The abominable eggplant part 2: a lesson in acceptance.

                                                     

  One of the perks of my new job is free yoga classes (I know!).  A few days ago, I took a class with a lovely woman named Dede.  She is fun, joyful and energetic, and has one of those smiles that literally light up the room when she walks in.  As she guided us through the sun salutations, to the beat of the carefully selected soundtrack she was playing for us, I opened my arms in Virabhadrasana and the word "receive" showered my whole being.  As we danced through her sequence, syncing breath and movement, every time our arms were either up or laying on the floor, I found myself facing my palms towards the sky and feeling that word, which by now had turned into an emotion, enveloping my body and soul: receive.

 On my way home, a crazy  man decided I was the person that he wanted to chat with while waiting for the bus. At first, I kindly smiled at him, but tried to keep reading.  Then the word came back to my mind: receive.  I closed my book and engaged in conversation with him. Once we parted ways I felt lighter.

  Instead of trying to fight a battle that I was never going to win (trust me, he wasn't going to stop talking just because I wasn't listening, he was completely coo coo) and creating aversion by focusing on how I thought things should be (me catching up on my reading while waiting for the bus)  I surrendered and accepted the moment as it what,  and in turn experienced a sense of calm and harmony with the world around me.

  Later that day, as other little annoying or unwanted things arose, the word kept coming back to my mind, inviting me to accept, for it is all part of the path.

                                                            

  Which brings me to the abominable eggplant. As many of you know from a previous post, this has never been one of my favorite vegetables.  And in true "Murphy's law" fashion, the CSA I signed up for grew more eggplant than anything else this summer.
  As a matter of fact, it's October and those eggplants are still showing up every Wednesday.  The first few weeks, I would ignore them, and then reluctantly throw them into a stew when they were almost going bad.  Or roast them, and chop them up and freeze them for when the winter is here and there are NO vegetables. I even made ratatouille, as peppers and tomatoes were also abundant for a few weeks.  But in all those preparations, I still did not enjoy them.

 After my "receive" revelation during practice, I changed my attitude towards my eggplant friends.   I decided to receive them with love and affection. If they were showing up, they were meant to be in my diet, so I should accept them, and find a way to enjoy them.  What do I love that is made with eggplants?
Well. I LOVE dips, so in the past, when eggplants would somehow infiltrate themselves into my kitchen, I would always make melitzano salata, the Greek eggplant spread.
http://www.offthematandintothekitchen.blogspot.com/2012_09_24_archive.html

    However, since it was the only thing I ever made with eggplants, I was a bit tired of it, so
  I decided to find out what other cultures eggplant dips were all about, and  before I got my next inevitable eggplant delivery, I stumbled upon David Lebovitz's post on Baba Ganoush. Bingo! (http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/07/baba-ganosh/ ).   His recipe was extremely simple, and other than waiting for the eggplants to roast, it was also pretty quick.

                                                                 

 

    I have made baba ganoush three times already, tweaking it here and there to keep it interesting (I added cilantro, used lime instead of lemon, a pinch of Espelette pepper...) and it has been wonderful.  I love having dip ready to go in the fridge for when I want a quick snack (and I always want a snack!), and the fact that it's healthy is such a bonus. A full serving of vegetables (two if I use carrots or celery to scoop it with) in dip!  Once again, delicious AND nutritious!

                                                

 A few nights ago, as I enjoyed my lovely eggplant dip,  I thought of how our labels limit us from receiving the gifts that the universe might have in store for us.  By thinking and saying that I don't really like eggplant, I was stifling my creativity to cook something with it that I would actually enjoy.

 In the same way, when we become attached to preconceived notions of ourselves , either inflicted to us by our parents and teachers, or by our past selves, we limit our ability to experience the full spectrum of our character, and even our choices.  This is also true for the labels we choose for others, our relationships or even mundane tasks in life. Once again, by holding on to the idea of how we think things should be or are, we either create aversion to how they truly are, or prevent ourselves from  experiencing how they could be.

 When I first met J, due to preconceived notions I had of him passed down from some mutual friends and acquaintances, I didn't think much of him.  Had I not shifted my perspective, I might have missed out on one of the greatest gifts I have ever received: our love and our marriage.

When we open ourselves to accept and receive life as it is, we open the doors to discover new and exciting aspects about ourselves, others, and in my case, my husband, and the no longer abominable eggplant.

                                                         

Old blog, new blog, same blog, more blogging!

