Compliments of Harvest2U
Think you’re the only one scrambling to figure out what’s for dinner tonight? We all do it – fly in from work absolutely famished, dig through the freezer and come up with nothing but a pair of lamb chops from the mid-90s and a bag full of sorry looking frozen beans. But with this recipe, besides the eggplant and ground meat, you are likely to have all of these ingredients ready in your pantry.
Ingredients:
2 large eggplants*
5 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
8-oz ground beef, bison or pork, cooked
¼ cup almond flour
2 tbsps fresh chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
*A little food for thought: Apparently there is such a thing as a “male” and “female” eggplant (not in the biological sense). According to those in the know, the male eggplant has fewer seeds and is therefore less bitter than the female version, making it more desirable. So how do you determine “gender”? Flip the eggplant over and look at the base – male eggplants have a shallow and round indentation, while female eggplants will have a deep groove or dash.
Method:
Wash the eggplants and cut in half lengthwise. With a spoon, remove pulp (but don’t throw away!) to leave a scooped-shell about ½ an inch thick. Next, chop the eggplant pulp coarsely and set aside. In a large skillet, heat half of the olive oil. Place the eggplant shells cut-side down and cook for about five minutes. With tongs, transfer shells to a shallow, oven-proof dish. Add remaining oil to skillet and sauté onions and garlic for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add eggplant pulp, tomatoes, thyme, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste and cook over medium-high heat until the majority of the moisture evaporates and you are left with a stew-like mixture. Remove from heat and mix in cooked meat. Next, stuff the eggplant shells with the stew-like mixture, top with almond flour (a stand in for breadcrumbs) and bake in a 400° pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, top with chopped parsley.
Serves 4.
Nutrition Analysis:
Calories: 384
Fat: 29 grams (65% calories from fat)
Carbs: 19 grams (19% calories from carbs)
Protein: 15.3 grams (16% calories from protein)
