Miso Butter Glazed Eggplant

Some nights (most) all I can come up with is bacon, eggs, and a side of peas for dinner. Once in a blue moon, I decide to dress-up the peas and surprise myself with a rush of creativity in the kitchen. Tonight happened to be one of those nights, and boy was I pleasantly surprised!

Dinner consisted of roasted eggplant with a miso butter glaze, warm brown rice, and an aromatic side of peas and greens. Though this meal came together completely organically, it is one I will not forget. This dish has complex flavors with a simple preparation. Perfectly filling, deliciously rich and bursting with bright flavors.  Last but not least, it is nutritious and beyond satisfying. These might be the best feelings to come away with after a meal…
I cannot wait for leftovers tomorrow night!

To make Miso Glazed Eggplant:
Miso Butter (can be made ahead)
– 1:1 ratio rooom temp butter and white miso paste (good quality)
– 2 T Sake
– 2 T Mirin

Eggplant
– 2 eggplants (Japanese or smaller Italian)
– Salt and pepper
– Sesame oil
– Scallions (green onions)
– Sesame seeds

Mix together the butter and miso paste until well blended. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate until ready for use.
Preheat oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise and brush all sides lightly with sesame oil. Score the eggplant diagonally with the tip of a knife to ensure even cooking (do not break through the skin). Season with salt and pepper and place the eggplants skin side up on the baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes depending on the size. Once eggplants are tender, remove the pan from the oven.
Meanwhile, turn your oven to broil and bring the sake and mirin to a quick boil for 30 seconds. Reduce heat to low and add miso butter, whisking until mixture reduces and thickens. After two minutes, stir in the sesame seeds.
Finally, turn the eggplants face-side up on the baking sheet and coat generously with the miso glaze. Watching closely, broil the eggplant for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. To serve, sprinkle with sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallions.

Salt + Pepper

With an overwhelming number of recipes available on the internet, sometimes the best answer is to shut the laptop and simply cook. It doesn’t have to be fancy, tricky, or twenty ingredients long to taste good. Some of my absolute favorite meals require the least number of ingredients, freshest whole foods, and simplest preparations. This Saturday, I cooked one of these meals with my friend. To add to the simplicity of our feast – we cooked at his place which had only the bare minimum cooking essentials: salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar.

What did we cook?

Salt + Pepper Salmon, Asparagus, Quinoa, and Tomato Goat Cheese Arugula Salad

Bake the salmon, roast the asparagus, toast the quinoa, and dress the tomatoes, arugula, goat cheese with balsamic vinaigrette. Presto! Dinner is served.

 

gfh: roost

Roost Restaurant
1972 Fairview St  Houston, TX 77019
(713) 523-7667
www.iloveroost.com

gluten-free egg rolls

one-dish fish dinner

squash and eggplant “lasagna”

autumn salad

lasagna & cupcakes

Today I read a beautiful post, On Making and Effort to be Thankful for your Food, from one of my favorite websites The Kitchn.  It reminded me that cooking and eating should not always be about satisfying your every craving, but rather about being thankful and nourishing your body.  How often do we spend an extra five minutes on the internet in the morning instead of packing leftovers or making a quick lunch and later indulge in that gourmet sandwich from a nearby deli?  See a recipe we are dying to try, run out to the store and buy thirty dollars worth of new ingredients, and ignore the over-stocked refrigerator with milk, eggs, cheese and vegetables (that would have made a perfectly delicious quiche).  We live in a self-fulfilling, consumer driven society and it is often hard to break these habits.  I want to start making a conscious effort to stop and remember how fortunate I am, try to find small ways to cut back on waste and excess spending, and give back to others.

Speaking of giving and thanks, my Locavore Lasagna dinner would not have been possible without the generosity of my friends and my wonderful share from Rosebank Farms.  Kellen harvested a variety of beautiful lettuces from his garden ranging from bitter mustard greens and arugula to buttery, bibb lettuces, which I used to make the fall salad below.  Milena provided me with fresh herbs from her new garden project: rosemary, basil, and thyme, which I used to flavor the lasagna (recipe below).  Lastly, I used my weekly share of squash and eggplant for the grilled vegetables in the lasagna.