                                                         

    Dear Readers,

 I hope this post finds you well.  A lot has happened since last time we were here.  Among other things, I just started a new job at a yoga studio, and my work schedule between there and the restaurant has gone through major changes.

  As you all now, I tend to easily fall in an out of the writing wagon.  But when I am writing I am happier, and when I am not,  words keep visiting me in sentences and paragraphs, at all hours of the day,  yearning to be typed or scribbled.

 With my new schedule I actually have an extra day off every week, which I plan on using as my writing day. I now will have no excuses for not writing at least one post a week.

As all in life is ever-changing, I felt the need to give my blog a little makeover. I switched up the web address, the title, and a few other details.

The focus of this new blog will still be food and cooking (and still delicious and nutritious food) it will just be infused with more reflections from my wondering mind and soul.

  I hope that you will all enjoy and welcome the changes.
Thank you for your interest and support, and keep on reading!
Ana

Tom Kha Gai & Avgolemono Hybrid

                                                   

  One of my favorite quotes ever is Ann Wigmore's: "The food you eat can be either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison." I happen to agree with her one hundred percent, and the fact that so many people are completely oblivious to this fact breaks my heart in a million pieces every time I think about it.

However, this post isn't so much about the food itself, but the act of cooking it.  Whenever I am sick, I cook.  Whenever I am sad, I cook.  Whenever I am anxious, I cook.  And by the time the meal is finished, regardless of whether it was a giant multicourse dinner or just a simple pot of soup, I always feel better.  Even if it's just a little bit.

                                              

   I know that If I don't feel well, cooking may sound  counterproductive: expending energy that I don't have to prepare something that I am not even sure I will want to or be able to eat. 
But cooking is my therapy.  When I am cooking, I am present.  It is a form of meditation, where the smells and colors of the ingredients are the focus.  And the meal that they will transition into is the goal.  And just as in meditation, we transcend the ego and commune with our true self, the spirit. When cooking, I quiet the mind and all the rubble that is always so active inside of it, and connect with my spirit, which guides my hands and tells them just how much salt to add.

  Today, as I try to make sense of my stomach and body aches, I keep telling myself I need to eat something so I don't feel so weak.  But everything sounds awful, and my stomach turns at the thought of every single thing in the fridge.

  Over the years I have realized that there are two things, that no matter how ill I feel, always sound good, and more importantly, always taste and feel good once I sit down in front of them and prepare myself to ingest them: avgolemono and tom kha gai. 

                                                   

  The first one, is a traditional Greek soup.  Lemon, chicken and egg yolks create a creamy, filling and heartwarming dish.  Back in the days when I worked in the kitchen at Kokkari, I used to eat it in the summer months with fresh corn and chopped cilantro on top.

  The second one is a traditional Thai coconut soup.  It can be done with chicken or vegetarian.  Eaten over brown rice it is filling, luxurious, and comforting to both the taste buds and the stomach.  A friend of mine once said to me: "Tom Kha makes me happy!"  I have to agree.

                                  

And as I sit here, writing these words, trying to summon the energy to get up from the chair and walk myself into the kitchen, the thought of one of these two extraordinary soups, steaming in a bowl in front of me, give me hope that I will feel better by the end of today.

The problem is I don't really have the ingredients to make a proper tom kha gai, but the thought of silky coconut milk and cilantro are really making me imagine a healthier and happier me. Then again, the thought of avgolemono evokes strength and appetite... On the other hand, I don't even have any chicken.... Well I think I have enough stuff to make something in between the two.  It's settled: a hybrid it is!

                                     

  Below is the recipe for what I prepared, using whatever I had in house (fresh delicious vegetables from our CSA box delivered on Wednesday) mixing it all up, not following any particular recipe but instead listening to my spirit, telling me what to put in there, so that I could heal my body, and in turn my soul.  The result was delightful, and it did indeed make me feel better, even if it was just a little bit...

Tom Kha Gai - Avgolemono Hybrid

Ingredients:
1       quart       Stock (homemade is ideal, store bought can be perked up)
1       ea            Onion, diced
2       ea            Garlic Cloves, crushed and chopped
2       ea            Cans of coconut milk, full fat, no additives
4       ea            Padron Peppers, sliced. (These were from the CSA, feel free to substitute with   Anaheim, Cubanelle or whatever you've got)
1       ea           Jalapeno Pepper, finely chopped
1/4   bu           Cilantro, finely chopped
2      ea            Limes, zest of one, juice of both
2      tsp           Fresh ginger, grated
2      TB           Cornstarch
1/4   cup          Lemon Juice
3      ea            Egg Yolks
1      ear           Corn, kernels off the cob (this was also from the CSA, feel free to add any veggies you have, or some chicken breast or thighs if you wish)
                        Salt to taste

Method:

   In a heavy stock pot, sauté the onions, peppers, ginger and garlic in some coconut oil (if you don't have any, you can substitute with olive oil) until translucent and fragrant.  Add the cilantro and deglaze with a little stock and salt.

