Spicy Eggplant & Shishitos

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons mirin

• 1 ½ tablespoons white miso

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 tablespoon sake

• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce

• ½ teaspoon ground pepper

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 4 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

• 6 shishito peppers, seeded and chopped

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

• 2 heads baby bok choy, chopped

• ½ cup unsalted raw cashews, toasted and coarsely chopped

• ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

PREPARATION:

1. Whisk mirin, miso, ginger, honey, sake, sesame oil, tamari (or soy sauce), pepper and crushed red pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil in a large flat-bottom wok or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and shishitos; cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil and eggplant; cook, stirring often, until the eggplant is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Add bok choy and the reserved miso mixture; cook, stirring frequently, until the bok choy is tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cashews, cilantro and scallions.

Eggplant Curry

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large eggplants (about 1 pound each), cut into 1-inch cubes (8 cups)

• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

• 2 cups chopped white onion

• 1 tablespoon red curry paste

• 3 medium cloves garlic, grated

• 1 (1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• 3 medium plum tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)

• 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed

• 1 (15 ounce) can light coconut milk, well shaken

• 4 cups cooked brown rice

• Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Toss eggplant, pepper, 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt on the prepared baking sheet. Roast until the eggplant is tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until just softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in curry paste, garlic and ginger; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, coconut milk and the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.

3. Stir the roasted eggplant into the curry mixture. Serve over cooked rice with cilantro and lime wedges.

Eggplant Gratin

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil, for frying

• 3/4 pound eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick

• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese

• 1 extra-large egg

• 1/4 cup half-and-half

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup marinara sauce

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

4. In each of 2 individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon 1/2 of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.

5. Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.

Eggplant & Sausage Linguine

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil cooking spray

• 1 1/4 lb eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

• 8 oz whole-wheat linguine

• 1/2 onion, chopped

• 8 oz all-natural deli-fresh turkey sausage, casing cut open and meat crumbled

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

• 1/4 cup unsweetened golden raisins

• 1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1/3 packed cup parsley, chopped

• Sea salt, to taste, optional

• 1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; add eggplant in a single layer. Coat eggplant with cooking spray and season with black pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender and lightly browned, stirring once or twice. Remove from oven and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

3. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Add onion and sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium. Stir in eggplant, raisins and capers and simmer until thickened slightly, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in vinegar and all but 1 tbsp parsley. If desired, season with salt and black pepper.

4. Return linguine to pot it was cooked in and place on low heat. Immediately add eggplant-sausage mixture and mix well. Divide among 4 bowls and top each with 2 tbsp ricotta. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tbsp parsley and serve.

Eggplant & Cherry Tomato Coconut Curry with Whole-Wheat Chapati

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 tsp brown mustard seeds

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 yellow onion, sliced

• 1 serrano chile pepper, chopped

• 1 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• 1 eggplant (about 1 1/4 lb), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 4 tsp curry powder

• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

• 1/2 cup coconut milk

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved if large

• 1/2 tsp each sea salt and ground black pepper

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

WHOLE-WHEAT CHAPATI:

• 6 tbsp whole-wheat flour, plus additional for rolling

• 6 tbsp white whole-wheat flour

• 1/4 tsp sea salt 1 tbsp safflower oil, divided

PREPARATION:

1. Prepare chapati dough: In a large bowl, combine flours and 1/4 tsp salt. Add 1 1/2 tsp safflower oil and mix with your fingers until crumbly. Slowly add 3 tbsp water, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix until dough just comes together. (NOTE: Dough will appear dry, but will come together when pressed. If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tsp water at a time, until dough comes together in a ball.) Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare curry: In a large sauté pan on medium, heat coconut oil. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and heat until seeds turn gray and begin to pop, 45 seconds. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes, until softened. Add chile pepper, gingerand garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 45 seconds.

3. To pan, add eggplant and curry powder and stir. Add broth and coconut milk. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until eggplant is just tender when pierced with a fork, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cover and simmer until tomatoes burst and are falling apart, about 6 minutes. Season with ½ tsp each salt and black pepper. Cover to keep warm.

4. Divide dough into 4 balls and cover with a damp cloth. Dust a rolling pinand work surface with flour. Flatten and roll each dough ball until very thin and about 5 inches in diameter, lifting and rotating dough to keep it from sticking to surface. Cover dough circles with a damp towel.

5. Heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle on medium high. Heat 1 chapati at a time in dry skillet until small bubbles appear on surface, about 30 seconds. Flip chapati over and brush surface with about one-quarter of remaining safflower oil. Heat until lightly puffed, about 30 seconds. Wrap chapati in foil or a towel to keep warm and repeat with remaining dough. Sprinkle cilantro over curry and serve with chapati.