I don't know what meal type you are looking to use the eggplant in (main or side dish) but I have page full of reviews from some recipes I've tried at all recipes that are great.
I like to roast eggplant as part of a combination of Italian-style vegetables. Preheat the oven to 450F. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Lightly spray a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan with non-stick spray. Add eggplant and toss to lightly coat with the spray. Roast until just starting to brown. Spread eggplant in another pan to cool (don't dump in a bowl, you don't want them to sweat too much). Spray the pan you used to cook the eggplant again and add any combination of zucchini, onion, and red and/or yellow bell pepper cut into chunks. You can also add whole peeled garlic cloves. Toss and roast as you did with the eggplant. (The reason you do them separately is that the eggplant takes a lot less time to cook than the other vegetables.) Mix all the vegetables together and season as desired: salt, pepper, herbs such as basil, parsley, etc. You can eat it like this, or you can dress. I use equal parts dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar, with a healthy pinch of sugar and a generous amount of basil.
A couple of classic eggplant dishes that come to mind are Ratatouille, Baba Ganoush, and Moussaka. You can also use eggplant in place of lasagne noodles when making lasagne.
I love eggplant but the only way I have ever had it is fried. Not a good thing to have. But I did find a couple of recipes.
Eggplant Mozzarella (Low-fat)
Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup water
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small eggplant. peeled and sliced
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large saucepan over low heat, cook green onion and mushrooms in 1/4 cup water, until tender. Add spaghetti sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 to 25 minutes.
Sprinkle salt over sliced eggplant; set aside to drain about 10 minutes. In a shallow bowl, beat egg white and water together. Dip eggplant in egg mixture, then into flour. In a large non-stick skillet, heat a few drops of oil over medium heat. Add eggplant slices and cook until browned, turning once; drain on paper towel. Continue until all slices are cooked.
In a 13 x 9-inch casserole, spread about 1/2 cup sauce. Add a layer of eggplant, top with 1/2 cup cottage cheese and more sauce. Repeat until all ingredients are used, ending with sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
My DH and I love this recipe from A New Way to Cook - great flavor, without the huge amounts of oil!
"Fried" Eggplant from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider
serves 4
2 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (typically requires more)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
optional: other spices/herbs (curry powder/garam masala or dried sage are great!)
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Peel the eggplants. Slice crosswise on a slight diagonal into ½-inch slices and discard the ends. Using a lightly dampened brush, brush each slice lightly on both sides with the oil and arrange on a large baking sheet. (Lining the sheets with parchment paper is helpful, as the eggplant can stick.) Sprinkle with the salt (and other spices/herbs if desired) and roast until the slices are tender and brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
In Advance: As a warm hors d'oeuvre or side dish, the eggplant is best eaten soon after it comes out of the oven. If using it in other dishes, however, you can bake it several days ahead and set aside at room temperature to cool, then refrigerate.
Thick slices of roasted eggplant layered with spinach, zucchini, and cheese is a fun, new way to serve this sometime forgotten vegetable! All you need are hearts of romaine and crusty bread to complete the meal.
Serving: 4
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: About 55 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon plus 3 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 small zucchini (about 6 ounces), coarsely shredded
1 bag (6 ounces) baby spinach leaves
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into paper-thin strips
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Fresh thyme leaves for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut ends from eggplant and discard. Cut eggplant crosswise into 8 rounds of equal thickness. Brush cut sides of eggplant slices with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle eggplant slices with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and place in 15 1/2- by 10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan.
2. Roast eggplant slices 20 to 25 minutes or until tender and golden, carefully turning slices over halfway through cooking.
3. Meanwhile, in nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add garlic and red pepper, and cook 30 seconds, stirring. Add zucchini and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Gradually add spinach to skillet, stirring until wilted and water evaporates, about 3 minutes; set aside.
4. In small bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until blended.
5. Remove pan with eggplant from oven. Mound spinach mixture on the 4 largest eggplant slices in pan; top with remaining eggplant slices. Mound equal amounts of cheese mixture on each eggplant stack. Return to oven; heat through, about 5 minutes (cheese will melt over side of stacks). With wide metal spatula, transfer stacks to 4 dinner plates; top with tomatoes, sprinkle with black pepper, and garnish with fresh thyme leaves.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Based on individual serving.
Calories: 230
Total Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 23 mg
Sodium: 795 mg
Carbohydrates: 17 g
Fiber: 6 g
Protein: 13 g
Last edited by phantastica; 10-15-2005 at 07:42 PM.
This sounds good,but do you have the nutritional info?Thanks
Quote:
Originally Posted by AprilN
My DH and I love this recipe from A New Way to Cook - great flavor, without the huge amounts of oil!
"Fried" Eggplant from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider
serves 4
2 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (typically requires more)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
optional: other spices/herbs (curry powder/garam masala or dried sage are great!)