                                                     

   Once it's sizzling, add the rest of the stock.  If using store bought, bring it to a boil, then simmer gently for about 30 minutes, to infuse the stock with the flavor of the sofrito. Otherwise, add the coconut milk and the corn and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes. 

                                                

  Once the flavor of the soup is where you want it,  add a little cold water to the cornstarch to make a slurry.  Slowly whisk the slurry into the soup and bring it back to a boil. 

                                       

  Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice into the egg yolks.  Once the soup starts to boil it will thicken considerably.  Turn back down to a simmer, and slowly whisk in a little at a time into the egg yolk and lemon juice mixture.  This is called tempering.  You want to add a little at a time while whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.  Once your egg mixture is nice and hot, add it into the soup, stirring as you add.

 
Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer, adjust the salt and acid, and voila.  Enjoy over brown rice.

                                        

The Gluten Free Experiment: Days 2 & 3

                                                        

It's interesting how hard, and how easy it is at the same time to give something up from our diet (or our lives for that matter).
For my 31 years of life I have been eating gluten, without thinking about it twice.  All of a sudden, just because of a decision to try something out, I think about anything I am considering eating before
actually doing so: does this have gluten?
Days 2 and 3 were particularly interesting.  One of those days was my day off, and the other the first day at work during the owner's vacation, time during which I am in pretty much in charge (extra stress and insanity included).

On day 2, setting myself up for success I cooked up a storm of gluten free deliciousness: quinoa with roasted beets, fresh peas and feta; grilled asparagus with dill, cilantro and lemon; "fakesoto" my famous brown rice risotto; heirloom beans with collards and bacon; among other things.

                                               

It was a beautiful Spring day.  Sun shining, blue skies, leaves and flowers fluttering in the wind.  My husband was making mint simple syrup to bring to work the next day, and the perfume of mint and sugar spread all over our house, screaming Mint Juleps in my ears.

                                     

As I put on my cutest and flirtiest face to ask him to please make one for me, I realized that I didn't know what grains were gluten free.  I asked him what kind of Bourbon we had, and he told me the brand name, as well as the two grains making it up: corn and rye...
I jumped online to find out if rye was a culprit, and to my dismay, it was indeed.  No Mint Juleps for me...

                                              

Later that day, I was making Chicken Cashew (one of my in laws recipes).  We make a variation of this dish at least every few months.  It is a simple chicken stir fry, to which I always add a bunch of vegetables.  As I reached in the refrigerator for the ingredients to make the sauce, I decided to double check our soy sauce.  I had already thought about the fact that many soy sauces do contain wheat, however, the brand we use at work (where we go through gallons a week) is gluten free, and it is the same brand we have at home.  Alas, the brand makes two kinds of soy sauce, and the bottle in our refrigerator listed wheat as its first ingredient...

Here I am, in the middle of cooking about seven different things, pretty much ready for this sauce to be done, bottle of soy sauce in hand.  What if I just eat a little of this all week? I asked my husband.  He looked at me with the face he makes when whatever idea I am pitching is just wrong and I know it.  Alright, alright!
So I scrambled in the refrigerator to figure out what impromptu sauce to make to turn chicken cashew into something deliciously gluten free.  Asian BBQ it is!  Heirloom tomato ketchup, molasses, apple cider vinegar, sirracha sauce, lime juice. Voila!  It turned out really good.

At the end of the day, after all the chores were done, J surprised me with a delicious, beautiful, gluten free Mojito...

                                                    

 

The next day at work,  I was making bread for hours, and while waiting for it to rise decided to clean out my shelf in the walk-in.  I had a few cake batters, as well as cookie batters from previous tests, and thought it would be a great idea to bake them all for staff meal.  As we walked through the line that afternoon, my friend J (the lady who inspired me to try this gluten free business) and I were the only ones skipping dessert from the buffet.  Sweets are always such a treat at work.  No treat for us.

                                            

This is Day 4.  I am not sure yet if this change is making a difference in my pain level.  I think my knee and ankle pain have indeed improved, but the pain in the actual leg (shin, and inside the bone) are the same.  I think it is honestly too soon to tell, so as of now, I am just examining how this exercise in self restraint is affecting my mind and soul.  One thing's for sure, my creativity is getting better everyday, one gluten free meal at a time.

