Everyone's discussion of eggplant made me realize that I hadn't had any in
a while. Being a student who shares a kitchen with about 20 other people,
I kept it simple. I sliced a small eggplant and stacked the slices with a
pinch of jerk seasoning (a traditional Jamaican blend of spices
that is, well, spicey) between each slice. Then I "fried" each slice in
my Teflon pan until both sides were brown, and sprinkled on some more jerk
seasoning. Yum!
I also do a similar thing with sweet potato - slice (between 1/8" and 1/4"
thick) and "fry" until slightly charred on both sides. I eat these with
soy sauce or Teriyaki sauce because they remind me of tempura.
Another dish I experimented with recently was a tomato and basil "salad",
which I believe I got from Dr. Gabe Mirkin's book "Fat Free, Flavor Full".
(It's probably in other ff cook books as well). You basically mix
together sliced tomatoes, basil and vinegar to your taste. I used Roma
tomatoes (cheaper and more flavorfull now the "regular" ones) and red wine
vinegar, and tore the basil with my hands. I let the salad marinate for a
while in the fridge before eating - simple and refreshing. I did notice
that after a few days, the tomatoes seemed to have gotten tougher - due to
the vinegar, perhaps?
Happy eating,
Elizabeth
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