I bought some Chinese eggplant a week ago, for some unknown reason. I think just because they were pretty and vibrant and colorful and I'd just finished The Week of Bagels. I never know what to do with eggplant.
I was getting to the point at which that eggplant was always sitting back in the mind because I was guiltily aware that it was going to have to be thrown out in the next day or two. I hate throwing away food. We can't even compost it, so it's doubly wasted.
I visit
Susan's blog with some regularity. I ventured over there today after following a link from a random blog that I don't actually read (which I followed from a blog that I do actually read). (Feel free to roll your eyes.) I found a post about Susan's blog and naturally followed the link so I could be reminded of all the carrot stick, lettuce and celery recipes she shares (as the writer postulated). I found
this recipe at the top of the page and immediately thought of those eggplant. Susan saves the day again!
I wonder if the writer actually visited Susan's blog before going on about how boring and flavorless and pointless it must be. Susan's blog is a celebration of flavors and textures and colors. Now, I use a lot of fat in my cooking. I have two small children who require fat for their development. So I often add fat to Susan's recipes. But that doesn't change the basic fact that the foundational recipes are amazing. She's such a creative cook. Susan is an example, an icon to food writers everywhere, vegan or not, low-fat or not.
Initially, I posted a link to the post, but I decided it would be unkind to direct readers to this lady's blog just because I have something grumpy to say about it. The writer had a lot to say about how stupid, depressed and self-punishing vegans are, how Susan must have nothing left to eat and no brain in her head, and how much she enjoyed cooking bacon while writing her post. That sort of vitriolic spewing exasperates me. I think it's important to recognize that there are a lot of different ways of eating, and that most people don't bother talking about it online unless they have something special to share. And most people don't have wildly successful blogs like Susan's unless there's a reason.
(By the way, as Susan explains in her
FAQs, she does include whole, unrefined sources of fat in her diet - nuts and seeds, avocados and coconuts. She just tries not to use
extracted fat. So not only does she get fat in her diet, and probably plenty of it, but she gets fat in the best packaged form possible - from the original source. I'm really thinking that the writer did not bother to visit Susan's blog and instead extrapolated her entire post from the title "Fat-Free Vegan." In fact, I went back to check, and she says that she didn't even enter Susan's blog. She just saw a link for it. Picture me pulling my hair out.)
People who care about what they eat, and
especially those who choose plant-based diets, are constantly grappling with ignorance about their choices. Our food is referred to as "sawdust" or "bunny food,"
always by people who have never bothered to taste it. People sneak meat into our dishes or try to go behind our backs and take our kids to McDonald's. Most of us hope that we're making good choices, but it's tremendously difficult to be a conscientious eater in a careless culture. And rants 'n' raves about how we're stupid, pointless, tasteless, ugly, boring, weak, self-loathing, evolutionarily-incorrect or depriving ourselves is, well. Not very helpful. Really kind of hateful.
Personally, I'm grateful for Susan's blog because not only does she make completely original, healthy vegan food, but she also takes great photographs. Just looking at her blog makes me happy.
Go there, so you can feel happy, too.
This recipe was simple to make and it tasted great. I made significant departures from the original recipe according to what ingredients were available; I also eliminated the seitan. I thought I might add some garbanzo beans instead, but it was hearty enough without them. I ladled the stew over brown basmati rice and added a dollop of yogurt to bring it all together. I bet this will taste even better the next day.
ingredients 6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 small eggplant, cubed (about 1 1/2 lb.)
1 t. paprika
1 t. coriander
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. allspice
1/4 t. nutmeg
a pinch each of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves
1 1/2 c. red lentils
5 c. vegetable broth or water, plus another cup at the end of cooking
2 dry red chile peppers, or a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 T. blackstrap molasses (or 2 T. pomegranate molasses, which I didn't have)
1 T. lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (omit if using pomegranate molasses)
4 c. brown basmati rice, steamed
1/4 c. cilantro, minced
plain yogurt, to serve
instructions 1. Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil in a soup pot over medium heat and add the garlic and onion. Soften the garlic and onion and then add the eggplant.
2. Cook the eggplant, stirring regularly, for 5-7 minutes, until softening.
3. Add the spices (and a few tablespoons of water, if the oil is absorbed), and toss with the eggplant.
4. Add the vegetable broth, lentils and chile peppers. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the lentils are cooked through and falling apart.
5. Stir in the molasses and lemon juice and season to taste with lots of salt and black pepper. Serve over rice with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro.
