InsaneJournal

Dinner the other day.
Recipes! Tasty healthy recipes!

Caponata Stew:

Traditionally, caponata is made from fried eggplant. This version is simmered vegetables instead. The magazine I pulled this from suggests serving the stew with garlic toast, brown rice, or hummus cakes. I went for the hummus cakes.

1 med eggplant, diced (peeled if you want)
2 tsp. olive oil
1 med onion, peeled and chopped
1 Tbs. garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (cremini suggested)
1 28-oz. can diced (fire-roasted) tomatoes
1/2 dry red wine OR 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. capers, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 cup water

Place eggplant in colander, sprinkle generously with salt. Let stand ten minutes. Rinse with cold water, pat dry.

While eggplant is standing, heat oil in large pot over med heat; add onion, garlic, and jalapeño, saute ten minutes or until onion is translucent. Add eggplant and mushrooms, saute ten minutes more or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in tomatoes, water, wine, capers, and oregano. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 50-60 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

(Per serving: 82 calories, 3 g protein, 1.5 g total fat [0.5 g sat. fat], 14 carbohydrates, 0 mg cholesterol, 483 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 7 g sugars)

I didn't actually measure out the garlic. I just got a heaping forkful -- I live in a household quite fond of garlic. I also didn't dice the eggplant, just sliced it. And diced regular tomatoes work just fine. I ended up using only half the jalapeño.

Hummus Cakes

For smaller, hors d'oeuvres-type patties, reduce baking time to ten or fifteen minutes.

2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, drained
4 green onions (chives), white and green parts, chopped
1/4 cup tahini OR unsweetened peanut butter
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Process one can chickpeas, green onions, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, and salt in food processor until coarsely chopped and combined.

Transfer to bowl, stir in reserved can chickpeas.

Coat baking sheet with more olive oil. Shape chickpea mixture into patties. Spray or drizzle tops of patties with even more olive oil. Bake thirty minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

(Per serving: 209 calories, 9 g protein, 10.5 g total fat [1 g sat. fat], 22 g carbohydrates, 0 mg cholesterol, 481 mg sodium, 6 g fiber, 4 g sugars)

Making hummus cakes is the equivalent of making healthy healthy mud pies. You take your chickpea glop and you pour in your can of chickpeas and then you stick your hands in and smoosh it all around so that you have an even distribution, and then you shape patties out of your glop. It's awesome. My inner five-year-old is allied to my inner nutritionist.

You really do have to have the reserved can of chickpeas, though, otherwise your patties don't shape well, which is a pain and a half. I despise chickpeas. I suppose you could try pouring them into a mold... ? Something to try for another time.

If you're me, you won't measure your garlic or your lemon stuff very precisely. Too much garlic? Too much lemon? What is this crazy talk you speak? You'll also add crushed red pepper flakes to your hummus.


(I may soon be able to, like, rejoin fandom and post things and review things and so forth. Yay!)