This past Saturday was a bit different. I felt the urge to live on the edge. I knew just what to do – I went to the store without a shopping list! Instead, I grabbed anything that caught my attention. It was a neat experience bc I saw items that I never would’ve noticed had I gone in with my usual list mentality (not on the list, no buy). I’m going to do this more often, as I think it will help me get out of my food rut. I am learning everyday…Change can be a good thing! Eggplants lured me with their pretty and exotic appearance. It’s been a while since I cooked with them, and even though I had no clue at the moment as to what I’d make, I couldn’t grab them fast enough. Well, it also helped that they were on sale ;). Come Monday, after staring at my unexpected purchase for quite some time, I decided to stuff them. Their potential as the perfect vessel was undeniable. After searching frantically for recipes, Michael Chiarello’s recipe inspired me. His was Italian-Style, but as I had a carton of Greek Yogurt about to expire, I decided to follow his recipe loosely and come up with my own Greek-Style version instead. Funny how one ingredient can inspire and awaken your creativity.
Greek-Inspired Stuffed Eggplant with Yogurt Dressing Serving size: 4 | Prep time: 50 min | Cooking time: 30 min Ingredients:
2 large eggplants, cut lengthwise 1 Ib. ground bison meat (or any protein source of your choice) 1 zucchini, diced 1 med onion, diced 1 bell pepper, diced 1 Tbs. garlic, minced 1/2 Tsp. cumin 1/2 Tsp. paprika 1/4 Tsp. nutmeg 1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (I used Orowheat) 1 egg 3 Tbs. EVOO Cheese *
- I used brie cheese bc that’s what I had on hand. Feta cheese would work beautifully too, I would imagine! Cucumber Yogurt Dressing recipe by Laura @ sprint2thetable Ingredients:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used Fage) Juice of 1/2 small lemon 1 Tbs. minced garlic 2 Tsp. almond flour S+P to taste 1/2 cucumber, diced (optional, but highly recommended)
Directions:
- My mom does this to a lot of vegetable side dishes. The salt will suck out excess water which will help prevent sogginess.
Tim, who doesn’t like eggplants or Greek Yogurt, gave this a 9 out of 10! Score!! This was a huge success. Thank you eggplant for enticing me at the store ;).
If you have any delicious eggplant recipes up your sleeve, do share!
