New ways to eat your veggies (Featuring Eggplant)
Eggplant is a diverse vegetable that can be cooked into sauces and dips, eaten as a main course as a fritter, and disguised into other food items like falafel. Today, I will show you two easy recipes for eating eggplant. Eggplant’s deep blue-purple hue indicates that it provides a source of Vitamins K and C along with a host of other healthy minerals like choline, folate, potassium, manganese, and more. (The Complete Guide to Natural Vitamins: From Food and Supplements, By Lizzie Streit pg. 137, ) To learn more about where to get natural vitamins from your food, click the link below to get the book.
Vitamin C serves as a powerful immune support antioxidant. (Streit, pg 68)
Vitamin K supports bone health and blood clotting (Streit, pg 28)
Potassium is a major electrolyte that helps regulate blood pressure and pairs with sodium to do so. (Streit, pg 88)
Manganese supports bone, cartilage, and skin health. It supports wound healing and is a foundational enzyme in collagen production for the skin. (Streight, pg 118)
As with many veggies, eggplant helps with digestion and heart health with its high fiber content. (Healthline)
Finally, eggplants are high in anthocyanins, supporting cellular damage prevention. (Healthline)
Airfried Eggplant
The fundamental parts of each variation of this recipe include the batter, eggplant, and Panko bread crumbs.
For “Fried Chicken” Eggplant Chunks:
This recipe encourages large, irregularly cut Eggplant for chunks resembling Fried Chicken. You should make the batter for this recipe thicker.
Batter Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp Jerk Seasoning (Click the Link below to get yours)
2 tsp chili seasoning
1.5 cups of water
Other ingredients:
1 Large eggplant (or 1.5 Small eggplant)
Panko Bread Crumbs
Instructions:
Mix all your dry ingredients until evenly mixed.
Add in the Jerk seasoning and water
Mix until smooth.
Toss irregular eggplant chunks into the batter if your mixing bowl has a top cover and shake.
In another container with a lid, add in a package of Panko crumbs.
Transfer eggplant covered in batter (drip off the excess) to the panko crumb container.
Cover and shake.
Place breaded eggplant pieces in the air fryer in one layer. They can touch but don’t pile.
Airfry for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Pause at the halfway point and shake in the air fryer for an evenly crunchy eggplant. Repeat until all eggplant is air-fried.
Make sure to cool completely before covering and refrigerating to maintain maximum crunch.
Makes four servings.
How to eat:
Eat in a grain bowl
Eat in tacos with a flavorful sauce
Eat by itself with a dip
Eat along with mashed potatoes and gravy.
For an Eggplant Parmesan:
This recipe requires two thick slices of eggplant cut lengthwise (parallel to the longest length). You will need two wide flat bowls to coat the eggplant in batter and bread crumbs.
Batter Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp rice vinegar or lemon
2 tbsp soy sauce
2/3 cup Water
optional (Parmesan to taste)
Other ingredients:
1 Large eggplant (You can store the remaining pieces for a dip or chunk recipe)
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs (mixed with nutritional yeast or parmesan)
Instructions:
Place eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels. Add salt until coated evenly. Let it sit for 10 minutes (or until you see water droplets on the surface). Pat dry (removing remaining salt on the surface.) Repeat to the other side.
For the batter, mix all your dry ingredients until evenly mixed.
Add soy sauce and rice vinegar.
Add water
Mix until smooth
Coat eggplant slice in dry flour
Place in batter and flip so that both sides are covered
Place in bread crumbs, shake bowl side to sides a few times to ensure full covering
Flip and repeat the shaking.
Place both pieces in the Air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 degrees
Flip midway for an even crunch on both sides.
Makes 1-2 servings
How to Eat:
Eat it on a sandwich
Eat it topped with avocado and egg for breakfast
Eat it in accompaniment with pasta
For thin Eggplant Patty rounds:
My favorite way to eat this is on a breakfast sandwich, as the thinly sliced eggplant rounds give a great ASMR crunch when you bite into a sandwich.
Batter Ingredients:
1/3 cup of flour
1.5 tsp jerk seasoning
3 tbsp of water, or until it becomes a batter.
Other Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
Panko bread crumbs
Instructions:
Place eggplant rounds on a layer of paper towels. Add salt until coated evenly. Let it sit for 10 minutes (or until you see water droplets on the surface). Pat dry (removing remaining salt on the surface.) Repeat to the other side.
Measure out your flour into your mixing bowl.
Add Jerk seasoning
Add water and mix until smooth.
Dip the eggplant round into a wet batter, cover it on both sides and drip off excess.
Place in a bowl with bread crumbs
Shake gently in side-to-side or circular motions until coated on one side. Flip and repeat.
Place in the air fryer in one layer, and don’t allow rounds to touch. Airfry at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, flipping when there are about three minutes left on the timer.
Makes 4-5 servings
How to eat:
Eat on a bagel or regular sandwich
Eat on top of a grain bowl
Eat as a “crust” for mini pizzas
Eat topped with avocado
Eggplant balls
This is a non-traditional falafel with good protein that has a crunch exterior and a soft, steamy, and warm interior that packs a punch in flavor.
Ingredients:
2 cans of chickpeas
1/2 large eggplant or 1 small eggplant
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice (1/4 of a lemon)
1/4 red onion
1 1/2 cups of flour
2 tbsp of vegan mayo
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
Drain chickpeas
Blend Chickpeas with thickly julienned eggplant until it becomes a paste
add roughly chopped onion, soy sauce, mayo, lemon juice, and garlic, and pulse until well mixed
Add to a bowl
Mix in sifted flour until fully mixed
Add olive oil and dry seasonings
Spoon balls into air fryer in one layer, making sure they aren’t touching
Air Fry at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Take out the drawer and shake midway for an even crunch.
Makes approximately 22 medium/large balls
How to eat:
Eat on Tacos
Eat accompanying a veggie side
Eat on a grain bowl
Eat on a sandwich
Eat dipped in a sauce of choice (pictured with a tahini based dipping sauce)
