Stretch Your Food Dollar: Eat Your Broccoli, Part 2
This is the seventh installment in our weekly series about food budgeting. Last week one of our readers made a really good comment about factoring the cost of driving into your food budget. It’s been a long-standing mantra that the best way to save money on food is to check out the weekly food ads to look for the best deals. But if you have to drive to a store that’s out of your way just to save a few bucks on meat or produce, is it really worth it? For me, the answer is yes, but only because fresh produce is the cornerstone of my vegetarian diet. However, I only shop at 2 stores, and I buy my produce from one of them on Wednesdays, when you get the sale prices from both the previous and upcoming weeks. It makes it very worth the three-mile drive to the store.
In addition to watching the sale prices, I’ve already mentioned several times that I’m a big fan of shopping at the farmers’ market and taking advantage of the weekly produce basket from our community supported agriculture collective. It’s always exciting to see what’s iavailable each week. The challenge, though, is that we don’t get to choose what’s in the basket. For the past few weeks, we’ve been up to our ears in okra and eggplant, which I love. But what can you do with these vegetables so that you don’t get tired of eating the same old thing?
Eggplant is high in vitamin A and calcium. Because there are several varieties, it frequently appears in both Mediterranean and Asian cuisines. This week I thought I would share two recipes for using eggplant a side dish, and one as the main event. I hope you enjoy them. And if you have any suggestions for using okra, please share them in the comments section. I’m quickly running out of ideas, and the summer isn’t over yet!
Eggplant Roll-Ups with Pesto
1 (1-2 lb) eggplant
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
Pesto
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1-2 cloves garlic
salt to taste
3 Tbsp olive oil
lemon juice, to taste
1. Place all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Blend until all the ingredients are finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
2. Preheat broiler. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets and set aside.
3. Trim both ends of the eggplant and stand it upright on its flattest end. Remove most of the skin in thin slices. Cut lengthwise into 2 equal halves.
4. Place 1 half, cut side down, on a cutting board. With one hand resting on the top of the eggplant, make 6 equal lengthwise cuts with a large, sharp knife. Repeat with the remaining eggplant half.
5. Place the eggplant slices on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops evenly with 1 Tbsp of oil and sprinkle with salt. Broil about 4 inches from the heat source until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Turn the slices over; brush the tops with the remaining oil, and broil until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Remove the baking sheets from the oven; reduce the oven temperature to 425 F.
6. Brush 2 tsp of the pesto down the center of each eggplant slice. Starting at the narrow end, roll up. Transfer all the rolls, seam-side down, to a baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with foil and bake for 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is fork tender and the pesto is heated through. Serve warm or at room temperature.
**This recipe was adapted from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein. It makes 6 servings. If you would like to serve this as a main dish, you could serve it with rice or couscous.
Baba Ghanouj
2 (1 lb) eggplants
8 large cloves garlic, peeled (6 left whole, 2 finely minced)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 cup tahini
4-6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp chopped, fresh, flat-leaf parsley
1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Pierce the eggplant with a fork. Rub the eggplant and whole garlic with 1/2 Tbsp of oil.
2. Place the eggplant and garlic on an ungreased baking sheet. Roast for 5 minutes and turn the garlic. Roast for 5 minutes and remove the garlic; set aside.
3. Continue cooking the eggplant for 15 to 25 minutes more, or until the skin is blackened and the insides are soft. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, but do not turn the oven off.
4. Carefully cut the stems off of the eggplants. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Drain, cut-side down, on several layers of paper towels.
5. Meanwhile, place the cumin seeds on a dry baking sheet or in an ovenproof skillet; cook in the oven until fragrant and lightly toasted, stirring once (about 2 minutes). Set aside.
6. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, strip away and discard the skin. Transfer the flesh to a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Mash the roasted garlic with a fork and add to the eggplant. Pulse until just combined. Add the raw garlic, remaining oil, tahini, lemon juice, ground cumin, cayenne, sale, and pepper. Pulse until thoroughly combined.
