Several weeks ago, I attended a health fair at work. I thought I'd been careful about what I eat and drink, and hey, the times I slipped, it's ok because I either go on a long run or to cycling class at the gym 3-4 times a week, right?
Wrong-o.
My blood pressure was 140/90. I insisted that couldn't be right and made them do it again. The second time around it read 155/100. The nurse would not do a third reading. The bad news continued: my cholesterol was an artery-clogging 278. The only bright spot was my blood glucose was within normal, if a little on the high side of normal.
When what you're doing isn't working, doing more of the same isn't going to help. It's not going to be enough for me to pay little more than lip-service to eating healthy and going to the gym (or on a run) a few days a week. It was time for me to take serious action. One of the first things I did was become a member at Orlando's Homegrown Food Co-op. Every week, for the sum total of twenty five bucks and 75 cents, they deliver a box of the freshest produce they have on hand at the time.
And that is where the purpose of this blog comes. I've never approached cooking from the standpoint of, "This is what I have and I'm going to do something creative with it." I've always been an uncreative, read-the-list-of-ingredients-then-go-to-the-grocery-store kind of cook.
Case in point. Yesterday, three eggplants arrived in the box. I don't think I've EVER cooked anything with eggplant in it. What in the world am I going to make with three eggplants???
Lisa then suggested baba ganoush. Duh! Why didn't I think of that - I LOVE baba ganoush. We found a basic recipe, then I had my second revalation - I have most of the stuff to make it already! After a quick trip to Publix for some tahini, lemons and pita bread, I was ready to try and make baba ganoush for the first time.
Step one is broiling the eggplants. Broiling has been a dirty word in my cooking vocabulary, since every time I've ever broiled anything, it's ended up in disaster. I poked a bunch of holes all over the eggplants with a fork and put them under the broiler. Keep turning them periodically to insure that they get roasted all the way through. The heat is intense, so it won't take long. When the skin starts to look charred all around, poke the eggplant with a fork. If it pierces the skin easily, it's probably done. You could try cutting into it as well, with larger eggplants (mine were pretty small).
Peel the eggplants (I put mine in the freezer for a bit to cool them down), then throw them into a food processor with garlic (the basic recipe I used said 1-2 cloves, but I love garlic and used 3), 3 tablespoons tahini, juice from a lemon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, puree until creamy, and you have a wonderful, garlicky, lemony baba ganoush. I also topped mine off with freshly chopped parsley.
Keep in mind, I used three relatively small organic eggplants. You may only want to use 1 or 2 if you're using a regular grocery store "franken" eggplant.
Tomorrow, I will tackle bok choy for the first time with Emeril Lagasse's steamed baby bok choy with broiled salmon, accompanied by okra cooked in Indian spices. And I will remember to take pictures.
Comfort food doesn't have to be what we've always thought it is.
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