Caponata

I’ve added another Italian dish to my repertoire. It was so hard not to eat all of this in one sitting. It was perfectly light and mostly healthy [I mean, sure, it has some oil, but the rest of it isn’t bad for you]. I scarfed it down on a bed of quinoa because I don’t trust myself alone with a baguette. If it weren’t for the fact I needed to head to yoga 30 minutes after eating, I would have probably eaten the whole eggplant.

By the time I biked back home [biking uphill after doing 75 minutes of yoga is really a bummer, I can assure you], the leftovers had cooled and I placed it in the fridge for my lunch. What a GOOD lunch, too. Perfect for sitting outside in the lovely weather.

I had grand plans to grill up the eggplant, but this was far better. The beauty of it is I usually have most of this stuff on hand. It’s just a matter of picking up an eggplant.

Inspiration: Not Without Salt

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant, cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• [alternatively use 6 tablespoons of a vinaigrette dressing of choice]
• 1 tablespoon olive oil [to saute with]
• 1/2 onion, chopped into big pieces
• 2 tablespoons cashews [or pine nuts]
• 1/2-1 teaspoon of chili flakes [1 for me!]
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme [or Italian blend]
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup water
• baguette, prepared quinoa to serve with

Preparation

1. Place eggplant, olive oil, and balsamic in a bowl. Mix and allow to sit for 10 minutes [or while you prepare everything else]
2. Saute the onions in olive oil. Allow them to caramelize. This will take a 5-10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add in the cashews and chili flake.
4. Continue to stir until the chili starts getting really fragrant.
5. Add the eggplant, sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa.
6. Allow it to cook another 5 minutes until the eggplant gets soft.
7. Add the dried thyme, tomato paste, and water.
8. Mix together, cover with a lid, and reduce heat.
9. Die from the sensory overload.
10. Peel yourself off the floor.
11. Allow it to cook for 10-15 minutes undercover. You want the eggplant to start getting really saucy.
12. Sample the goodness and decide whether it needs salt. I omitted it.
13. Throw it in a bowl on top of some quinoa and call it a day.