INGREDIENTS:

For the chicken:

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos

2 Tbs. sesame oil

1 Tbs. maple syrup or coconut sugar

2 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger or 1 tsp ginger paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

For the coconut rice:

2 cups jasmine rice

2 cups canned coconut milk

1-3/4 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

For the Eggplant:

2 Asian eggplant or 5 baby eggplant, cut into 3” strips

2 tsp ginger paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. maple syrup or coconut sugar

1 tsp. Asian fish sauce (optional)

pinch of red chili flakes

1 scallion, sliced (reserve some for garnish)

1 Tbsp Peanut or Avocado oil

Lime wedges for serving

DIRECTIONS:

To make the chicken, in a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oil, maple syrup, ginger, and garlic. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the chicken marinates, make the coconut rice. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the rice, coconut milk, water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, cover and set aside.

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade, and place on a baking sheet. Roast until the skin is caramelized, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. Remove the meat from the bones and cut into strips. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or a deep pan. Add the eggplant to the pan and cook, stirring often, until most of the oil has been absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until the eggplant is tender and the ginger and garlic are browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup, fish sauce, chili flakes and scallions until incorporated well.

*originally adapted from William and Sonoma Blog.

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Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

Asian Fusion Eggplant Appetizer

October 3rd, 2019 | Posted by Milana in Appetizers | Recipes - (0 Comments)

The original recipe to this absolutely delicious eggplant appetizer was adapted from @cookingwithyana on Instagram. Check out her account for more yummy creations! I made some modifications to her original recipe. The results speak for themselves.

INGREDIENTS:

3 medium Eggplant, chopped into 1” pieces

2 Red Bell Peppers, chopped to 1/2” pieces

2 Carrots, sliced into shoestring on mandolin

1 medium Red Onion, sliced thin

1/4 cup Parsley or Cilantro, finely chopped

Salt

DRESSING:

1/4 cup Avocado Oil

1 lime, squeezed

1 tsp sesame oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp rice vinegar

1-1/2 tsp white vinegar

2-1/2 tsp maple syrup

3/4 tsp tsp sriracha sauce

2 tsp coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped Parsley or Cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

Season your eggplant well with salt in a colander over a large bowl to collect all the moisture from the eggplant. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, mix all the dressing ingredients and set aside.

In a wok or deep frying pan, flash-fry the onions for 2-3 minutes in avocado oil. Set aside.

Squeeze out eggplant pieces with hands and pat dry on paper towel before frying. I fried it in 4 batches. You may also drizzle some oil and roast it at 425°F for about 15-20 min until golden brown.

Mix it in a large bowl with the fried onions, raw peppers, carrots and chopped herbs. Pour dressing and mix gently with spatula. Can be served right away but is best if refrigerated for at least 8 hours as the ingredients get to know each other. 😉 Voilà👌🏻!

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Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

Eggplant Fries

October 10th, 2018 | Posted by Milana in Appetizers | Recipes - (2 Comments)

These were such a big hit!!! We consumed these in literally 5 minutes! That’s how yummy they turned out. Now I’ll be making these once a week. They’re the perfect healthy alternative for the original spud favorite and a huge upgrade to the zucchini fries….that is…if you love eggplant more than zucchini. If you make these, please leave some feedback letting me know your thoughts on this recipe. Thank you for stopping by. Happy baking!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick and then sliced into 1/4″ sticks

2 egg whites, slightly beaten

2/3 cup whole wheat plain bread crumbs

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan

3/4 tsp dried ground garlic

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Cooking spray

Parchment paper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat oven to 450F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper greased with cooking spray.

In a large bowl mixture eggplant sticks with salt and oil. In a small bowls have your egg whites ready for dredging and in another bowl mix the bread crumbs with Parmesan, turmeric and pepper.

Using one stick at a time, dredge into egg whites first and then roll into the crumb mixture and onto the baking sheet leaving bout an inch of space in between each stick. Spray some more cooking spray on top and bake for 10 min and then flip and bake additional 5 min. Serve hot. Enjoy.

Serves: 4

Serving size: 1/4 of the recipe

**original recipe adapted from Gina at www.Skinnytaste.com.
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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

*photo was taken by Sabrina

INGREDIENTS:

2 Large Eggplant, peeled and sliced 1/2″ thick

Olive oil cooking spray

Sea salt and pepper

1-1/2 Tbsp double concentrated tomato paste

1/4 Cup warm water

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 sweet onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp Olive Oil (not extra virgin)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 Tbsp Greek Yogurt

1 Tbsp Sour cream (can use Tofutti’s Sour Supreme to make non dairy)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 400F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Season both sides of Eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Liberally spray with oil on both sides and roast for 10-15 on one side. Flip and roast an additional 5-10 min. 

In the meantime, using a large skillet (12″). Sauté onions and garlic with turmeric and salt to taste until translucent (about 20 min on medium low heat. Set half of the onions mixture aside for garnish. 

Chop the eggplant and add it to the onions in the pan. Mix the water with the tomato past and add it to the eggplant. Add the smoked paprika and sauté for an additional 15 min on med low heat. 

Turn off heat and stir in the yogurt and sour cream. Serve in a bowl garnished with the reserved caramelized onions along with warm, fluffy pita. Enjoy. 

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)