Nightshade Anyone?: Purple Pear Plant Pieces

Until I met my husband almost six years ago I had never eaten an artichoke, asparagus, zucchini, spaghetti squash, tilapia, cilantro, or even an eggplant.  What can I say?  I lived a very sheltered life when it came to food.  If my mom and dad did not eat it, then I did not eat it.  Let’s face the facts; my parents didn’t eat a very healthy diet (they are working on it though), so anything outside of peas and potatoes belonged to another world as far as they were concerned.  Therefore, I have not only had to develop a taste for certain foods, I have had to learn how to cook them.  Among the ones that I have come to especially love is eggplant.  Now, there is a fruit I would love to get my mom and dad to eat!

Part of the nightshade family, eggplant has a pleasantly bitter taste and spongy texture.  The bitter taste is attributed to the phenolic compounds, known to act as antioxidants in our bodies, found in the eggplant.  These antioxidants help to prevent cancer and keep heart-threatening plaque from building up in our bodies.  Furthermore, eggplant is loaded with fiber, can help lower cholesterol, and even decrease your risk for high blood pressure!  Such richness makes eggplant an ideal food for those who enjoy eating a healthy diet!  Don’t be turned off by the bitter taste.  Once the eggplant is cooked and prepared it isn’t even noticeable.  Just be sure to choose a fresh eggplant with dark, shiny skin, and don’t waste time in cooking the eggplant because as they age they only get more bitter.  Also, for goodness sake, don’t fry the thing!

The following is a quick and easy recipe for eggplant that I found, yet again, in the Fresh from Florida magazine.  I have adapted it to make it more naked-friendly, but for the most part everything is the same.  You can always check out the original recipe on the Fresh from Florida website.

Purple Pear Plant Pieces

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• olive oil, to taste
• balsamic vinegar, to taste
• Celtic sea salt, optional
• freshly ground pepper, optional
• hot pepper flakes, optional
• capers, optional

Directions

Very thinly slice eggplant (mandolines are excellent tools for this), discard ends (perhaps use in a vegetable stock).  Using a dry non-stick griddle or fry pan, grill the slices on both sides.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, hot pepper flake and capers, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar to create marinade.  Layer the eggplant slices and marinate in a covered dish.

Sources:  Livestrong.com, Fresh from Florida

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