Eggplant and Veggies in an Eggplant Bowl

A month or so ago I headed to Borders one last time, sad that they were closing their doors, but excited for the price discounts that I found in there.  (Honestly, though, I would rather they stayed open... but if they were going down I decided there was no reason I couldn't enjoy the sales.)  I didn't get much, but I did find cookbook called "Simple and Fresh".  Simple and fresh, two adjectives I really really like.  I haven't had much time to look through this cookbook until this weekend as I have been so incredibly busy that past few weekends/weeks.  On Sunday I finally had the chance to prop my feet up and flip through some of the pages and I found some great stuff in there.  Here is the first recipe from this new book:

First, I started with some pretty great ingredients -

This is the epitome of fresh.  If you are anything like me, then you understand my pure delight when I have ingredients such as these.  I think it is amazing to be able to make something out of things you could have grabbed out of your garden, if you had one.  (Living in an apartment, I do not.  But someday I will, you can count on that.  The basil leaves did come from my mini-garden, though.  Love that feeling!)

I then chopped up the veggies, steamed the eggplant pulp (which I cut out of the eggplant skin leaving a 1/2 in margin so the two halves could later be used as bowls), and started cooking in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil.

You know the smell that goes through the house when onion and garlic are sauteing?  I adore that smell! 

I added the rest of the vegetables and the eggplant, cooked while stirring occasionally for 12 minutes or so, and then scooped into the eggplant shells. 

This is what I got -

So easy, and all fresh ingredients.  Comepletely dairy free and meat free.  This a vegan dish that all can enjoy (I am not vegan, and I greatly enjoyed it!).  I served it up with some pita chips with hummus and a side salad.  Sooooo gooooood.



INGREDIENTS:

• carrot, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• bell pepper, diced
• medium sized onion, diced
• eggplant with center removed and shell intact
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• olive oil
• salt
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• fresh or dried basil
• juice of one lemon
• Pita cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS:

1. Steam eggplant pulp in steamer basket
2. Use lemon juice to brush inside of eggplant shells with
3. Saute carrot, bell pepper, onion, and celery in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes
4. Add tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, basil, and eggplant to vegetables.  Cook for 10-15 minutes until thickened.  Add a bit of salt to taste.
5. Spoon into eggplant shells and serve with pita wedges (which can be baked for 5-7 minutes on 350 to make a little crispy)

COST: $3.15         PER SERVING (2): $1.58

With pita, salad, and hummus: $2.85