggplant even though no longer using drumstick. It provides a completely unique final cute texture and contact.

You also can without problems locate prepared sambar powders at Indian grocers, however it's easy to make at home too.

Other sambar recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen to relish:

Butternut Squash Sambar

Tamarind Sambar

Black-Eyed Pea and Mung Bean Sambar

Bitter Melon (Bitter Gourd) Sambar

On the pinnacle of the analyzing stack: browsing the cabinets

Audio Accompaniment: candy silence