Eggplant in Garlic Sauce

The secret to getting perfect Chinese style eggplant involves two things

1. You have to prepare the eggplant properly before cooking in order to get the right texture
2. You need to make a sauce that is flavorful

We didn’t have a great year for eggplant but we did enough for a batch of our favorite eggplant in garlic sauce. Like tomatoes and peppers, eggplant likes warm weather and we’ve had our share of that but I don’t think the garden gives it enough sunlight. Come to think of it the peppers aren’t amazing this year either. I guess we either find a sunnier spot or find something else to plant.

I was prepping the eggplant when I got a text from Dan’s sister - they were getting new tires on their car and wanted to stop by our house and wait until it was done so I invited them to come over and have dinner with us. 

I pulled out some of the zucchini fritters I made/froze a couple weeks ago and preheated the oven for baking, chopped up some melon, and threw together a cheese board. Dan made Moscow mules and we enjoyed a spontaneous socially distanced dinner with family

There are pictures of the eggplant and fritters but we forgot to take photos of the appetizers - maybe next time. 

Eggplant is one of Dan's favorite foods and we've gotten this dish from a local place but wanted to try making our own. There is always room for improvement but I was pleased with how this turned out. 

Ingredients: 

Eggplant

5 small Chinese long eggplant, chopped to bite-size pieces 

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce (*see footnote 3)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Stir-fry

2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Instructions: 

Place the eggplant in a large bowl and add water to cover. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, mix well.

Place a pot lid on top to keep the eggplant underwater for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry

After the eggplant is completely dry, sprinkle cornstarch over it and mix by hand, until the eggplant is evenly coated with a thin layer of cornstarch. This creates a crispy and nicely charred eggplant on the stovetop in 10 minutes. 

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, mix well and set aside

Add 2 tablespoons oil to a big nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Spread eggplant across the bottom of the skillet without overlapping. Cook the eggplant one side at a time until all the surfaces are charred and the eggplant turns soft, 8 to 10 minutes in total. Transfer the eggplants to a plate. If the skillet gets too hot and starts to smoke, turn to medium heat.

Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil, the ginger, and garlic into the same skillet. Stir a few times until fragrant. Add all the eggplant back into the skillet. Mix the sauce again until cornstarch is fully dissolved and pour it over the eggplant. Immediately stir a few times, until the eggplant is evenly coated and the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a big plate.

Serve hot as a side or as main over steamed rice or noodles.

Cucumber Libations

It’s another beautiful weekend in MN and we’ve been enjoying the outdoors as much as we can. Friday night we had a social distance happy hour with our friends Gerd and Maria and their dogs Keeper and Lilo. They have a lovely deck that overlooks the lake and we had a nice cool breeze before the clouds rolled in. We were lucky, we had a 2-hour visit before the rain decided to join us. 

Gerd has been experimenting with cocktails doing this pandemic - social distancing - stay outdoors, time. His new concoction - vodka poured over cucumbers and infused for 3 to 4 days, then mixed with club soda and a little basil for color. I really liked it and he and Dan added a little seven up for sweetness but I didn’t think it was needed. 

Our cucumbers continue to produce at a pretty good pace so I thought why not a cucumber lemonade right. In the afternoon we had it sans alcohol but then happy hour showed up and well we added a shot of vodka - it was really good. 

Ingredients:

4 lemons - peeled and seeded plus 1 additional lemon for garnish 

1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded - save additional cucumber slices for garnish 

5 sprigs of mint - leaves only 

1/3 cup agave 

6 cups water. 

Instructions:

Place peeled lemons, cucumbers, agave and mint in a high-speed blender, begin at a low speed, and then increase it until fully blended. If you use a Vitamix you can simply pour the mixture into a pitcher and add the water. If you do not use a Vitamix you will want to strain the mixture before adding the water. 

Server in a tall glass with ice, sliced cucumbers and lemons, and a little mint - it’s delicious and refreshing. For happy hour, add one shot of vodka. 