The Gluten Free Experiment: Day 1

  
                                                  

   These days you hear about people eating gluten free left and right.  Some think it's a fad, others think it's a serious condition.  I always lay right in the middle of both.  From my understanding of how our modern food systems operate, I know that there is more gluten in processed foods than we are meant to consume.  Just as type 2 Diabetes is the result of too much sugar in our diets, gluten sensitivities can be the result of too much gluten in our diets. There is also Celiac disease, which is a much more serious condition.  I was one tested for it, and luckily came out negative.  However, as the doctor explained, the test will only come in positive for gluten sensitivity if you have consumed gluten prior to it, and being that I hadn't eaten in over 12 hours, we couldn't really tell if that was an issue or not.

As you all know, I love food.  And in my quest to eat the most delicious and nutritious foods, I don't necessarily eat too much refined sugars or flours.  However, I do eat a lot of grains, the occasional pasta dish, whole wheat toast with breakfast, etc... So gluten is definitely present in my daily diet.

One of my coworkers suffered an injury similar to mine many years ago.  Much like myself, she is in pain everyday, and her pain worsens when she works longer days on her feet.  We check in with each other everyday, and try to see how much the weather or barometric pressure actually affects us, and are usually surprised to realize that we do hurt more on the same days.  Needless to say, we have developed a bit of a complicity.  We actually really understand how the other one feels when it hurts more, or when we have worked a particularly long day or week.  A few weeks ago however, I was in excruciating pain, and she wasn't hurting at all.  She told me that she had been eating a gluten free diet for 3 days, and that whenever she does this, the pain is much less, even after as little as three days...
She explained she had once done it for over a year, and then gave in to the temptation of cakes and breads, but that after the last few weeks, in which we have been hurting a bit more than usual, she just had to try it again.

I went home that night with the though in my head, and the next morning did a bit of research.  Turns out, one of the manifestations of a gluten sensitivity can be joint pain (as well as headaches, fatigue, and countless other symptoms we don't usually associate with diet).  So if I am indeed gluten sensitive, the pain might get better with a change in diet.  If I'm not, then it will most likely not help at all (although it might still have an effect in other areas of my body).
I decided it was definitely worth a try.

So on Sunday, I went to the store with the experiment in mind, and on Monday, when cooking for the week, I made sure to prepare a little more food than usual, all gluten free.

                                            

My first funny "gluten free" moment, occurred on that same day.  My husband absolutely LOVES White Castle (his sister in law thinks it's a family thing).  For those of you not familiar with it, it is a chain of fast food burgers.  Needless to say, we do not frequent it often.  There are no White Castles in San Francisco, however, there are plenty of them here in Chicago.  So since we arrived, he has been trying to figure out when and how he will be going there. We were at the hardware store getting some gardening supplies, and he realized we were just a few blocks away.  Sure, why not, let's go.  I don't eat that stuff (they are known in the urban legend world of the USA as the "crap" burgers, not because of what they are made of but because of what they make you do...), but maybe I'll have some onion rings.

I remembered my experiment and thought to myself, " Wow, am I really going to be THAT person? The one that walks into White Castle and asks if their onion rings are gluten free?".
As we approached the register I decided it sounded better if I asked if they had flour.  The lovely lady behind the counter (must of been around her 60's, wearing her hairnet as fashionably as some would sport a tiara) said: " I don't know! Hey Mary! Will you show this lady a onion ring?!" So Mary opens the freezer drawer and pulls out a frozen onion ring and holds it up in the air for me to inspect...

It was quite the moment.  I decided against it, and as my husband enjoyed his sliders, I snacked on some almonds I had brought with me for our adventure...

                                             

" And remember that life's a great balancing act..."

                                             

I work in an industry that often assumes, if not flat out expects, that if you are a part of it, your work should take precedence over your life: all of it.
And when it is not the case, you are viewed by some - or most - of your coworkers as lazy, lacking ambition, not devoted enough...  It doesn't matter if you are a fantastic worker. If you go above and beyond to help out or be a team player. If you always have a smile on your face and never fail to do what needs to get done.

I was raised by people who taught me the value of hard work. As a result, I have always had a very strong work ethic. Finding myself in this line of work was a bit like adding insult to injury.
I fell right into it's trap. I never questioned the long hours, or the bad pay. I always justified that if I was working hard, and doing something that I loved, then it must be worth it, or at least ok. I never wondered if it was right or wrong. It was just the way that it was.

