Grilled Eggplant with Cumin Vinaigrette and Feta

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/09/grilled-eggplant-recipe-with-garlic.html


Adapted from http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/09/grilled-eggplant-recipe-with-garlic.html

I had a crazy salad cook off on Friday night and this is one of the three salads I made. 

It was soooooo good. I love eggplant and having it grilled with that cumin garlic vinaigrette and cilantro just made me gush. I dreamed of eating it again as soon as possible and thought it would be good stuffed in a sandwich .  I ended up grilling a few red peppers too with the eggplant. I peeled off the burnt parts and sliced it adding it this symphony of goodness.

You will need:

1 large eggplant, cut in uniform slices 3/4 inch thick
olive oil, for brushing on eggplant
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (or mint or both)
1/4 cup crumbled feta

For vinaigrette:
1/2 tsp. garlic puree or finely minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T shallots or red onion, finely minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
3 T extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high.

Put all ingredients in a bowl and whisk in olive oil.

Brush eggplant with olive oil on both sides. For criss-cross grill marks, grill 4-5 minutes on first side, then rotate and cook 3-4 minutes more. Turn and cook about 7-8 minutes more on second side. I cooked my eggplant pieces just under 15 minutes total cooking time. Actual cooking time will depend on how hot your grill is and the temperature and thickness of the eggplant. Watch it carefully the last five minutes of cooking time and rotate pieces so they are evenly browned.

To serve, arrange grilled eggplant slices on serving platter, drizzle vinaigrette over, then top with crumbled feta and herbs.

Inspirational Meatless Mexican

When my husband and I visited San Francisco we went to a funky Mexican restaurant and for less than $20 were able to stuff our faces with tasty food.  Ok, so my husbands dish here has meat in it but imagine something meatless in place.  This is a nice array of flavors and may inspire a dish to make one evening.

Warm Thai Tofu Puff Salad

I saw some puffed tofu at the grocery store and picked some up not knowing what I would do with it.  I wanted to make a salad and looked online for some inspiration and here is what I found. The dressing is very versatile and can be used with many different ingredients. I love the lime and soy combination.

From -  http://veganforeveryone.com/recipes/tofu-puff-salad/

Salad

• 1 packet of tofu puffs
• 1 tablespoon of uncooked rice
• 1 cup of chopped coriander leaf (cilantro)
• 1 spring onion finely chopped  (optional)
• Salad stuff like coarsly grated carrot, cucumber, paw paw, finely chopped lettuce, baby spinach and bean sprouts.

Dressing

• 2 cloves of garlic ( 1 clove is enough)
• 2 teaspoons of sugar  (I reduced this to less than 1 tsp)
• 1/2 a small spanish onion very finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice
• 1 teaspoon of peanut oil

Method.

Slice the tofu puffs into bite size pieces and dry fry in the wok until warmed through.

Add all the dressing ingredients and toasted rice together in a jar and shake well.

Toss all the ingredients and dressing in a bowl and serve.

The second time I made this recipe I added bean sprouts, cabbage and omitted the rice.  It 's nice if you can have it warm with the rice but if it's served cold I would add other veggies because the rice tends to harden when cold.