spicy eggplant basil stir-fry

When I hear eggplant and basil, my mind goes straight to the delicious Italian dishes I grew up with but tonight I'm straying from the norm.  Our basil is growing like weeds out back and I just got an eggplant and jalapenos fresh from a family friend's garden (my eggplants aren't quite ready for harvest just yet).  I've had eggplant basil dishes at Thai restaurants before and love the Asian inspired flavors, but could do with out the crazy amounts of extra sauce so I thought I'd give the dish a go.  

Spicy Eggplant Basil Stir-fry (serves 4)
1 medium eggplant
1 tsp crushed garlic
3 green onion stalks
1/2 red bell pepper
 2 jalapeno peppers
1 generous handful fresh basil
1 package firm tofu, drained and pressed 
4 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 tsp Siracha sauce (optional if you like things HOT)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup water

Start by prepping the tofu.  Cut it into smaller chunks, place it on a bunch of paper towels, fold the paper towels to cover the tofu, then place your cutting board on top.  The added weight of you chopping the veggies will help the tofu to drain a little quicker.  Don't let the tofu deter you from this recipe.  If you're not down to give the tofu a try, opt for chicken or lean beef... you need some protein to balance out the meal. 
Next, prep the jalapenos.  It seems like common knowledge but, be careful handling hot peppers!  Don't touch your face, especially your eyes... Slice the peppers in half then take out the seeds and ribs.  If you like things hot leave some of the insides and just give them a good chop. 

 Then cut the green onions (otherwise known as scallions) about an inch long.  Cut the red bell pepper into thin strips.  Next chop the eggplant, I like to leave the skin on, but do whatever floats your boat. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok on medium heat.  Add the eggplant to the pan.  Add the water as needed so the eggplant doesn't stick, you may not need to add the entire 1/2 cup.  Once the eggplant starts to soften, add the peppers, green onion, garlic, and teriyaki sauce. Reduce the heat a little bit. 

Then add the tofu. Be careful when you stir so the tofu pieces don't crumble.  If you like things really spicy, add some Siracha sauce or some other hot sauce of your choice.  Taste it before you add the sauce, the heat from the jalapeno can sneak up on you.  I like it hot, but not inedible.  Lastly, add the basil and cook for another 5 minutes or so, just long enough to wilt the leaves.    

I served the stir fry over brown rice garnished with a sprig of fresh basil. Yum! 

Calorie Count: This recipe contains approximately 195 calories, not including the brown rice. 

stuffed peppers

The temperature has finally dropped a few degrees and I know longer fear the wrath of the oven.  So for dinner tonight I made stuffed green peppers, overflowing with  brown rice, ground turkey, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, tomato and peas.  It's loaded with veggies boosting the fiber content-- helping you feel full without loading up on unhealthy calories. 
I must admit though, unlike most of my recipes I don't think this falls under the quick and simple category.  Because stuffed peppers is a multi-step process i.e. cooking the rice, then the turkey, mixing everything together, then baking the peppers I did some of the work last night to shorten my cooking time today.  I prepped all my veggies and cooked the rice last night, leaving only cooking the meat, mixing it all up and baking for tonight. 

Stuffed Peppers (serves 6)
Ingredients:
3 large green peppers 
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes, No Added Salt if available
1 8 oz can tomato sauce, No Added Salt if available
~1 lb raw lean ground turkey (97% lean)
1/2 zucchini, chopped (about a cup)
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
cooking spray
optional: grated or shredded cheese


Start by chopping the zucchini, mushrooms, and onion.  After I did this, I put them all in the same container along with the frozen peas and stuck it in the fridge until I was ready for it.  Next, cut and clean out the peppers.  I was undecided so I cut one pepper length-wise, one width wise, and one just trimming the top.  If I were to make these again, I'd probably just trim the top on all the peppers to get 1 serving per pepper rather than 2, which in turn would boost the calorie content of each serving. 

  Next cook the rice and set aside.  In a big skillet brown up the ground turkey on medium heat and add the fresh garlic.  Drain any excess liquid from the meat then add all the veggies to the skillet.  

Stir to mix up then add the stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Break up any big tomato chunks.  Add the rice, reduce to low and simmer.  Add a pinch of salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Cook on low for about 10 minutes then remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a large baking dish with a little cooking spray.  Stuff each pepper with a heaping scoop of filling and place in baking dish.  Set aside any extra filling. 

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and poke a few holes to allow steam to escape.  Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until peppers soften.  Quickly reheat the extra filling in the microwave or stove-top and top each pepper with another hefty scoop of the rice mixture, evenly atop each pepper until left overs are gone.  Top with a little grated or shredded cheese if you like!

NEW FEATURE:
The recipe (serves 6) contains approximately 200 calories per serving.  If you cut the top off each pepper and make 1 serving per pepper rather than 2 servings,  the filling (as is) will stuff 4 large peppers and boost the calorie count to 310 calories.  This recipe is low in fat and high in fiber. 

Note: calorie count does not include cheese.