7. Garnish with roasted cumin seeds and parsley. Serve with pita bread.
**This recipe was also adapted from The Vegan Mediterranean Kitchen. It makes 8 servings and can be stored in the refrigerator (minus the garnish) for up to 2-3 days.
Cantonese Eggplant
3 medium eggplants, sliced diagonally in 1/4-inch slices
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3 drops sesame oil
Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp sesame seeds
1. Mis the soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat a little canola oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Arrange a layer of eggplant slices in the pan, making sure they don’t overlap. (You will need to cook more than one batch.) Pour some canola oil on a spoon and drip it on the eggplant in a clockwise direction, starting at the middle of the pan and moving in a spiral towards the sides. Use enough oil to evenly brown the eggplant. Turn the eggplant over and repeat.
3. When the eggplant is grilled, add the soy sauce mixture and stir until eggplant slices are evenly covered. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.
**This recipe was adapted from Asian Vegan Cooking by Kim Le. It makes 4 servings and can be served with rice.
Having to factor in Gas expense is true but I wonder for just how large a portion of the population it actually matters.
For a Vegetarian who needs a good Farmers Market or Produce Store yes…as well as for those ethnic background requires trips to “specialty stores” that have the ingredients and spices needed for prepping the comfort food they know and love as well as those who might live in more rural areas.
While the area I live in outside Orlando can’t be classified as “big city” by any means I have multiple options for shopping that do not require useing extra gas.
On my way to or from work in the 12 mile trip I pass by 2 Wal-Mart Supercenters, a Publix and Winn Dixie supermarkets, a Save-A-Lot discount market, 2 Produce Markets, a Bravo (latin) Supermarket..its within walking distance to my house as is the Publix, Save-A-Lot, and one Produce market…I also pass a second Mexican Market and a less than quarter mile detour takes me to a giant Oriental Market or across the street a Carribean market..both of which are in what were 50,000 square foot “American Style” supermarkets years ago. (both were actually Publix Markets at one time..one that became the Carribean Supercenter closed when they built the new one across the street and when that one closed after 15 years the 1st Oriental SuperMarket took it over).
I have to wonder if I might be spoiled by all the choices even in my small city.
~ Roland
Roland, I think you are spoiled! How convenient to be located near so many markets.
Boccoli? Part broccoli, part bok choy?
LOL…Thanks Serena!!
I do have another observation…I’ve noticed that a lot of the diverse markets and the Produce Markets tend to be…how should I put it…in areas that are of a “Lower Socie-Economic Strata”. Areas where rent is cheaper and more peoples diets consist of the types of foodstuffs they carry.
The closest to my home is a Bravo Supermarket which is a chain of independently owned stores that cater to the Latin market. It’s in a building that once held a 35,000 square foot Winn Dixie..way under the standard size now.
And I’m sure you would LOVE it. They (Latins) take produce seriously and have a larger selection than even the Wal-Mart Supercenter does. And has the added bonus that its easy to navigate being 1/5 the size of Wally World.
~ Roland
A.J.: Nice catch. I added the “r” back in the title. But I like that: “Boccoli” as the blend of broccoli and bok choy… kind of like broccoflower, the cauliflower-broccoli cross. I guess I’m slackin’ these days on my editor responsibilities… I’ve been busy learning about YouTube videos.
Roland, I think it is absolutely fascinating to look at class markers in the supermarket. For example, in Arizona there is a chain of grocery stores that is owned by the Basha family. AJ’s Fine Foods is the stores’ name in the high income neighborhoods. Basha’s is in the medium income neighborhoods. And Food City is in low income neighborhoods. The quality of the produce between the three stores is shocking. A pint of strawberries at AJ’s will have huge berries that are a dark red. The ones in Food City will be small and pale. And you won’t find chorizo or other “poor people’s foods” at AJ’s. You’re more likely to see Andouille sausage or Pancetta.
I shop primarily at Trader Joe’s and Sunflower, because they both offer a wide selection of veggie friendly foods. They’re both frequented by yuppies and dirty hippies, so I fit right in! ;^)
AJ, thanks for catching the typo. I was a little worried about all the okra in my kitchen, so I missed the broccoli snafu! :^)