Summer Harvest Galette

Another beautiful week in St Louis Park and to add to the fun we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on the 6th of August. We skipped the in-restaurant dining and opted for takeout from our favorite Asian restaurant - we ordered green beans, spicy tofu, and garlic eggplant - we might have ordered a little extra - ok a lot - we had leftovers for 2 nights. And I baked a carrot cake! - I know right.

They say that people begin to look and act alike the longer they are together - do they also choose the same kind of greeting cards - must be true! For a long time, I collected all things flamingo but now that the house is full I’ve stopped - I’ve even gotten rid of some of the lesser loved items. They did go to good homes though. 

While we were celebrating the garden was doing its own thing - sometimes I can’t bring myself to go out there because I know there will be more cucumbers and zucchini - so much zucchini and all of it from a single plant.

On Friday I pulled out the basil and spent the morning making pesto and since I was on a cooking spree I shredded up one very large zucchini, some carrots, and onions and made 4 batches of fritters, which are now in the freezer. 

All this cooking one would think I have things under control - no so much. Today after our walk we decided to check out the garden before the rain came and came in with 2 more cucumbers, tomatoes, the last of the green beans, and greens. I guess I should be grateful it keeps me from having to go to the grocery store - so that’s good. 

In an effort to use up some of that wonderful produce I made a batch of marinated cucumbers and a Summer Vegetable Galette. 

Ingredients:

1 large onion - thinly sliced 

1 T olive oil

2 - 3 kinds of tomatoes - multiple colors add a nice look 

15 thin slices of zucchini 

1 ear of corn 

4 ounces goat cheese 

1 small thinly sliced potato 

fresh basil 

fresh rosemary

salt & pepper to taste

1 recipe pie crust. 

Instructions:

In a small pan, saute olive oil and onions until onions begin to caramelize. Make the pie crust and place it on a large baking sheet. Preheat oven to 375. 

Thinly slice potato and zucchini. Slice tomatoes and cut the kernels from 1 cob of corn. Chiffonade the basil and remove the rosemary from the stems and chop. 

Assemble the galette - begin with 1/2 of the goat cheese - break it up into small pieces and put it on the crust making sure you leave 1.5 inches of dough untouched. Add the layer of zucchini and thinly sliced potatoes. Add the caramelized onions, top with tomatoes, corn, and add the remainder of the goat cheese. Sprinkle the herbs, add salt and pepper to taste. 

Bake in the oven for 45 - 50 minutes - until crust is browned. Slice and serve with salad and marinated cucumbers. 

And for you crazy Pinterest people - stop with the Halloween decorations and pumpkin spice - I’m not ready!

Thanks for stopping by. 

Savory Summer Harvest

We just returned from a week at the lake with Dan’s family. This year was different, we stayed in our bubbles (each family was in a separate cabin), did our own meals, and hung out in a socially distanced way (6 feet apart). 

The weather was beautiful, I read 5 books, sat on the beach, floated in the lake, biked, walked and played a new board game with Mary, Matthew, Dan, and Alona - On Tour - it was fun. Mary and Matthew made delicious buffalo cauliflower tacos one night - I could have eaten an entire head of cauliflower on my own. Lucky for me she gave me the recipe and I just happen to have a head of cauliflower in the fridge so there will definitely be that in my future. 

We came home to a garden that needed our attention. I picked 3 large zucchini (in addition to the one in the fridge), cucumbers, beets, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, and a few tomatoes. The butternut squash, acorn squash, and cabbage on doing their thing, and it will again be a bountiful year. 

The potatoes will be ready to pick in the next week or so and the garlic is just about ready. Thank goodness for friends and neighbors who are willing to help us with the bounty - we appreciate you!

Last night I shredded up one of the zucchini, added some carrots and herbs, and made fritters. They were delicious. We severed them up with some shrimp and a big green salad with veggies and herbs from the garden. 

