Warming up on a Cold Spring Day

It's been one of those days – some good things, some not so good things – all I can say is it's over – and as my friend Irene says "Onward and upward."

I know that talking about the weather is one of those boring topics but it's been nasty and rainy here all week; I keep looking out the window to see if Noah has parked his ark in the driveway and is waiting for me to board. I mean seriously my squash plants (which I started from seed in late March) are flowering but it's too cold to put them in the ground.

All I can say is cold weather calls for warm food and I've been waiting for a day exactly like today to make some Moroccan eggplant; onions, eggplant, carrots and tomatoes with cumin, cayenne and chili pepper the house smells wonderful.  

Let's get started:

Moroccan Eggplant

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion – finely diced

4 cloves garlic – peeled and crushed

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne

¼ tsp ground chili

3 T tomato paste

2 large eggplant – chopped into small cubes

2 – 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 cup vegetable broth

2 cans beans – I used 1 white kidney and one great northern (which was what I had) but you can use chickpeas too

Heat 1 T olive oil in pan and add diced onion and garlic, sauté for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add spices and stir to combine. Add all other ingredients (except beans) and sauté 15 – 20 minutes until the eggplant is cooked through. Add beans and cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve with brown rice, couscous, quinoa or your favorite grain. 

We served it with a fruit salad of strawberries, grapes, mango and bananas.

Enjoy!