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Peel the eggplants. Slice crosswise on a slight diagonal into ½-inch slices and discard the ends. Using a lightly dampened brush, brush each slice lightly on both sides with the oil and arrange on a large baking sheet. (Lining the sheets with parchment paper is helpful, as the eggplant can stick.) Sprinkle with the salt (and other spices/herbs if desired) and roast until the slices are tender and brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
In Advance: As a warm hors d'oeuvre or side dish, the eggplant is best eaten soon after it comes out of the oven. If using it in other dishes, however, you can bake it several days ahead and set aside at room temperature to cool, then refrigerate.
* 1-1/2 pounds Japanese eggplant, sliced horizontally into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices
* 4 large cloves garlic, minced
* 1 can (14.5 ounces) whole tomatoes
* 2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 450° F. Place eggplant in a large bowl. Add the garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Crush the tomatoes with your fingers and remove most of the juice. (Reserve the juice for another use.) Add the tomatoes to the eggplant and toss well to combine. Add the olive oil and toss again until eggplant is coated. Place in a large shallow baking pan, in one layer, slightly overlapping. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook evenly. Sprinkle with the cheese and return to oven for about 3 minutes. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
Note: Leftovers make a great sandwich.
I made these the other night, and they turned out delicious! They also reheated very well.
I like to roast eggplant as part of a combination of Italian-style vegetables. Preheat the oven to 450F. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Lightly spray a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan with non-stick spray. Add eggplant and toss to lightly coat with the spray. Roast until just starting to brown. Spread eggplant in another pan to cool (don't dump in a bowl, you don't want them to sweat too much). Spray the pan you used to cook the eggplant again and add any combination of zucchini, onion, and red and/or yellow bell pepper cut into chunks. You can also add whole peeled garlic cloves. Toss and roast as you did with the eggplant. (The reason you do them separately is that the eggplant takes a lot less time to cook than the other vegetables.) Mix all the vegetables together and season as desired: salt, pepper, herbs such as basil, parsley, etc. You can eat it like this, or you can dress. I use equal parts dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar, with a healthy pinch of sugar and a generous amount of basil.
I second the roasting, although I toss cubed eggplant, sliced zucc, sliced red bells, sliced onions, and sliced mushrooms all into a casserole dish at the same time, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 45 minutes at 375. I top this with a little bleu cheese or feta cheese and a few pan toasted walnuts and then drizzle with a balsamic reduction over it.
To make balsamic reduction, bring about a cup of balsamic vinegar to a boil and then simmer for about an hour, until thick. The result is a very thick syrup that is so sweet and delicious. You can store this in an airtight container in the cupboard forever.
If I have the reduction in the pantry, this dish is the easiest in the world and everyone ooohs and aaahs over it. AND my 3 kids, ages 5, 4 and 15 months LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
I also love to substitute thin slices of eggplant for the noodles in lasagne
If I have the reduction in the pantry, this dish is the easiest in the world and everyone ooohs and aaahs over it. AND my 3 kids, ages 5, 4 and 15 months LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
I also love to substitute thin slices of eggplant for the noodles in lasagne
*drools* That reduction sounds delicious! Definitely going to have to try it. How else do you use it?
The eggplant slices for noodles is an excellent suggestion.
I use the reduction on any veggie the kids poo poo. I also use it on brown rice or quinoa instead of butter. If you add currants and raisins to the brown rice or quinoa, cold, it makes a nice salad. It is nice drizzled on salmon too. I don't eat other meats, but I bet it would be delicious on chicken over rice. It is also delicious drizzled over a thin thin slice of cheese on a cracker. It is so versatile and people think you are just such a hard-working good cook, when all you did was boil and simmer some vinegar.
This was my "Dr. Weil's Recipe of the Day" email. Looks tasty.
Eggplant Dip
8 Servings
Eggplant Dip has a great texture with a tangy, vinegary, seasoned taste that is mellowed with the pita. I also like to smear the dip inside warm crepes for a different kind of presentation.
Ingredients:
1 eggplant (1 1/2-pounds)
1/2 medium onion, grated or finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 pitas
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Set the eggplant on a baking pan or dish and pierce it a few times with a knife. Bake it until it becomes soft, about 30 minutes; it should pierce easily with a fork. Remove it from the oven and let cool. When completely cooled, peel the skin off and put the flesh into a blender or food processor. Add the onions, capers, and lemon juice. Turn on the machine, then gradually add the olive oil. Continue to blend until the eggplant is smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the oregano, salt, pepper, and vinegar.
3. Warm the pitas briefly on a baking sheet, then cut each of them into 8 wedges. Arrange them on a plate or platter. Just before serving, stir the tomato and parsley into the dip.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving:
169 calories
7 g total fat (1 g sat)
0 mg cholesterol
23 g carbohydrate
4 g protein
3 g fiber
175 mg sodium