Zucchini & Carrot fritters 

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini shredded  

2 medium carrots shredded 

1/4 cup basil 

1/4 cup oregano 

2 cloves garlic 

1 tbsp lemon zest

2 eggs 

1/4 cup gluten-free flour

1/4 tsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate zucchini, and carrots. Place zucchini in a colander set in the sink and toss with 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let stand 10 minutes, and then wring zucchini dry in a clean kitchen towel to remove moisture. Place zucchini in a large bowl and gently mix in egg, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon zest, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine. Slowly add flour, stirring so no lumps form.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until the oil sizzles when you drop a small amount of zucchini mixture into the pan. Carefully drop about 1/4 cup zucchini mixture into pan; repeat, spacing fritters a few inches apart. 

Transfer fritters to a plate; set aside in a warm place. Cook the remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil to the pan if necessary.

Cook fritters until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium. Turn fritters, and continue cooking until golden, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Tonight I headed back to the garden to pick the last of the lettuce and the first tomatoes and we had tomato and mayo sandwiches with corn on the cob and you guessed it another salad with greens, veggies, and herbs from the garden - the salad thing is definitely a regular thing at our house these days. 

Thursday will mark our 15th wedding anniversary - we’re planning to not cook (sinful right) and order from our favorite Asian restaurant there will be garlic eggplant, spicy tofu, green beans, and my all-time favorite pan-fried veggie potstickers - I can’t wait. 

Thanks for stopping by!

So Much Zucchini

How much zucchini does one plant yield - well let me tell you - a lot, a f’ing lot. I’ve not had amazing luck with zucchini in the past, which if you know anything about it you know it can grow in a crack on the sidewalk so having issues with it can only be interpreted by my incompetence. 

This year I found an article that gave some great suggestions for keeping zucchini in a confined space - so I decided to give it a shot and well I guess that was the ticket. We’ve had zucchini every night for the past week, today I am baking a loaf of double chocolate zucchini bread, tomorrow morning glory muffins and tonight lemon artichoke pasta with you guessed it zucchini.

We’ve also been enjoying greens, cucumbers, kale, swiss chard, green beans, sugar snap peas and so far 2 tomatoes. On the horizon; eggplant, peppers, more tomatoes, beets, cabbage, and squash. My only disappointment this year - the spinach - a few leaves but nothing to write home about. 

My favorite way to make zucchini is to simply grill it with a little olive oil and spices of course no meal would be complete at our house without onions so they seem to come pairs. While not vegetarian we did grill a nice piece of salmon to go with our zucchini and onions and added a green salad to round it out. Dan says the salmon is in the shape of the state of Minnesota - I’ll let you be the judge of that!

It’s still in the oven - photos to come soon!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon optional

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease loaf pan(s). Squeeze excess moisture from zucchini.

In mixing bowl, combine oil, sugars, and vanilla. Mix in eggs and zucchini.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

A Turkish Delight

I hope you are all well - we’ve been getting out a bit more; we had a socially distanced dinner with Dan’s daughters this week and my neighbor and I sat out on the deck the other night chatting and catching up. So far so good.

We’re still not ready to head to a restaurant at least indoor but we have been frequenting walks at the Arboretum and around the neighborhood. It’s all good - well as good as it can be under the circumstances. 

On the flip side, we have a lot of time to work in the yard - it looks good and the garden is going strong. I picked my first herbs and lettuce/spinach this week and the green beans are flowering so it shouldn’t be too long. Tomatoes have some green fruit, squash, zucchini, and cucumbers are all flowering. I still need to thin my beets but other than that things are growing!

Imam Bayildi - a pan-fried eggplant casserole is a Turkish dish. It’s baked with tomatoes, garlic, and herbs and served room temperature in a lasagna-like slab. It’s a perfect vegetarian dish and easy to make ahead of time, as the flavors get better with age. 

After checking the weather this morning I decided to make dinner before noon and let the flavors meld - didn’t hurt to keep the kitchen cooler either. Normally the dish does not contain zucchini but I had one that needed to be used up and zucchini and eggplant go so well together that I took the chance - it did not disappoint. One slice of this might make you forget about lasagna or eggplant parmesan. 

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplant thinly sliced 1/4 inch thick lengthwise

1 medium zucchini

Sea salt

Olive oil

2 small yellow onions, diced

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Dash of cinnamon

One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly salt the eggplant slices and allow to stand for 20 minutes. Pat the slices dry and set aside.

Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet. Pan-fry the eggplant in batches over medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add more oil as necessary between batches so the eggplant doesn't burn, but try not to have too heavy a hand - less is more and the pan just needs to be greased. Remove the eggplant to a plate.

Add the onion and zucchini to the skillet and saute over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and cinnamon. Cook for one minute more, until fragrant. Carefully pour in the tomatoes and simmer until thickened slightly, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half the parsley.

Add 1/4 cup of sauce to the bottom of an 8x8 or casserole dish. Arrange one layer of eggplant evenly in the bottom of the skillet or dish. Slather with a layer of sauce, and repeat with the remaining eggplant and sauce - like you would a lasagna.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft and the sauce has reduced. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting into it. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Thanks for stopping by!

A High Protein Salad and Bread Art

Hello hello, I hope everyone is doing well and keeping sane. The restrictions in Minnesota have eased up a bit and we had our first socially distanced dinner with Dan’s sister and brother-in-law. We've been walking at the MN Landscape Arboretum when we can get registered and I even got to connect with the person I’ve spent 2 years volunteering for last Friday - it was wonderful to catch up. 

I lost 20 pounds last week when I connected with my stylist Shane for a cut and color and I feel fabulous. Thanks, Shane for always making me a vision. I thought I was ready to stop coloring my hair but after she colored it I realized I am totally not there yet. As my friend Sharri says, 75 is a good age to stop coloring your hair - so I’m going with that. 

I’m still working part-time and loving the free Fridays. My veggie garden is thriving and our lawn and flower gardens have never looked better. 

I’ve been experimenting with bread baking - not the long and involved kind but the no-knead kind and most recently Bread Art. I’m not sure where I first encountered it - maybe Reddit or Pinterest but holy shit there are some super talented bread artists out there. Honestly, I could spend days just perusing the photos - and yes I have. 

Now that summer has arrived in full force, I’ve been looking for recipes that use the fresh fruits and veggies of season - especially those that are growing in the garden. I’ve been harvesting parsley, basil, cilantro, and kale and very soon green beans other early crops. 

I found a delicious grain salad recipe that called for pretty much everything I had in my refrigerator and freezer and I took the bread art challenge - I’d love to hear what you think. 

Summer Grain Salad 

For the salad:

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

1.5 cups cooked barley

1 can black beans - rinsed and drained

3 radishes, diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup diced cucumber

3/4 cup diced yellow bell pepper

1 handful kale - finely chopped

1 cup frozen corn - thawed

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup crumbled feta

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus extra for serving

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped chives

salt and pepper

For the vinaigrette

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions 

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Place your cooked grains and black beans in a large bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

Add radishes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, corn, and red onion to the grains, along with a couple big pinches of salt and freshly cracked black pepper and stir to combine. Add the feta and the vinaigrette and stir to combine. Add the fresh herbs and stir once more. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve with extra basil leaves.

Bread Art Focaccia

Ingredients

2 tsp (one packet or 1/4 ounce) dry yeast, make sure it's fresh!

2 cups warm water, (105-110F)

2 tsp table salt

2 cups white flour

2 cups whole wheat flour extra virgin olive oil, about 1/4 cup plus extra for oiling the bowl 

Instructions

Mix the yeast and the warm water in a large bowl. Stir in the salt and 2 cups of the flour and mix into a soft sticky dough.

Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and mix well, the dough will still be somewhat sticky and shaggy.

Oil a clean bowl and transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. Cover with plastic and let sit in a warm spot for 40 minutes.  Set the oven to 425F.

Turn the risen dough out onto an oiled baking sheet. Press it out gently with floured fingers into a rectangle, about 10x15, approximately.

Using your fingers, dip them into the olive oil and then make little dimples all over the dough. The oil will pool in the little indentations. Don't skimp here, that oil will flavor the dough and give it great texture as it bakes, too.

Decorate dough with onions, garlic, olives, cherry tomatoes and herbs. Bake for about 20-22 minutes, until the bread is just golden. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through if the bread is baking unevenly.

Enjoy!