                                               

Then one day, life changed it's course and blessed me with an injury that made working those hours extremely painful, and sometimes impossible if not under the influence of pain medication. And I started to wonder if all of this actually makes any sense. Should it really be, that in order to pursue the work that you love, you must deprive yourself of all other pleasures and even basic care? Does that really make any sense? How is that even sustainable? If you keep overworking yourself, and hurting your body, without ever giving anything back to it by the time you're 40, you won't even be able to work anymore!
And in my case, what is the point of giving myself wholeheartedly to a profession that I know I will not be able to keep doing for much longer? 

  There are some people, who choose their career over their personal life.  Others, choose their personal life over their work.  Then there are those blessed few, that either out of sheer luck, or valiant effort, find the perfect balance between both.
 No one is right, no one is wrong.  We are not better, and they are not worse.

                                            

  You go to work, you punch in, you do your job.  You do it well, you do it right, and you take pride in it.  But when the time rolls around, you punch out and you are done.  You call your man, you text your mom, you go to yoga or walk your dog. You meet a friend for dinner, you volunteer, you go spend time outside. You live your life.  You enjoy your home.  You go to a movie, or an art show.  You read a book or cook some dinner.  They watch you, and although they secretly envy you, they judge you.  You must not be committed enough to your career.  You just don't have enough passion.  You arent' ambitious enough to push yourself further.

  On the other side of the coin, you watch them, and feel sorry, for they expend all of their energy on work.  They neglect friends, family, lovers... They neglect their home, they don't have any pets, their fridge is empty, and worse of all, they neglect themselves.
Sure, they are climbing to the top of the mountain, sometimes at an impressive speed.  They are being showered with awards, recognitions, promotions, and often, financial rewards.  You keep walking a straight line, learning, growing, evolving, but not really making any tangible progress as far as the career path is concerned.

                                                         

  But at the end of the day,  or the week, you are less tired.  You enjoy better health, you have more people who have your back, and more love and laughter to rejoice in and spread.  You are not better, they are not worse.
  It's just a matter of which side of the coin means more to you.  What do you want to see in the fabric of your life when you are looking back on it?
Ultimately, the ideal, is to join those who have found the balance.  However, this is sometimes easier said than done.

  Working in this industry after my injury, has made me realize that I don't want to do this forever.  I always remind my coworkers that "first and foremost we are humans" and sometimes, in this line of work, people are treated in a way that does not necessarily respect that statement. 

                                                     

  I want to work in an environment that respects the fact that it doesn't matter how hard we try, most of us can't leave our problems at home.  I want to work somewhere where we can be as committed to our work as we are to our lives, and where most of my coworkers understand and agree with that mindset.  I want to work somewhere where the first thing you hear when you get in is "Hi, how are you today?" and where you can catch up on what you did over the weekend while working.
I want to be on the side of the coin that spends time with their loved ones, that has weekends off to go on little getaways, that has energy to do something fun on their days off.

  Don't get me wrong, I do believe that it is possible to achieve this environment in this industry, and had it not been for my injury, I would still consider finding or creating that place where the passion for the craft and the respect for the worker can coexist. But the truth of the matter is, when my leg hurts everyday, and I have to stand for a living, with no option of sitting down, at any point during my work day or anytime soon, I am forced to reevaluate my situation.

But then again, how do I switch it up? I have been doing this for 12 years now.  I have a fantastic resume.  I am good at it.  I enjoy it (well, I enjoy most of it... Not so much the insane hours, or the mediocre pay but everything else yes...).  How do I dive in to the unknown? How do I face my fear of failure? How do I even make the transition? Who will hire me with no experience at doing anything else?  And what if I miss the industry?  What if I am suffering from a classic case of "the grass is always greener"?

                                                    

The more I think about it, the more I realize that it's just like diving into the ocean, or a river or a lake...  The water might be cold, or murky.  My skin might tighten up as soon as my feet get wet, and I might consider for a moment that I should just lay in the sun instead.  But I don't. I force myself past that initial uncomfortable feeling, because I know it will be worth it. I force myself to get in the water, even thought I am not sure what else is in it.  And when I find myself submerged in it, swimming freely and playfully, I forget how hard it was to get in.  There is nothing as wonderful as swimming in a natural body of water.  Communing with nature in such an intense way that you almost forget where you are, while at the same time being more present and aware of your surroundings than at any other point in that day.