Recipes:

Squash and Eggplant “Lasagna”

Autumn Salad

Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes

Pumpkin Chili and Jalapeño Cornbread

I’ve just returned from spending three days visiting my family in Houston.  It was such a great visit, and I even managed to see my older sister in from Dallas and my dad before he jetted off to London for his monthly meetings, but its never easy leaving or saying goodbye.  Three days with my family felt like such a tease and now I cannot stop thinking about the holidays.  Back in my Charleston apartment now, I am trying to refocus my energy on classes (my finance exam tomorrow) and look forward to things in my immediate future.  It was raining and chilly when I got back today, but I was excited to remember I had leftover pumpkin chili and jalapeno cornbread that I made Friday before leaving for Houston.  It was comforting to sit down with a delicious bowl of chili and warmed over cornbread… and for a brief while, I forgot how much I was missing “home.”

Cooking with fall flavors is therapeutic.  Whether it’s a dish that reminds you of sitting at your grandmother’s table with friends and family, or a simple bowl of chili that makes you smile even when you might feel down, I encourage you to take some time to this week and make your favorite heart-warming dish.

Recipe: Pumpkin Chili with Turkey
(Loosely adapted from Whole Foods Market – Turkey Pumpkin Chili recipe)
– 1 medium onion, chopped
– 1 green bell pepper, chopped
– 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
– 3 garlic cloves, minced
– 2 Tbsp. olive oil
– 2 cups chick broth, or water
– 1 lb. ground turkey
– 1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
– 1 can black beans (no salt added)
– 1 can kidney beans (no salt added)
– 1/2 can pumpkin puree
– 2 tsp. sugar
– 2 tsp. dried oregano
– 1 Tbsp. chili powder
– 2 tsp. cumin powder
– salt and pepper to taste
Toppings (optional):
– lime juice, crumbled goat cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions or chives, Tabasco sauce


Method:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeños and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, water, sugar, oregano, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about an hour (can simmer for up to 4 hours). Ladle chili into bowls and serve with toppings and cornbread.

Recipe: Jalapeño Cornbread
(adapted from Epicurious.com)
– 1 ½ cups yellow corn meal
– ½ cup all-purpose flour (or GF flour)
– 3-4 jalapeno chilies, seeded and chopped
– 2 Tbsp. sugar
– 2 tsp. baking powder
– 1 tsp. baking soda
– 1 tsp. salt
– 1 ½ cups buttermilk*
– 2 eggs, lightly beaten
– 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
– 1 Tbsp. honey

Method:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a 9-inch by 2-inch round cake pan or 8-inch square baking pan. Mix first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Mix buttermilk, eggs, butter and honey in small bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until firm to touch, about 20 minutes.
*If you do not have buttermilk, you can mix 1 tbsp vinegar with enough milk to make 1 ½ cups. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. I used almond milk and it worked perfectly.

DIY Pizza Pie

Happy Friday! Pizza screams “the weekend,” so get in your kitchen, pull together your favorite ingredients (along with some basil, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and olive oil) and create your own Flavorful Friday Pie! (Ok I just made that up and it really doesn’t sound as catchy as I’d hoped…)

Pizza is great because you can top it with anything you like. Nowadays, there are so many pre-made dough options that creating your own pizza pie is easier than ever.  Some of my favorites: naan bread pizzas, flatbread pizzas, pita pizzas, and this time GF individual pizza pies.

Since college, I have tried to recreate my parents traditional homemade pizzas, but it always seems to be too much effort to make for a single person.  So I have come up with a few shortcuts:
1. Store-bought pizza dough
2. “deconstructed” pizza sauce (adapted from my parent’s traditional pesto-base)
“Deconstructed” Tomato Basil Base:
– onion, red or yellow, thinly sliced
– garlic, thinly sliced
– tomato, thinly sliced
– fresh basil leaves, torn or chiffonaded
– extra-virgin olive oil
– salt and pepper

Toppings:
– mushrooms, sliced and sauteed
– black olives, sliced
– artichoke hearts, chopped
– caramelized onions
– mozzarella cheese
– parmesan cheese
– arugula or spinach*
– red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Simply brush the dough with olive oil and layer the ingredients as follows: onion, garlic, tomato, basil, salt and pepper.  Then add toppings, cheeses, and bake for 12-14 minutes.*
* Only add the arugula or spinach to the pizza for the last 2 minutes of baking time, otherwise the greens will shrivel up and burn
* If you like your crust and cheese to be crispy, broil on high for the last 30-60 seconds until browned.

P.S. In addition to biting into a delicious slice of homemade pizza, I thought I would encourage you to listen to a track from my current weekend playlist: The Weeknd’s take on the new Florence + The Machine’s single Shake it Out.  Found here on disco naïveté. And this amazing video by Florence, “What the Water Gave Me.” Incredible lyrics, beautiful voice, and fun video!

P.P.S. Pizza tastes even better when accompanied with a nice Spanish Tempranillo (or any red wine).
TGIF xo, Nat’s Knack