Hey all! I am so glad you enjoyed the Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread Recipe! I am so glad that so many of you have already tried it and enjoyed it! A big shout out to Heather for making it so quickly and creating a yummy-looking vanilla-peanut butter variation:
Also, I only have a few more spots left to fill in my Friends by Recipe Challenge. So hurry and send your recipes in so you can be included!
Now onto more colorful things….like eggplant! There really aren’t many purple vegetables out there.
Honestly, I had never really eaten or cooked an eggplant until about a month ago-when I fell in love with it! Eggplants are just so meaty, tender, and juicy. They can also be completely versatile and be cooked into many different dishes like baba ganoush, Eggplant Parmesan, or Stuffed Eggplant. It can even be used as a meat replacement!
Their vibrant purple color isn’t just for looks, though. The eggplant also holds truckloads of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. In particular, the eggplant skin has a anthocyanin phytonutrient called nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage.
It’s good for you and it tastes good! What can be better than that?
Plus they are in season right now! So get them before October ends.
I have been enjoying my eggplant stove top style:
Using a cast-iron skillet (or any other type of skillet or pan), preheat the stove to medium heat. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in the bottom of the pan. Then, slice the eggplant into slices. I probably sliced mine at about 1/4 inch thick.
Then, place the eggplant on the skillet and drizzle more olive oil over the eggplant. Sprinkle as many herbs as you want! Have fun! I used a combination of salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
Serve by itself:
Or….Create your own masterpiece by layering the grilled eggplant with grilled tomato slices:
Beautifully topped with fresh basil. Doesn’t it looks like it could be served for $20 at a fancy restaurant?
Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:
What are your favorite uses for eggplant? Or have you ever tried it? If you haven’t, I strongly suggest you pick up one of those babies at the store today!
P.S. Katie is having a Coconut Butter Giveaway! Check it out!
I like eggplant simply prepared. Grill or roast it up with olive oil, garlic, salt and top it with a fresh sprig of mint. Delicious.
Eggplant Parm isn’t too shabby either. 😉
That looks so good! I’ve only cooked eggplant a few times, but I liked it! I coated it in fiber one “breadcrumbs” and covered it in marinara sauce. It was like a faux fried eggplant Parmesan… hmm now I’m craving eggplant!
Oh yea, I’ve been thinking about doing that, too! I also thought I could top it with nutritional yeast to get a “cheesy” flavor!
I used to eat eggplant but not so much anymore, not really sure why, just try to stay away from eating a lot of nightshade veggies. But when I did eat them I enjoyed them roasted or grilled in salads 😉
Oh really? What do nightshade veggies do?
I really want to like eggplant, I do. I don’t usually mind if it’s in something, but I just can’t get pass the seeds. It’s weird. I eat a lot of small crunchy seeds, but I find that in roasted eggplant it’s very offputting. So, I guess I just don’t even bother cooking it anymore!
Yeah, my mom is the same way…doesn’t really like the gushy part of the seeds… If you get a small enough eggplant there are actually parts that don’t have seeds! Also, if you slice them up reeeally thin, it might help?? I’m not forcing you to eat eggplant or anything!! Hahaha!
I just learned it’s actually a large BERRY.
how cool is that?
I love eggplant. we grill ours and I use it as meat. in burgers or by itself or whatever. It’s great filler. Just like portabellos.
I love eggplant parm. when it’s made well…OH MY GOODNESS.
YUMMMY
A berry?? That is so cool! It makes sense, though, because they grow like berries…
I just started loving eggplant about a month ago as well! I do exactly the same thing. EVOO in the frying pan, some herbs and spices, bam! Insta-meal!
i totally thought they were pancakes on the skillet! wow they fooled me 😉 dont they look like pancakes tho, especially since u flip them on both sides too hehe. <3
Yummm…eggplant cakes….hehe…
The layered grilled eggplant & tomatoes looks delicious! Recently, I made a slightly spicy Eggplant Stew with Polenta and it was veeerry good – I’ll probably post something about it soon on my blog. I also have heard of people making eggplant “tortillas” (Oh She Glows I think it was) by slicing them thin, baking/grilling and then using them as little wraps for dips and veggies.
