Daily Deliciousness: Stuffed Eggplant

I should be studying for my microbiology test, but why do that when I could update my blog?? I was feeling a little experimental in the kitchen tonight and had been looking at stuffed zucchini recipes on Pinterest earlier, so I decided to give it my own spin and make stuffed eggplant (insert the eggplant emoji here). Eggplant is a good source of fiber and vit. B1, as well as manganese, vit. B6, niacin, and folate. It’s also known to have a high water content which can help you feel fuller while eating less, and with only 35 calories per one cup of cubed eggplant, go ahead and toss a couple servings back. Recipe below the picture:

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Stuffed Eggplant
Servings: 2

1 eggplant, cut in half
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup water
1 T extra virgin olive oil
5 spears asparagus, cut into 1″ bites
1/2 can diced tomatoes

1) Preheat oven to 400*F.
2) Cut eggplant in half, lengthwise and place on cooking sheet cut side up. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, prepare quinoa. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil, add in 1/4 cup of quinoa, lower heat and allow to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed.
4) After eggplant has been in oven for 25 minutes, remove from oven. With a large spoon, spoon out the majority of flesh up to 1/2″ from the skin. Roughly chop flesh of eggplant and set aside.
5) Add 1 T EVOO to saute pan over medium-high heat. When oil has heated, add in the eggplant flesh, asparagus, and diced tomatoes and allow to cook together for 5-7 minutes.
6) Mix in quinoa with the eggplant, asparagus, and tomato mixture before filling each eggplant half with the stuffing. You’re done!

Notes: I used a package of roasted garlic quinoa that added extra flavor, but any type would be great! Adding in extra veggies like bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, or garlic would also be super tasty.

Back to studying about B cells and T cells..

ciao down,
clara