So, this year, I vow to myself that I will make that change... I will slowly enter the cold water, even if my entire body hurts when I submerge myself past my belly button.  I will dive in, even if I am terrified at who or what I might encounter on the other side.  Because the truth of the matter is, life is too short to work only for my days off.

                                                              

And if I fail? "On I will go, though the weather be fowl...Onward up many a frightening creak, though my arms may get sore and my sneakers may leak..."

The grass is greener where you water it, and my arms can no longer reach to water my current lawn (and I can't afford to buy a hose!)  So, I must move on to a smaller patch...And I must believe, that just as I was able to water this one and keep it green and alive for this long, I will be able to care for this next one, and watch it grow into a lush, beautiful lawn, for many years to come...

The abominable eggplant

                                                          

  Last Saturday at the market, I marveled at the beauty of a large mound of at least six different varieties of eggplant. As I handed the vendor my choices she said to me "Aren't these beautiful?"and she added that I was missing out on her favorite variety, the Bianca Rosa.  She is from Israel, where she told me there are so many varieties of this fruit (I know, weird) and out of all the ones she has ever had, this is the best. I ended up going home with a Bianca Rosa and a Fairy Tale (even the names are beautiful!) currently in my favorite bowl on the counter.

                                       
                                       
    When we were kids, my parents were very strict about our eating habits.  As annoying as most of their rules were to my childhood self and my brother, looking back now, I see that most of them were meant to keep us as nourished as possible while also teaching us the value of food.

                                    

  We weren't allowed to eat sugary/colored cereals; cookies and snacks were kept in a locked pantry to which only our mother held the key; sodas were only for vacations or special occasions; you had to eat what was served whether you liked it or not, and if you didn't eat it, it would be served to you again for your next meal...Fortunately for our little brother, these rules seem to have been forgotten by the time he was eating cereals, but that is another post altogether...

  One of my strongest memories of these enforcements, was a night at the dinner table, when my brother F didn't want to eat his eggplant.  We hated it! He fought, he cried, he argued, while my parents calmly explained to him that there were people who didn't have anything to eat, and that eggplant was not only delicious, it was also good for you, so he had to eat it.  Against his will, F swallowed the eggplant, and minutes later, I watched in horror as he threw it up all over the dining room floor.

  I am not sure if this turn of events changed my parents rules at all - they actually claim to not remember this episode - but it made my disdain for eggplant became embedded in my brain forever.  Or so I thought...

 Years later I ended up working at a Greek restaurant first as a cook, then as a sous-chef.  There is a quintessential Greek spread made of eggplant called Melitzanosalata.  We made buckets of it every day, which meant I had to taste it every day.  To my surprise, I loved every bite of it.

 After that, I decided I would let eggplant into my life, and discovered that there are only a few preparations of it I don't enjoy.  Among my favorite are picy szechuan eggplant which is amazing (they deep fry it before stir frying it with the seasonings), as well as a Japanese dish, in which it's served with a sweet sauce that also blew my mind the first time I had it.

                                                  

 This past summer, I found an easy and quick way to prepare it (very similar to Melitzanosalata) that can be used as both a dip or a side dish (I love me some dip!), and I  made it almost every week (I'm actually making another batch today, since from my visit to the market on Saturday it seems as if Northern California is still stuck in the Summer as far as produce is concerned).
 Below is the recipe.  If using as a dip, it's delicious with whole grain pita chips.  If using as a vegetable, it is fantastic mixed with equal parts of brown rice or quinoa for lunch.

 My brother still won't eat it, but I hope my experience will inspire him to some day  open to the sweet side of this old enemy of ours.
 
Roasted Eggplant Dip/Side

2                    ea                 Eggplants, peeled and diced into large chunks
2                    ea                 Garlic Cloves, diced
2                    ea                 Tomatoes, diced into small pieces
1                   TB                 Shallot or Red Onion, finely chopped
2                    ea                 Lemons, juiced (you might need a bit more or less to taste)
                                           Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil and Cilantro or Dill to taste.

                                    

Preheat the oven to 350.  On a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, toss the eggplant with the garlic, enough olive oil to coat, and a few sprinkles of salt.

                                        

 Add a splash of water to tray, and roast for about 20 to 30 min, or until the eggplant is soft and looks shiny and brownish.  If it looks like it's drying too much, add more water.

                                        

Let cool.  In a food processor, puree the eggplant with a little olive oil and the juice of one lemon.

                                      

Then add the tomatoes, onion or shallot and the herbs, and season to taste.  If it's too dry, add more olive oil, or even a little water.

                                        

Enjoy!