Although I am not a vegetarian, I occasionally enjoy meatless dinner options without even thinking twice. And having this demand from my clients, I am constantly searching for more and more options and various cuisines to make my menus more interesting. Flipping through old Food & Wine magazines, I found this recipe, created by Grace Parisi. It had all the ingredients I like. Here is my slightly adapted version of
Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas and Spinach
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
- 1 dried, crumbled chili if you like to add heat
- 1/2 cup organic coconut oil
- 1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 3/4-inch pieces (I did not peel the eggplant)
- 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and washed in colander
- 1/4 cup finely julienned fresh ginger
- Freshly ground pepper and Himalayan pink salt
- 1 5-oz bag baby spinach
- Warm naan and Greek yogurt, for serving
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. On a work surface, mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. In a large bowl, mix the paste with the curry powder and vegetable oil. Cut eggplant into similar size cubes, mix with onion, chickpeas and ginger, season with salt and pepper. Toss well together with the dressing so every piece is coated with seasoning and oil.
Spread the vegetables in an even layer and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the eggplant and onion are tender. Take out of the oven, stir in the spinach (mix so it’s covered with roasted vegetables) and roast just until wilted, about 2 minutes. Serve with warm naan and yogurt.
Seasoned yogurt:
- 3 full tablespoons of Greek yogurt
- 1 clove of garlic, mashed
- Juice from half a lemon
- Salt and pepper
- Freshly cut mint and parsley
Mix together and enjoy with curried eggplant dish.
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