Ideas for eggplants?

AmrOnTop
AmrOnTop Posts: 52 Member
in Recipes
So I just bought around half a pound of Eggplants yesterday. I boiled one and tried it, it tasted extremely bad for me. I know it's supposed to be good for me and I'm trying to incoporate more veggies to my routine, any ideas of how to cook them in a delicious and healthy way? I don't have an oven at the moment.
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Replies

  • reginanna
    reginanna Posts: 4 Member
    I made a stir fry with them recently. First roast them without fat in a non-stick wok until they brown a bit. Then add a bit of soy sauce and water, put on the lid and steam them until soft. Put them into a dish and wipe the wok.

    Then stir fry onions, red peppers and whatever other veggies and protein you have lying around with a little bit of oil. Towards the end, add back the eggplant and season with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha or whatever other sauce you like. Another option would be thai red curry paste mixed with chicken broth, a bit of stevia and a bit of coconut cream (don't buy the low fat version - it's just regular coconut cream diluted with water. Instead buy the regular version and freeze whatever you don't use).

    You could also make a ratatouille, or use them in a tomato based sauce over pasta. Always make sure they are fully cooked and soft. They have a weird taste when they are not fully cooked. And don't pan fry them with oil, they can soak up incredible amounts of fat.
  • ChefSteveUrso
    ChefSteveUrso Posts: 84 Member
    You may want to try making “caponata”, it’s a delicious Italian sweet and sour eggplant appetizer that has capers and black olives in it. Caponata is served cold or room temp on crostini, which are toasted little slices of Italian bread that have been rubbed with a clove of raw garlic. I use whole grain, baguettes or Italian breads now for my crostini, which makes it even healthier. Caponata is perfect for dining outside on a warm summer evening. I have made an entire meal of it with a glass of Chianti on many occasions, it’s that good.



    Caponata recipe:


    6 cloves garlic chopped

    2 celery stalk diced

    1 red bell pepper diced

    1 large onion diced

    1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

    1 large eggplant diced

    1- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (fresh is better)

    1/4 cup capers

    1/2 cup black olives, preferably Kalamata

    1/2 cup fresh basil, chiffonade (thread sliced)

    2 tsp. oregano

    2 tsp. salt

    1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

    1/4 cup sugar or honey

    1/4 cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar



    Cooking instructions:




    In large pot sauté garlic, onion, celery, peppers in the olive oil



    Add everything else except eggplant and basil, and bring to simmer. Taste the liquid, it should be pretty potent: sweet, sour, a little salty. Eggplant is like a sponge and will absorb all of the flavors and mellow a little



    Once the pot is simmering, add the eggplant and stir it up. Cover and simmer on low-med heat until eggplant is cooked down, about 30 min.



    Take off heat and add fresh basil. Taste caponata, and adjust seasoning if needed (vinegar, sugar, salt)



    Let cool, and serve with crostini or crackers. If you’re feeling a little naughty drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
  • DeboraW_55
    DeboraW_55 Posts: 95 Member
    You can slice them then season with salt to bring out the bitterness, let sit for a couple hours. Rinse the salt off, cut into French fry shape dip in egg whites them in Panko bread crumbs. Place on cookie sheet bake at 370 till Crispy. Add any seasoning you like. Or slice then bread bake put spaghetti sauce on top with mozzarella cheese. I didn't have Parmesan.hope you like then.
  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
    Love caponata! Thanks for the recipe.

    I grill it with lots of other veggies. http://soupspiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com/2013/02/grilled-vegetables.html

    Moussaka is another great recipe. Here is a Moussaka soup recipe below.

    My Cajun family smothers it with onion, celery green peppers and either sausage or shrimp.

    http://soupspiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com/2014/08/recipe-review-moroccan-roasted-veggies.html

    Moussaka Soup
    http://soupspiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com/2013/01/moussaka-soup.html
    Yield: 6 servings

    Ingredients

    1 eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch dice
    1 zucchini, chopped
    1 yellow squash, chopped
    1 red bell pepper, chopped
    2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
    Olive oil cooking spray
    1 lb lean ground beef
    1 onion, chopped
    4 garlic cloves, minced
    Salt, to taste
    Black pepper, to taste
    Red pepper flakes, to taste
    1/4 tsp ground allspice
    1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
    1/8 tsp ground cloves
    1/2 tsp oregano
    1 tsp basil
    1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
    1 medium potato, chopped
    4 cups beef broth
    1 Tbsp brown sugar

    Topping:
    1 Tbsp light butter
    1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
    1 cup skim milk
    2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese(plus more for garnish)
    1/4 tsp salt
    1/16 tsp nutmeg

    Preparation

    Preheat oven to 425º. In a large bowl combine the eggplant, zucchini, squash, red bell pepper and olive oil. Toss to coat vegetables with oil. Transfer to a large baking pan coated with cooking spray. Season with salt, black pepper and a little red pepper flake. Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Bellodesiderare
    Bellodesiderare Posts: 278 Member
    http://groceryshrink.com/2012/01/italian-eggplant-bake-revised.html

    Italian Eggplant Bake!! This is a regular thing at my house. I substitute ground beef for ground turkey, but otherwise follow the recipe. It's easy and super delish :)
  • S_Murphree
    S_Murphree Posts: 94
    Eggplant Parm

    Slice, salt and let sit for about an hour. Rinse and dry. Sprinkle with Mrs Dash seasoning and spray with nonstick spray (or olive oil). Roast in oven (appx 400 degrees) until tender. Top with marinara and cheese. Yum!
  • whovian67
    whovian67 Posts: 608 Member
    Had roasted indian eggplant with garlic and rosemary today for lunch.. yummm.
  • myrtille87
    myrtille87 Posts: 122 Member
    I second ratatouille, caponata and melanzane parmigiana.

    I don't have a recipe for ratatouille, but basically chop aubergine (eggplant), courgette (zucchini) and peppers, then fry in a little olive oil, add garlic and herbs, put the lid on for a bit to help them cook, add chopped tomatoes (2 tins) and leave to simmer.

    For caponata I use this recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/incredible-sicilian-aubergine-stew-caponata

    For the parmigiana I use this one, but use light mozzarella and whatever dried herbs I happen to have instead of fresh thyme and sage. I also tend to omit the pine nuts as they're expensive. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3091674/melanzane-parmigiana

    I also like them in thai curries - they melt nicely into the sauce.

    Spanish "berenjenas fritas" (aubergine chips) are amazing but not really a healthy option - cut into half-moons or chip shapes, soak for 10 mins in beer or soda water, then dip in flour and deep fry. Season with salt then add a drizzle of honey. So good.

    An easy lunch/snack is to slice aubergine quite thinly, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then grill. Top with hummus and feta then grill a bit more.

    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/layered-aubergine-lentil-bake I made this once and it was OK - nothing special, but OK as a healthy option.
  • IzzyBooNZ1
    IzzyBooNZ1 Posts: 1,289 Member
    bump, always wanted to try eggplant !!
  • roenutrition
    roenutrition Posts: 26 Member
    As above: Slice, season, place a bit of olive oil on an oven pan, and roast. Add homemade sauce and mozzarella after you take it out of the oven and the eggplant is delicious. Sorry went back to your OP, no oven. So save this recipe for future.
  • vforvanilla
    vforvanilla Posts: 20 Member
    I love them stir fried in sesame oil. The nutty flavor counteracts the bitterness nicely.

    Eggplant also tastes great in a soup curry or pickled like this: http://www.yale.edu/macmillan/pier/resources/lessons/tsukemono.htm
  • thin4me59
    thin4me59 Posts: 73
    bump caponata - yum!
  • OriginalKatie
    OriginalKatie Posts: 119 Member
    Make lasagne, but use slices of eggplant instead of pasta sheets. Healthy :)
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
    Babaganoush is my favorite eggplant dish. It's delicious.
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
    I think boiling it was your big mistake LOL.

    My easy go-to for eggplants is to roast them (or sometimes I steam them -- it's quicker) to partially cooked. Then I scoop out the flesh (leaving enough flesh in the shell so it'll hold up to re-stuffing) and mix that with sauteed onions and garlic, and stuff all that back into the shell. Then I bake it for about 15 minutes or so. Sometimes I add cheese. Yum.

    End of summer dish: dice the eggplant (about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch pieces), toss with similar sized zucchini, onion, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes with a bit of oil, orange zest + juice from the orange (or thinly sliced, whole thin-skinned oranges, if you can get them!), and herbs de provence. Bake in a covered dish at maybe 375 to 400 for about 45 minutes. Then spoon that over chicken or fish.

    I also do a braise with chopped eggplants, a can of low-salt diced tomatoes, a can of chickpeas, and middle-eastern herbs and spices.
  • lucasmoten
    lucasmoten Posts: 143 Member
    So I just bought around half a pound of Eggplants yesterday. I boiled one and tried it, it tasted extremely bad for me.

    I'm curious why you would boil an eggplant?

    Anyways.. without an oven.. do you have at least a toaster oven? I like eggplants sliced up, salted and roasted. Either slice into circles or cut long like steak fries.
  • blpope
    blpope Posts: 163
    Bump - I've been wanting to try eggplant :)
  • Bradykirk
    Bradykirk Posts: 12 Member
    I am not a big eggplant fan but keep getting them from our CSA, so I have had to get creative! I also don't like that eggplant tends to absorb all the oil/fat that you cook it in.
    I have eleven roasting it in the oven then scooping out the soft insides and adding it to chili and casserole dishes. Helps to bulk up the dish using a healthy low cal veggie. Makes me feel good about the dish and by not wasting my CSA share item!
  • Kontxesi
    Kontxesi Posts: 86 Member
    You can slice them then season with salt to bring out the bitterness, let sit for a couple hours. Rinse the salt off, cut into French fry shape dip in egg whites them in Panko bread crumbs. Place on cookie sheet bake at 370 till Crispy. Add any seasoning you like. Or slice then bread bake put spaghetti sauce on top with mozzarella cheese. I didn't have Parmesan.hope you like then.

