EGGPLANT with PEPPERS, TOMATOES and GARLIC
I made a trip to the Farmers Market in Farmingdale looking for fresh produce. I like supporting the local Long Island farms but better than that I love the goodies I get to take home! I scored some fabulous eggplant, green beans, tomatoes, garlic and other tasty morsels. Hence the creation of this healthy easy side dish.
I used 2 medium eggplant, 1 orange pepper, 2 medium tomatoes and 3 cloves of garlic. I mostly peeled the eggplant just leaving a few thin strips of skin still on and it cut into small cubes. I used a preheated nonstick grill pan sprayed with avocado oil on medium heat to saute the eggplant for like 4-5 minutes stirring often with a spatula. You want them to brown a little so adjust heat to medium high as needed and use more avocado oil spray to prevent sticking to pan. Then add the chopped orange pepper to the pan, cook about 3-4 more minutes turning as needed. Careful not to overcook the eggplant or it will become mushy, but thats okay if you like it that way. Next add in the chopped tomatoes along with the chopped garlic, or if you prefer use a garlic press. At this point reduce heat to medium low, sprinkle with some olive oil and salt to taste. cook for a couple of minutes or to your liking. Remove from pan onto serving platter and garnish with fresh chopped basil. This yields 3-4 side servings. Delish, enjoy!
You can double or triple the recipe to yield more side servings or to use as a main entree. There are many ingredients that can be added to make it a main dish but then you also are increasing your prepping time, cooking and work involved. Just a few ideas for add ins onions, squash, assorted peppers, hot peppers, potatoes, cut sausage or meatballs, and of course you can serve it on top of pasta!
Thanks for joining me, be back soon with another simple healthy side! Peace and be well.