Roasted Eggplant and Mushroom Rice

I was inspired to create this dish by something I read about a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  The owner of the Fly Trap said her favorite dish was fried brown rice with roasted peppers and eggplant with mushrooms and other vegetables.  I saw several eggplant from the garden in my produce drawer along with a pile of Spanish Spice peppers and thought I would make my version of what she described.  It turned out really well, a very satisfying, almost "meaty" dish with the mushrooms and roasted eggplant.  I don't eat a lot of meat anymore so I'm always looking for main dishes that taste great without meat and this is a good one.



 

 



Roasted Eggplant and Mushroom Rice

 



3 cup cooked brown rice (I use Massa Organics)

3 small Japanese eggplants or 1 medium regular eggplant, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

2 Spanish Spice peppers (or mild jalapeno peppers), minced

8 ounces mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, oyster or mixture of all three)

1 large carrot, diced and cooked for 1 minute with a splash of water in the microwave

1/4 cup sugar snap peas (or small frozen peas)

1 cup baby spinach (optional)

1/4 cup minced scallions

1 T low sodium soy sauce

Sambal Oleek or Sriracha, to taste

2 eggs, lightly scrambled or over easy

Canola oil

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (convect roast if possible).  Place diced eggplant and peppers on a large sheet pan.  Add 1 tablespoon canola oil and mix well.  Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Roast for 20 minutes.  Add light coating of oil to a large skillet over medium high heat and saute mushrooms for approximately 10 minutes.  Add eggplant, peppers, carrot, rice, peas, and soy sauce.  Cook for several minutes until the rice is hot and browned in places.  Add spinach and stir.  Remove from heat.  Serve with Sambal Oleek or Sriracha.  If desired, add a fried egg or mix in scrambled eggs. Sprinkle with scallions.

 

 

Read more »

Chimayo Red and Hatch Black Bean Chili

Coming home today after being on a business trip in Washington DC for the past five days I felt the need to cook something.  Eating out three meals a day gets old after awhile and I enjoy my own cooking a lot more than many restaurant meals.  I wanted to make a spicy soup but I ended up making more of a chili and it was really different and tasty.  I made half of it with no meat and half with organic chicken sausage.  Both were equally good.  It may not look all that great in the photo but it was wonderful.  My version is in the photo but my husband's had shredded cheese and chips.

3 cans Westbrae Organic black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, diced
2 small carrots, diced
1 medium potato, diced
3/4 cup diced Hatch green chile* (mine was from fresh, roasted Hatch chile, frozen last month)
2 tablespoons Masa Harina
1/3 cup spice mixture
1 box Kitchen Basics unsalted vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
(Chicken sausage version:  12 ounces Pedersen Farms Organic Mild Italian Chicken Sausage, removed from casing and diced)

Spice mixture
1/4 cup fennel seeds, ground in spice grinder
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup New Mexico red chile powder ** (I used my Chimayo chile powder I got last year in Chimayo and keep in the freezer.)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Drain and rinse beans and set aside.  Heat oil in large pot, add the onions, carrots, and potatoes and saute until the onions are translucent.  Add the green chile, masa harina and spice mixture.  Stir well until smooth.
Add the beans and vegetable stock and stir until mixed well. (If using chicken sausage, add now.)  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until potatoes and carrots are tender.  Adjust taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of Mexican crema or sour cream and any of the following: diced avocado, scallions, chopped cilantro, salsa, shredded cheese, crumbled tortilla chips.

*My Hatch chile is mostle mild with some hot mixed in, so adjust if you don't like it too hot and use mild only.
**Reduce red chile by half or less if you don't like things too spicy.

Read more »