I bought some Chinese eggplant a week ago, for some unknown reason. I think just because they were pretty and vibrant and colorful and I'd just finished The Week of Bagels. I never know what to do with eggplant.
I was getting to the point at which that eggplant was always sitting back in the mind because I was guiltily aware that it was going to have to be thrown out in the next day or two. I hate throwing away food. We can't even compost it, so it's doubly wasted.
I visit Susan's blog with some regularity. I ventured over there today after following a link from a random blog that I don't actually read (which I followed from a blog that I do actually read). (Feel free to roll your eyes.) I found a post about Susan's blog and naturally followed the link so I could be reminded of all the carrot stick, lettuce and celery recipes she shares (as the writer postulated). I found this recipe at the top of the page and immediately thought of those eggplant. Susan saves the day again!
I wonder if the writer actually visited Susan's blog before going on about how boring and flavorless and pointless it must be. Susan's blog is a celebration of flavors and textures and colors. Now, I use a lot of fat in my cooking. I have two small children who require fat for their development. So I often add fat to Susan's recipes. But that doesn't change the basic fact that the foundational recipes are amazing. She's such a creative cook. Susan is an example, an icon to food writers everywhere, vegan or not, low-fat or not.
Initially, I posted a link to the post, but I decided it would be unkind to direct readers to this lady's blog just because I have something grumpy to say about it. The writer had a lot to say about how stupid, depressed and self-punishing vegans are, how Susan must have nothing left to eat and no brain in her head, and how much she enjoyed cooking bacon while writing her post. That sort of vitriolic spewing exasperates me. I think it's important to recognize that there are a lot of different ways of eating, and that most people don't bother talking about it online unless they have something special to share. And most people don't have wildly successful blogs like Susan's unless there's a reason.
(By the way, as Susan explains in her FAQs, she does include whole, unrefined sources of fat in her diet - nuts and seeds, avocados and coconuts. She just tries not to use extracted fat. So not only does she get fat in her diet, and probably plenty of it, but she gets fat in the best packaged form possible - from the original source. I'm really thinking that the writer did not bother to visit Susan's blog and instead extrapolated her entire post from the title "Fat-Free Vegan." In fact, I went back to check, and she says that she didn't even enter Susan's blog. She just saw a link for it. Picture me pulling my hair out.)
People who care about what they eat, and especially those who choose plant-based diets, are constantly grappling with ignorance about their choices. Our food is referred to as "sawdust" or "bunny food," always by people who have never bothered to taste it. People sneak meat into our dishes or try to go behind our backs and take our kids to McDonald's. Most of us hope that we're making good choices, but it's tremendously difficult to be a conscientious eater in a careless culture. And rants 'n' raves about how we're stupid, pointless, tasteless, ugly, boring, weak, self-loathing, evolutionarily-incorrect or depriving ourselves is, well. Not very helpful. Really kind of hateful.
Personally, I'm grateful for Susan's blog because not only does she make completely original, healthy vegan food, but she also takes great photographs. Just looking at her blog makes me happy. Go there, so you can feel happy, too.
This recipe was simple to make and it tasted great. I made significant departures from the original recipe according to what ingredients were available; I also eliminated the seitan. I thought I might add some garbanzo beans instead, but it was hearty enough without them. I ladled the stew over brown basmati rice and added a dollop of yogurt to bring it all together. I bet this will taste even better the next day.
ingredients
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 small eggplant, cubed (about 1 1/2 lb.)
1 t. paprika
1 t. coriander
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. allspice
1/4 t. nutmeg
a pinch each of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves
1 1/2 c. red lentils
5 c. vegetable broth or water, plus another cup at the end of cooking
2 dry red chile peppers, or a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 T. blackstrap molasses (or 2 T. pomegranate molasses, which I didn't have)
1 T. lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (omit if using pomegranate molasses)
4 c. brown basmati rice, steamed
1/4 c. cilantro, minced
plain yogurt, to serve
instructions
1. Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil in a soup pot over medium heat and add the garlic and onion. Soften the garlic and onion and then add the eggplant.
2. Cook the eggplant, stirring regularly, for 5-7 minutes, until softening.
3. Add the spices (and a few tablespoons of water, if the oil is absorbed), and toss with the eggplant.
4. Add the vegetable broth, lentils and chile peppers. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the lentils are cooked through and falling apart.
5. Stir in the molasses and lemon juice and season to taste with lots of salt and black pepper. Serve over rice with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro.