Eggplant in Miso Seasoned Sauce & White Beans and Sausage with Chimichurri Sauce on Toast

Eggplant in Miso Seasoned Sauce

Ingredients and Directions for Four Servings

2 medium sized eggplants *

2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus more for brushing eggplant

Garlic salt, for sprinkling on the eggplant slices

1 white or yellow onion, peeled and sliced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and put through a press

1 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons white miso

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons soy type sauce such as tamari, Maggi or reduced sodium

Optional: Greek yogurt and parsley for serving

Wash, dry and cut the ends off the eggplants. Slice about 1/4 inch thick and brush each side with a little oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Either grill over medium heat about 5 to 7 minutes a side or bake in a 375 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes until easily pierced with a fork.

While eggplant is cooking, saute the onion slices in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat until tender - about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the pressed garlic and continue to cook for 30 more seconds. Pour in the beef broth. Whisk in the miso, apple cider vinegar and soy sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes or so.

Cut the cooked eggplant slices into fourths and add to the miso broth mixture. Gently toss. Serve with a swoosh of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of parsley if desired.

*In the photo above, I used a combination of regular and baby eggplants.

White Beans and Sausage with Chimichurri Sauce on Toast

Ingredients and Directions for Two Servings

2 to 4 slices of good quality bread, toasted
1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 (15 oz.) can of white beans such as Great Northern or cannelloni
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tablespoon diced red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking sausage
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Drain and rinse the beans. In a bowl, gently mix together beans, diced tomatoes, diced red onions, 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, salt, garlic powder and pepper.

Place the toast on a serving plate. Ladle the bean mixture and browned sausage slices between the two servings of toast. Top each serving with a tablespoon or two of chimichurri sauce.

Curried Broccoli Salad

There are plenty of raw broccoli salad recipes out there, but I like this one best. It's got curry powder and a sweet/tangy thing going on that I can't resist. A lighter version can be made by substituting olive oil for the mayonnaise and increasing the apple cider vinegar. It's even further variable because it can be loaded up with other options such as dried fruit, nuts, and raisins. Once I even threw a 1/2 cup of trail mix in and everyone loved it! This winter when we were RVing it down in Florida, it was my standard pitch-in offering. And, embarrassing but true, once I had such a bad craving for it, I actually made it in the motor home while Roy was driving 70 plus mph! 

Ingredients:

3 broccoli crowns, cut into bite sized florets
1/4 cup finely diced red onion

Any or all of below:

1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried raisins
1/4 cup dried golden raisins

1/4 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup pecan pieces
!/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup pepitas 

1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup each of dried apple pieces 

Combine together in large bowl.

For the Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

*Lighter dressing: sub 1/2 cup olive oil & 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar for top 2 ingredients

Mix together until smooth.

Pour dressing over broccoli mixture to coat.

Place in a serving bowl and enjoy.