Main Course: Sweet and Sour Eggplant and Chickpeas

Borrowed almost intact from Martha Rose Shulman

This dish makes me weak at the knees.  I've heard that if pomegranate molasses is hard to source, you can make your own by reducing pomegranate juice until it reaches molasses consistency.

1 medium to large eggplant, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2" slices
2+ Tbs. olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. pomegranate molasses
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tbs. flat leaf parsley, minced

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray or brush with olive oil.  Place eggplant slices onto foil and spray or brush their upper surfaces with olive oil.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is lightly browned.  Remove baking sheet from the oven, and fold and crimp the foil to form a pouch around the roasted eggplant.  Allow to steam 20 minutes.

2. Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil over medium high heat in a large, lidded skillet.  Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds.  Stir in tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper.  Mash tomatoes lightly with a fork until they break down somewhat.  Bring to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

3. Add eggplant, pomegranate molasses and chickpeas to the skillet.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until eggplant becomes very soft and begins to fall apart.  Adjust seasoning as necessary.

4. Serve over brown rice, topped with minced parsley.

Main Course: Broccoli Pesto

This is great over pasta, or stuffed into shells, or rolled into cooked lasagne sheets that are then baked with tomato sauce and cheese until bubbly.

12 oz. broccoli florets, steamed
6 oz. silken tofu
6 cloves garlic, roasted
1 Tbs. fresh oregano leaves
1/3 c. Romano cheese, grated
vegetable broth, as needed
1/2 tsp. salt
black pepper to taste

1. In a food processor, combine broccoli, tofu, garlic and oregano.  Pulse until thoroughly combined.

2. Add cheese, salt and pepper, and process continuously until a smooth texture is achieved.  Add small splashes of broth if required for mixture to incorporate.

Miscellaneous: Peanut Butter Banana Dog Treats

Based on a recipe from Allrecipes

If you want to get fancy, this dough can be rolled, cut into shapes and brushed with egg white before baking.  But, frankly, the dog is pretty excited by these even without the extra effort.


1 egg
1/3 c. peanut butter
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 Tbs. honey
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. oatmeal

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Puree egg, peanut butter, banana and honey.

3. Mix flour and oatmeal in a bowl, then mix in wet ingredients until incorporated.  Pinch off balls of dough, then flatten between palms.

4. Place on silpat lined or lightly oiled baking sheet and bake until brown on undersurface.  Flip and continue baking until brown on the second side, about 30 minutes all together.