Creamy Ricotta and Caramelized Eggplant Rotini

Today, I went to a “Cheese Crawl” organized by DiBruno’s to celebrate their 75th anniversary. It involved walking across Philadelphia to stop at each of their location for free samples of cheese, chocolate, and drinks among others. Surprisingly, the pouring rain didn’t stop this event from being a huge success.

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Veggie Fried Rice with Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper

I’ll call this recipe “fried rice with a subtle Mediterranean twist”! And I’ll explain to you the reasons why further down, after I profess my love for fried rice one more time. Though I’ve already talked to you about this burning passion of mine in a previous post, I’ll just add a few reasons to the list:

Veggie Soba Stir Fry

Hi friends! Apologies for last week’s silence. As I previously mentioned, midterms season is here and I’ve had papers, exams, problem sets and group projects in every single one of my classes… kind of overwhelming if you ask me! But now that I finally have some free time, I wanted to share this veggie stir fry recipe with you all!

Chilled Tomato-Yogurt Soup in a Baked Eggplant Bowl

Today, I decided to play around with textures! I wanted that to drive my dish and to come up with something that would be fun and original to eat. So I sat down at my desk with pen and paper and something pretty amazing came out of it. Though I usually focus on the mix of flavors in a plate, blending textures can also add great depth to a dish.

Baked Eggplant stuffed with Couscous

Lately, eggplant’s been at the top of my vegetables crush list. Seriously though. I don’t know why I love it so much, but I can eat it three times a day. Ok, maybe not for breakfast. But definitely for lunch and dinner. I use it in sauces, stews, dips or even just on its own, and I never get tired of it. This time though, I chose to stuff it with a delicious couscous mixture. It turned out to be an ideal dish for dinner. Stuffed vegetables appeal to me because they can be transformed in many ways. The combinations of grains, meat or stuffing with their tender roasted flesh always make for satisfying and diverse meals. Here, the paired eggplant and couscous offer you plenty of good nutrients in a tasty fashion. Bon appétit!

Recipe inspired by Dishing up the Dirt

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Prep time: 40 min 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 eggplant
• 1/4 yellow onion (diced)
• 1/3 cup couscous
• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes (chopped finely)
• 1/4 cup zucchini (chopped very finely)
• crumbled feta cheese (optional)
• chopped parsley (optional)
• olive oil

Spicy lemon-yogurt sauce:

• 1 tbsp lemon juice and zest
• 3 tbsp yogurt
• 2 tbsp water
• drizzle of sriracha
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scoop (and save) the seeds out of your eggplant half, leaving about a 1/2in border, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast flesh-down for about 30 minutes.
2. As the eggplant roasts, make the lemon-yogurt sauce by mixing the lemon juice and zest with yogurt, water, salt, pepper and a splash of sriracha.
3. To cook the couscous, bring 1/3 cup water with 3/4 tbsp of butter to a boil. Cut the heat and add the dried couscous, stir well, and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then fluff it up with a fork (timing instructions may vary depending on the type of grain).
4. Meanwhile, sauté the onions with olive oil, on high heat, in a small pot for about 5 minutes. Add a splash of water and let it evaporate to further soften the onions. Add the chopped cherry tomatoes and diced zucchini, and cook for about 5 more minutes on medium heat.
5. Once the couscous is ready, add it to the pot and stir well so that all the ingredients are well incorporated. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and crumbled feta and adjust the seasoning.
6. Once the eggplant is fully roasted, scoop the couscous mixture in it. Drizzle with the spicy lemon-yogurt sauce and eat with a spoon!

TIP: you can substitute lentils or quinoa for the couscous if you don’t have any on hand.