We all need a food hug sometimes. Myself especially. Even as the days get warmer (which they are not? How is this supposed to be May?) I really love a good warm bowl of something or other up until it gets so hot that I can hardly stand it. Also, wait pause: May means summer, which means SUMMER is almost here! Cue the mojitos. Cue the ice cream for dinner days. Cue the skipping of work to go to the pool instead. But not all at once. Actually yes, all at once. So the menu, yes let us talk about food. I mean, this should not come as a total surprise to you as I literally spew off about food every second I get. My friends and I recently had a fight about which was better: cake or pie. Usually, I will eat whatever sweet treat is thrown at my face. But I guess if I had to choose, it would most definitely be pie. Especially if that pie was key lime. Or had a graham cracker crust. Or actually anything that is not pecan pie. I know. I am SUCH a bad southerner. My friends, meanwhile, tried to convince me that cake is the superior option. I feel though, with cake, it is so common to have mediocre cake. Either the frosting is good or the cake is good. Plus, if I am going to have a cake, it BETTER be topped with ganache. Cause what goes better with chocolate than more chocolate? Sorry let's actually backtrack to more relevant things! So this eggplant. I know eggplant is a very polarizing vegetable. I personally have always been blessed that my parents know how to reign in this sucker, but I know how disgusting it can be, if not cooked correctly. Have you ever had raw eggplant? Not fun. Here, I have done this baby justice. Roasted until the insides are soft, I stuff it with falafel. Well not really. It is solely out of pure laziness that I do everything I normally do to MAKE falafel short of rolling it into balls. SO MANY TIMES I have tried to bake falafel and the patties fall apart. Luckily, with this, I would never have that problem. Yes laziness for the win! This comes together super fast, especially if you make the falafel mixture WHILE the eggplant is roasting. Talk about double teaming! Feel free to (of course!) top this bad boy with whatever you want! Hummus is good. Sprouts are good. Oh oh, maybe some feta cheese? And don't even get me started on tomatoes once those babies come in. You'll thank me later. Falafel Stuffed Eggplantserves 2
stuff: falafel stuffing
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush oil on eggplant halves and season with salt and pepper. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or under the halves become soft and slightly collapse. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add all of the falafel stuffing ingredients (except for a few of the chickpeas!) to a food processor. (If you do not have a food processor, you can mash the mixture by hand. Just make sure to chop the onion and garlic finely!) Pulse until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add mixture and reserved chickpeas to the pan, shaking it so it is evenly distributed. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and browned. Mix hummus with lemon juice. Thin with water as necessary. Once the eggplants have cooled, scoop out the pulpy seeds. You can eat this on the side or mix it into the chickpea mixture. Fill the eggplant halves with the chickpea mixture. Top with hummus sauce, arugula, tomatoes, or whatever else you like. EAT. The one time laziness won out!
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