Did you know that today, June 17th is national eat all your veggies day? How cool is that? In honor of eating “all” of your veggies, I challenge you to try a veggie that you don’t normally choose. There are LOTS of ways to get your veggies in! I made a smoothie this morning using strawberries, chocolate silken tofu (YUM-O!) and spinach. I am having some veggie pasta for lunch today, and will probably be snacking on carrots and celery this afternoon. How do you get your veggies in?
Veggies are wonderful for you! They’re full of phytochemicals, antioxidants and vitamins. I make a point to eat as many different colors of veggies as I can each day. If you’re stuck on how to get more veggies in your diet, check out Green for Life
As I’m writing this, I realized that I need to eat EVEN MORE greens, so I’m going to make some collard greens as a side to my dinner tonight…which happens to be stuffed eggplant! How’s THAT for fitting in LOTS of veggies?! I’m stuffing my eggplant with all sorts of veggie goodness!! My friend Trisha, sent me a recipe for stuffed eggplant that I’ve veganized, and I can’t wait to try it!
Here’s the recipe for you curious folk:
Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients:
1 eggplant Eggplant, fresh, unpeeled (approx 1 lb)
1 small Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
8 oz Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup pitted ripe Olives, quartered
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp Salt
4 oz Vegan Cheese (I use Mozzarella)
4 tbsp Vegan Parmesan, grated
Red Ripe Tomatoes, sliced thin
Method:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Trim the stem of your eggplant, then cut it in 1/2 longways and scoop out most of the flesh, leaving a little so that it can still be stuffed and baked. Chop eht flesh into bite-sized pieces. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a pan over med-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, saute until the onions are translucent. Add the eggplant, seasonings and other veggies, cook for about 5 more minutes (or until eggplant is tender). Add the tomato sauce and stir to evenly coat.
To assemble your masterpiece, create layers, starting with veggies, then cheez, then veggies and more cheez. Top with the tomato slices and more cheez. Put your stuffed eggplant on a baking dish and bake, covered for 15 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheeze begins to melt and brown. Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Serves 4.
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I tried this recipe tonight because it just so happened that I decided to by an eggplant, which I had thought of grilling. I made this instead and we loved it! Absolutely delicious, though I’d recommend skipping the salt. There’s enough of a salty flavor in the olives and cheese/cheez. Enjoy it tonight! You won’t me sorry.