Something Old, Something New

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Dinner last night was, surprise, surprise, a big bowl of raw veggies. Affectionately referred to as a Hugh Jass Salad by Sarah. Mine had:
*Mixed Organic Greens
*Red Pepper
*Orange Pepper
*Raw corn
*Cucumber
*Tomato
*Broccoli
It was great. I love the tried-and-trued-ness of a nice Hugh Jass. It may be Something Old, but definitely not played out.

Close up of salad with mixed vegetables in bowl

Recently, I also got a couple eggplants in my CSA box. For the life of me, I’ve been trying for years to figure out a way to prepare eggplant so that it’s either not overcooked mush (the oven method for me…hmmm, all things point to a Raw Diet for me!) OR raw and rubbery. I think I nearly hit a winner on this one.

What I did was dice up the eggplant, season with ginger, cumin, black pepper, and OJ. No oil whatsoever. Then, I pan sauteed it for literally 1 minute, added this handy dandy sauce that I mentioned the recipe for in this post, and after the sauce was on, I gave the E Plant another 30 seconds in the pan and put it in a container. Refrigerated it all day so by the time dinner rolled around, it was a cool eggplant salad. Well, it was at least chunks of E Plant on top my Hugh Jass.
Cool eggplant salad in clear plastic container

My assessment was that it was seasoned wonderfully, no soaking up a liter of cooking oil and greasy the way most E Plant seems to get, but I probably could have sauteed it another 30-60 seconds. I was so afraid of overcooking it, that I think I slightly undercooked it, but it was fine. Skylar and Scott even ate it. I was impressed that they partook in the Something New.

The Cinnamon Cumin Ginger Dipping Sauce that I slathered on the E Plant.
Cinnamon Cumin Ginger Dipping sauce in small mason jar

And with that, I must get back to exciting things like folding laundry and gearing up for our 5 mile Power Walk through Balboa Park. Friday nights are so interesting in the park; lots of people all gussied up attending swanky functions within the Park. And then there’s us, and the other people getting their workout in, who are sweaty and in workout attire. A dichotomous mix.

:)
Averie

Tip of the Day: Chop your veggies ahead of time. I always have many containers of pre-chopped veggies and fruits in the fridge. This may sound like common sense, but it bears repeating. For the things that won’t go all wilty and weird on you, chop it up ahead of time. That way when you’re famished or just in a need of a quick snack to munch on, you’ve got everything in containers, ready to eat, and that bag of chips or whatever doesn’t seem any “easier” than opening your container of pre-chopped fruits or veggies.
Sliced red peppers on cutting board

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Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

Comments

  1. Nice post Averie! I especially like the bit about not skipping out on your workout. I need to remind myself of it. Congrats on the new pad too. Loving the look of the kitchen. Woo hoo! xx

  2. Ohhh, thanks you VeggieGirl, that's so nice of you to say. And yes, I lovvvve it too, and I haven't even made anything in it yet! The cupboard and countertop workspace is seriously about 3x of what I have in my current downtown pad. I will be sure to post completion pics, too. Thanks for the shout-out!! :)