So, I WANTED to walk this morning for #wednesdaywalk! Because I love @tattoodjay's community there! It's a great place for us to share our world with one another, as he often comments! And I just love interacting with him and people there and seeing where you live and walk!
But.. HERE is what I was faced with when I opened my front door!!!!! LOL
So, that's why I didn't put this into the WednesdayWalk community! Though, i was tempted!!! hahahaha But no - let's keep that place safe for the walks and I had to save my walking for around the kitchen today - because you can see me in the doorway - and no. no. nope!!! LOL
As you can see - my hubby was home today, (He is 6'8" and look at that snow next to him! LOLOL) - and had some shoveling to do! He had to go in and out multiple times! Going to shovel, going to turn off power from PG&E, going to get gas for the generator, and that snow is up to my ribs!!! MY RIBS. So it's not easy walking for anyone! hehe
At lunchtime, I thought hmmm I bet he would like a nice hot lunch - and I was definitely hungry, now that my fast was over and I could eat again! hehehe I've been trying to limit the amount of meats and starches since I'm still transitioning back to my normal eating stage. This stage is called the "re-feeding" stage after a long distance fast! haha and so what better way to eat - than vegan! like my sweet friends @samsmith1971, @itsostylish, and @mypathtofire!! hehehe
And before you go - ohhhhh nooooo. a vegan dish? this isn't for me!!
I actually SAW this recipe and thought it looked amazing, and it wasn't until after I was getting the ingredients did I realize it was actually vegan! hehehe I think often we set ourselves up for thinking something will be boring and bland and tasteless - when we hear vegan! Instead - we should be looking at the MULTITUDE of flavors out there - across the ingredient spectrum!!! And if you need MORE proof of that - check out @itsostylish' post from yesterday here if you're in the mood for a ROAST (that's vegan!) hehehe
As a matter of fact, I'm posting in this community today BECAUSE I didn't even know there WAS a vegan community until she posted that recipe! hehe
so...
Here we go! In honor of my foodie friends - let's dive in!!!!
What are we making today? Well, I don't know the name of it - but I'll show you the link for the INSTAGRAM reel (at the bottom of the post!) that first made my mouth water with this tasty dish!!!
I love that a lot of the Reels that I see on IG show new spices that I've never seen or heard of before! In this particular recipe - it called for ALEPPO PEPPER! Have you ever heard of that? It's a spice that is originally from Syria that comes from a smokey, spicy pepper that has trace hints of raisin and cinnamon!
Sounds delish! But I didn't have any! hehehe So I googled what I could use to substitute! I love experimenting in the kitchen! So after googling and then OOGLING in my my spice cabinet - I came up with a blend. I mixed red chili flakes, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, a dash of cumin, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a bit of cajun seasoning! and that's what you see below!
Now that we have that set up - let's get to our EGGPLANT!
If you don't like eggplants - it's probably because they are a very juicy plant that has an.... interesting... texture. hehehe Some might even say slimy/squishy? BUT DON'T RUN AWAY!!! I have a tip for you!
First, let's slice it into 1/2 inch slices! Easy, peesy!
Then we are going to use SCIENCE to change the texture of our eggplant! hehe
Remember osmosis??
When water moves from a less concentrated solution to a higher concentration? So - If you salt your eggplant the water will be pulled from the eggplant! giving us a less "squishy" veggie, and firming it up! and indeed... let us see, shall we?
BUT FIRST - let's score the eggplant in a criss-cross manner! Why? Well - that's what the recipe shows, and also - it looks pretty - and finally, it PROBABLY cooks more evenly. But to be honest? I don't know. hahaha
NOW, let's salt it! (I used Pink Himalayan salt) and then just let it sit.
Take a look - after a few minutes, that water is really starting to be pulled from the eggplant!!
After it has pulled as much as YOU'D like out (and by the way - if you slice it thinner, and salt - it can REALLY be a perfect texture for eggplant parmesan, or eggplant rolls, or eggplant lasagna!!!), then you're gonna pat dry, and get it ready for the next part!
Now we are going to take some of that "homemade aleppo-substitute pepper" and mix 1.5 Tablespoons of that - with 1.5 Tbsp of brown sugar (I acutally substituted coconut sugar because I really love the deeper flavor there! It's not just sweet - it's got a much more complex flavor!) plus 1 tsp of seasoning salt (I did a bit less, since I salted the egglplant) and 1.5 Tbsp of smoked paprika.
Here is that mixture below!
Next, you're going to combine those dry seasonings with 1/4 cup of olive oil, and mix it into a syrupy paste. Then, you will brush this on both sides of your eggplant and place onto a hot cast iron griddle !
Next - cook until it reaches your desired crisp! I tend to love when its darker - like cajun and blackened!!! The flavor is YUM!!! but it's very nice when its just toasty brown too!
While those are toasting, you're going to toast your walnuts in another pan. Since I love adjusting recipes - I had some pine nuts also - and I mixed them into the walnuts! I smashed the walnuts into pieces and then started toasting - no oil - just a hot pan! Then I added in the pine nuts! Be careful - WATCH THESE - they can burn fast!!!
Now they're ready to be set aside. Don't leave them in the hot pan!!! They will continue to cook there, and they WILL burn. You really won't like that bitter taste - it will ruin the whole dish. So be ready to transfer!
Now, you'll just put together your sauce! I didn't take pics of this because I just put it on a jar and shook it up! But it is 3 Tbsp tahini, 1Tbsp miso paste, 1.5 tsp maple syrup, 1.5 tsp rice vinegar, and then just a splash of water until you get the consistency you like! I actually added 1 Tbsp of maple syrup instead of what was recommended. I think that because of the salty, spicy nature of the dish - it could handle that extra sweet!
Also - mix together some spices for the garnish. I used dry dill, parsley, and chives. You can use fresh if you have it! But I didn't! So the dried worked just fine for me!
And when all is said and done? Here is what it looked like. After you plate the egglpant, drizzle some olive oil, some of the miso tahini sauce, and sprinkle the toasted nuts, pomegranate seeds, and dried seasonings!
Now, sometimes you get a great shot - and sometimes, you just don't! I can't tell if this looks as good as it tasted - but it was DELICIOUS!!! Savory, Spicy, Salty, Sweet. Sour and Umami!!! hehehe It hit EVERY note. The texture was diverse also - with the meaty texture of the egglplant, the crunch of the nuts, the smooth syrupy texture of the sauce and the burst of juicy pomegranate seeds - this seriously is a dish that you NEED to indulge!!!
Hope you enjoyed this!
and if you want to see the super fast 30 second Instagram REEL version - HERE IS THAT VIDEO
Thanks for visiting!!
All images are mine :)