Today, I wanted to combine quinoa, eggplant and kale and had to look for recipe since I don't have much experience with eggplant. I found this one on internet at Mother Earth News. It was delicious!! I cut the recipe in half, and this will make 2 servings. You need to start with an eggplant that weighs about .75 of a pound. The recipe shown here is my version. The nutrition info is for one serving with 1.5 cups of steamed kale. The non-fat greek yogurt was an after thought and not included in the nutrition count.Baked Eggplant with Quinoa
1 cup quinoa, cooked (1/2 cup dry)3/4 pound eggplant
1.5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped red onion
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cups frozen mixed vegies
1 generous cup chopped tomato
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp sherry or wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp Basil, dried and ground
1-2 tsp Oregano, dried and ground
3-4 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1. Rinse and drain quinoa three times. Use the 1.5 cups of water and prepare as per the package instructions. I chose to microwave it, and ended up zapping it on high for some 5-8 minutes. Stir, cover, and let stand.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Halve the eggplant lengthwise. Carefully cut around eggplant’s perimeter, leaving about a 3/8-inch shell without cutting through the bottom. Remove inner flesh by scoring it and cutting it into chunks (I use a grapefruit spoon to remove the flesh). Chop flesh into 1/2-inch pieces.
3. Rub olive oil inside the eggplant shells and season them with salt and pepper. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and bake for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling. Smaller eggplants may need only 10 or 12 minutes. The eggplant shells should be partially but not completely cooked.
4. Heat 1.5 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté onion for 1 to 2 minutes, add eggplant, stir, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir again so it doesn’t stick, season with Mrs Dash and pepper, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir and repeat for 3 more minutes. Add vegies, tomato, garlic, and dried herbs (add fresh herbs later); balsamic vinegar and sherrry/wine. Stir and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Add 1 cup cooked quinoa to the pan, and toss to mix. Add most of the parmesan, leaving just a little to garnish the top, and toss. Heap eggplant shells with filling, then mound nicely.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 mintues; smaller eggplants will probably take about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan on top. Optional - serve with non-fat Greek yogurt.
Rated a 4.78 on the Kale Scale.