    That was my dinner last night. :)

    http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/09/crispy-baked-eggplant-fries-with.html

    Breading all of those little fries was kind of a pain, though. And maybe my eggplant is bigger than what the author considers medium, but I didn't have nearly enough breading. I used the leftover eggplant in a stir-fry with onions and peppers, which I brought for lunch today.

    Someone else also mentioned eggplant parmesan, which I love. I use this recipe:

    http://www.marthastewart.com/313564/baked-eggplant-parmesan

    And then add sliced tomato and basil in there, if I have them on hand. The key is to use marinara with a good flavor. Bland marinara = bland eggplant parm.
  • Patrick0321
    Patrick0321 Posts: 102 Member
    I had this last night
    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10033/aubergine-tomato-and-parmesan-bake-melanzane-alla-

    We added minced beef so it became more like an aubergine (eggplant) lasagne
  • Maryam2014mfp
    Maryam2014mfp Posts: 174
    Make lasagne, but use slices of eggplant instead of pasta sheets. Healthy :)

    This. My aunt makes it and it is delicious.
  • KatieKansan
    KatieKansan Posts: 61 Member
    oh my gosh Eggplant Parmesan is the best!!
  • luisabaeta
    luisabaeta Posts: 30 Member
    I do a sort of modified version of eggplant parmiggiana (it's sort of like a lasagna). It's very filling, very tasty and low-cal (it takes a little while to make, perhaps over an hour, but if you make enough you can put it in the fridge and reheat it in the microwave, it lasts several days).

    Cut the eggplant (vertically, so you get longer slices rather than the round ones, if that makes sense).
    In italy, they fry the slices in oil and sometimes breadcrumbs and stuff, but I don't: i just grill the slices without any oil.
    Then you just layer it up in a dish that can go in the oven and the fridge: one layer eggplant slices, one layer of tomato sauce (if it's a very bland tomato sauce, add some salt and herbs along with it), sprinkle with some low-cal cheese (i use light mozzarella), then back to eggplant. You keep layering it up until you run out of eggplant slices. Cover with one last layer of tomato sauce, cover with parmesan cheese, or breadcrumbs, pop it in the oven until it looks and smells yummy (the eggplant has been pre-grilled, it should already be cooked. Otherwise this takes forever in the oven).
  • jfeakins
    jfeakins Posts: 30 Member
    You can slice them then season with salt to bring out the bitterness, let sit for a couple hours.

    THIS! You have to let them sweat out the bitterness with some salt before you do anything else with them. Don't forget to rinse & pat dry.

    I like to use them in an a lasagne in place of noodles. Slice them thin (1/2 to 1/4" thick) and layer them with crushed tomatoes, sautéed shallots, low-fat cheese, fresh basil... lots of italian herbs are great! I have a great recipe on my blog you can try, but it also has light cream in it. Not exactly low-fat... :)

    http://bigcitylittleblog.com/the-worlds-best-eggplant-recipe/
  • forgivensins
    forgivensins Posts: 90 Member
    I curry it with potatoes or chick peas (or hummus) and eat it with naan or pita bread (my other version involves just cubing it and tossing it into a chicken curry dish and having it with rice). I also wrap the whole thing in foil and let it roast on the stove top then open it up when it gets soft, use a fork to get out the insides (throw away that roasty skin), add salt, pepper, garlic and onion and eat it as a mash.
  • harley0269
    harley0269 Posts: 384 Member
    bump
  • Empty_Calories
    Empty_Calories Posts: 81 Member
    Jumping in for the recipes.

    I only cook eggplant on the grill. Slice it up then olive oil, salt, pepper.
  • tiuaussie
    tiuaussie Posts: 2 Member
    Eggplant Lasagne or Eggplant Pizza :)
  • lizzylovestocook
    lizzylovestocook Posts: 30 Member
    I would make mini pizzas with them . Slice the eggplant across to make rounds about 1/2 inch thick or a little less . Sprinkle with salt and lay on a paper towel for 15 min or so then pat dry . Brush with some olive oil and bake on a greased cookie sheet for about 20 -25 min @ 350 . Now top with your favorite pizza sauce , pepperoni, onions etc and cheese . Broil for 5-6 minutes . Delicious !
  • ghnewport
    ghnewport Posts: 8 Member
    I prefer my eggplant in a compost bin :glasses:

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