Miso-Glazed Eggplant with Cauliflower 'Rice'

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, but one that I don't cook often for some reason. This recipe here took my taste buds to a whole other level of goodness. It's a great main or side dish for any dinner occasion. Treat yourself to this miso-glazed eggplant, you won't regret it.

Not only is it delicious, but eggplant has some pretty great health benefits:

• High in fiber and potassium
• Promotes hear health
• Supports brain health

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons white or yellow miso (organic and non-GMO)

2 green onions, sliced

1 Tablespoon unrefined sesame oil

1 Tablespoon grade B maple syrup

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Pinch of black pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

1 large eggplant, sliced to 1/2 inch thickness

Cauliflower 'Rice'

1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Pinch of sea salt

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients, except eggplant, to make a sauce.
3. Place eggplant on a baking dish and drizzle sauce over it. Use a spatula or spoon to coat eggplant well. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until cooked and tender.
4. Cauliflower rice: place chopped cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until chopped into a rice consistency. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice and sea salt to taste. You may also cook it on the stove for a bit with coconut oil to warm it up and make it tender.
5. When eggplant is done, serve over cauliflower rice and garnish with fresh herbs and seeds. Enjoy!

What's your favorite way to eat eggplant?

Sweet Potato Gratin with Tahini Cream

This is not your typical baked dish. It's a healthy spin on a gratin that is comforting, nourishing, warming, and so satisfying. There's truly so much flavor in it, and so easy to make that it will blow your mind. I created this recipe for Oh My Drifter. 

Ingredients

Filling

– 1 large sweet potato, thinly sliced by hand or using a mandolin
– 2 zucchinis, thinly sliced by hand or using a mandolin
– 2 cups spinach
– 1 onion, thinly sliced
– 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

Tahini Cream

– ½ cup tahini
– ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
– 2 cloves garlic
– 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
– Juice of 1-2 lemons
– Pinch of sea salt and black pepper

Topping

– 4 slices gluten-free bread, chopped
– 2 Tablespoons melted ghee or coconut oil
– Pinch of sea salt

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Prepare filling: chop vegetables as directed and set aside in a large bowl.

3. Prepare tahini cream: Blend all ingredients together until smooth. If cream is too thick, add a bit of water.

4. Prepare topping: Place bread pieces in food processor and pulse until they reach consistency of crumbs. Add melted ghee or coconut oil and sea salt to taste and pulse once more.

5. Assemble: Add tahini cream and half of topping to vegetables. Toss to coat well and spread out evenly in a baking dish. Top with remaining topping.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through and the top has browned.

Photographs by the lovely Micaela.

Summer Minty Gazpacho

Perfect for a summer day. Gazpacho is also a great way to get in a variety of vegetables at once. The beauty of this recipe is that you can't go wrong with what ingredients you use. This is all I had on hand, but feel free to use any vegetables you'd like (still including tomatoes though). I would throw in some cauliflower and bell pepper, or broccoli, yum!

Ingredients

2 pounds ripe heirloom or early girl tomatoes, cores removed and roughly chopped

1 cucumber, roughly chopped

1 small red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Chili flakes, to taste

Sea salt, to taste

Procedure

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until combined, but leave chunks for texture. I use "pulse" setting instead of "process" setting to make sure not to over process. Taste and adjust seasoning.
2. Plate and top with toppings of choice.

Serves 4

Enjoy! x

Avocado Garbanzo Bean Salad

Do you often get bloated and gassy when you eat beans? Legumes can actually provide great health benefits, but only if you're digesting them properly. If our digestive tract is inflamed (gas/bloating), it does not absorb any nutrients.

Here's the trick to reducing digestive discomforts with beans:

1. Before you cook them, soak them overnight in a bowl of filtered water.
2. Rinse after soaking and cook in clean water with a piece of Kombu (seaweed). The Kombu also provides a natural saltiness without needing to add salt to the beans.

Garbanzo beans are high in fiber and can be great for digestive support (when previously soaked). They also support cardiovascular health and keep blood sugar regulated because of their fiber and protein content.

This salad is perfect for a warm summer day. It's refreshing and easy to make. The only thing that needs to be cooked are the garbanzo beans.

I know you will enjoy this one.

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (soaked for at least 8 hours before cooking)

1 1/2 cup chopped vegetables of choice (radish, summer squash, zucchini, celery, cucumber, bell pepper, carrot)

1/2 avocado

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

Pinch of celtic sea salt

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (Or any herb - parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, mint)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of smoked paprika

Procedure

1. Coarsely mash garbanzo beans in a medium-sized bowl with potato masher or back of a fork (mashed garbanzo beans pictured above). Add chopped vegetables.
2. In a separate bowl, mash avocado with dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, and sea salt.
3. Add avocado to garbanzo and vegetable mix and combine to coat well.
4. Add herbs and spices and mix once more. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serves 2-3

I made delicious wraps with this garbanzo bean salad. I used collard greens for the wraps, but any leafy green will work. Sprinkle with some lemon juice, top with sauerkraut or homemade salsa, and you've got yourself an amazing and nourishing meal.

Are you new to soaking beans, nuts, and grains? What methods do you use to help your digestion?