Yummy Healthy Food

Ingredients:
-4 shallots or 1 onion, chopped
-1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
-1 red pepper, chopped
-3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 lb lean ground turkey, chicken or lamb
-2 cooked brown rice (1 cup raw); you can use rice in a bag & cook in microwave
-2 cups canned tomatoes; pureed in mini food processor
-1/2 - 1 tsp red chili flakes (depends on how spicy you like food)
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1 TBS dried mint
-1 TBS ground cumin
-1 tsp salt, pepper to taste
-3 large eggplants
-1/4c flat leaf parsley, minced
-1/3 c parmesan cheese (optional)

Steps:

Roast Eggplant
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Wash eggplants & cut in half lengthwise
3) Score surface in crisscross pattern no more than 1/2 inch deep
4) Lightly oil roasting pan, place eggplant in side & lightly brush with olive oil
5) Bake for 45 minutes until flesh is soft when you press into it

While eggplant is roasting prepare stuffing
1) Prep all remaining ingredients
2) Saute shallots or onion over medium low heat in 2 TBS olive oil until it starts to soften (about 5 minutes)
3) Add red pepper & cook for another 10-15 minutes until soft but not brown
4) Add garlic & stir for a few minutes
5) Remove vegatables from skillet
6) Raise heat to medium high & add meat
7) Cook until browned 
8) Return veggies to pot & add 
8) Remove excess oil from skillet
9)Return onion/pepper/garlic to skillet
10) Add pureed tomatoes and all the seasonings
11) Mix well until sauce has thickened
12) Remove skillet from heat & mix in rice & parsley

Make stuffed eggplants
1) Remove eggplants from oven & with a fork push down flesh
2) Pile stuffing on top of flesh
3) Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees
4) Add 1/2 inch of boiling water to roasting pan
5) If using cheese, sprinkle a little over each eggplant
6) Bake for 15-20 minutes until tops are brown

Enjoy!!

This recipe is taken from the cookbook "Curry & Kimchi" by Unmi Abkin & Roger Taylor.  More many years, they owned a local Easthampton restaurant,  Coco & The Cellar Bar.  Unmi knows how to layer flavors in a way that brings food to a whole other level.

It can time to make this recipe, as there are a lot of ingredients & a lot of prepping, but it's so worth it.  I've simplified things a little, so that this can be prepared with ingredients that are easy to find.

If you love this recipe & want others like it, I highly recommend that you buy the cookbook.

Serves 4 people and takes about an hour to prepare.

Ingredients:
-5 cloves garlic, chopped
-2 TBS chopped ginger
-2 shallots, chopped
-1/4c chopped onion
-2 tsp neutral cooking oil (I use avocado oil)
-2TBS coconut oil
-2 tsp red Thai curry paste
-1 TBS gochujang

-2 TBS vadouvan curry powder
Note: if you can't find this, use an additional clove of garlic, 1/2 clove of shallot & 1 tsp chopped ginger; 1tsp  fennel powder, 1 TBS cumin, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp ground cloves  OR even whatever of these you have on hand

-1/2c canned whole tomatoes -- can puree these in small food processor
-2 13.5 oz cans coconut milk
-2 1/2 c coconut water without pulp
-2 TBS honey
-1 TBS tamari
-pinch of cinnamon

Steps:
1) Combine garlic, ginger, shallots, onion & neutral oil in small food processor until they form a paste-like substance
2) Heat coconut oil in large pot over medium-high heat
3) When oil starts to shimmer, add garlic/shallot/ginger/onion paste & stir until light golden brown (5-10 minutes)
4)Add red Thai curry paste, gochujang, vadouvan curry powder or substitute spices, and tomatoes.
5) Simmer ingredients, stirring and breaking up tomatoes until they become jamlike (about 5 minutes)
6) Add coconut milk, coconut water, honey, tamari & bring to just a simmer, cooking for 20 minutes
7) Strain out the little bits of onions, shallots & ginger
8) Add a very small pinch of cinnamon

Enjoy the medley of flavors!


     

This is one of the best and simplest recipes on the planet.  I recently made it for a potluck dinner and everyone asked for the recipe.  It takes about 15 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients:
- 3TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4-6 large cloves of garlic, pressed or minced or grated
- 8c undrained canned tomatoes, bought pureed or pureed in a blender
- 1TBS sweet paprika
- 1/4-1/2c sherry

Steps:
1) Heat olive oil over medium low heat in a large soup pot
2) Saute garlic for less than a minute, taking care not to burn it
3) Add paprika and saute for another minute, stirring constantly
4) Add tomatoes & sherry
5) Simmer 5-10 minutes
6) Enjoy!