Oh that soup sounds sooo good 🙂 Can’t wait to see it! I’ve heard people using eggplant as bread for sandwhiches…but never wraps! Sounds good!
I have had NO success with eggplant and have given up on it LOL! When I have tried it , it was either very bitter, bland, or ‘smushy’…?
I’ve heard it should be salted beforehand? Is this true? To take away the bitterness maybe?
I actually like it a little mushy…My mom is the same as you, though-she doesn’t like it much, and prefers more crispy things. Maybe if you slice them very thinly, and soak them in salt water, you can bake them or pan “grill” them to make eggplant chips?
I have had no luck with eggplant. I’ve salted it, boiled it in salted water, baked it, fried it, but still it was bitter. I was watching Jacque Pepin once, he said that there are male and female eggplants. The males are more bumpy on the bottom and they have less seeds so they are less bitter. I thought i had chosen the male but it was still bitter. Do you have any suggestions ? Google the male and female eggplant just to check on it. That show was a long time ago. In any case, made right, eggplant is divine. I’m thinking it might be good grilled with glazed tempeh and red peppers ??
Ok…I looked it up, and they say to pick eggplants that are glossy and a deep purple, the dull eggplants are “over-mature” or more bitter. Smaller eggplants are less bitter, and eggplants with a shallow/round indentation at the bottom opposed to a deep dash are less bitter.
Hope this helps! Oh, and glazed tempeh with red peppers sounds divine!
Spoonful, nightshade plants can aggravate arthritic conditions so avoiding them may ease the pain for sufferers. Other folks get an upset stomach from something in them but a short soak in salt water neutralizes that chemical.
Anita, are you using bulbous grocery store eggplants? They seem to be universally bland, bitter, and tough. See if you can get the long skinny types… the light purple ones seem to have better flavor. Farmer’s markets often have “baby” veggies available. They tend not to be bitter and have no seeds.
My favorite way to do eggplant was explained to me by an old farmer I know. Slice them 1/4′ to 3/8″ thick, soak in buttermilk, coat in fine white cornmeal (you can add herbs to the cornmeal) then fried about 1/4″ of oil. I use a mix of whatever I have on hand…. sunflower, canola, peanut… some for flavor and some to boost the heat profile of the oil.
Oh, ok! Thanks for the tip! Good thing I don’t have arthritis! And the way you cook up your eggplant sounds sooo yummy!
thank you so much. yes, i did notice that the farm eggplants were much better. the supermarket eggplants, well, not so miuch. i will try the buttermilk. how long do you soak them for ?
Hey girl,
I answered your comment on my bloggie… but I also wanted to say that I just saw your cute cute cute recipe idea. I’d love to be included, but I don’t want to choose for you, because what if you hate the recipe I send LOL? But if you want to choose one, please do. As I said, the idea is so cute! 🙂
Love eggplant!! Look at those dishes!! Look so yum and PRETTY!!!!!! wow!
Hello! I am an avid anti-sugar advocate and love the name of your blog! I have the ultimate challenge (although it’s not so hard to make it sugar free if you use artificial sweeteners): Goodie Ring Cookies!
Barbara
Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog-I like yours, too!
Maybe I’m just naive, but I don’t know what Goodie Ring Cookies are! What are they??
i LOVE eggplant in lasagna!! mmmmmmmmm. i tried it grilled..and ew..it was like rubber..i have a piece of one in the fridge now..i’ll be making it tmro…i think i may try roasting!
Yummmm…Lasagna….
Your eggplant looks scrumptious! Certainly something that could be sold at a fancy restaurant! Probably better than a lot of dishes and fancy restaurants 🙂
I haven’t had eggplant in forever, this post is making me really want some!
that was supposed to be at* fancy restaurants
I actually preferred grilled eggplant or eggplant Parmesan the best. Eggplant is so delicious and can be added to so many different recipes to get that fiber in.