Sweet and Spicy Eggplant Fries

I love eggplant. I really really do. I know that not everyone feels this way about eggplant, but it's absolutely delicious. I love finding creative ways to use ingredients I love, so here I found a way to enjoy eggplant in fry form… awesome! I really like a good blend of sweet and spicy, but feel free to get creative and season them how you want. Sweet and Spicy Eggplant Fries

Serves ~4

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

Cayenne, to taste

A pinch of garlic powder

Sea salt, to taste

Olive oil, to drizzle

Honey, to drizzle

1/2-1 whole lemon zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the eggplant into medallions about 1 centimeter thick and then slice into thin strips, the size of fries.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and then season with salt, garlic powder, and cayenne.
4. Roast for 20-25 minutes until tender and slightly crispy. Adjust seasoning adding lemon zest and more sea salt and cayenne, to taste. Drizzle with honey and enjoy!

Peanut Sauce

Peanut sauce can be enjoyed in many ways. I use it it stirfrys or to make a pad thai or as a dipping sauce for fresh rolls. Here's one I came up with, hope you enjoy:

Peanut Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp minced ginger

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp tamari

¼ - ½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup water

2 tbsp rice vinegar

½ tsp crush red pepper

½ - 1 tsp sesame oil

Honey, to taste (optional)

Directions:

Mix ingredients together in a bowl, until thoroughly combined. Adjust to taste.

Kitchen Gadget Essentials

My lifestyle involves a lot of time in the kitchen and requires some handy tools that make my life a lot easier. Here are some of my favorites:

Juicers

I love juicing. It makes me feel alive. I feel so energetic when I'm doing it regularly. Not to mention, it was a huge part of my healing journey when I transitioned to a healthier lifestyle. The idea behind it is that, by using a juicer, you're pulling the fiber out of the fruits and vegetables and you're left with a concentrated dose of vitamins and minerals. It's like nature's multivitamin. Here are some of the juicer's I'd recommend:

The Jack Lalanne Juicer

This juicer is more affordable running at about $115, but it's a little harder to clean and cannot juice greens very well. You'll get a wetter pulp, meaning that less juice is being extracted, but it's a great juicer for people who are just beginning or who prefer sticking to celery, apples, cucumbers, citrus fruits, carrots, beets, and other foods with a high juice content.

The Breville Juicer

The Breville brand is similar to Jack Lalanne, with similar pros and cons. However, you can find some higher powered Breville juicers that will make juicing a speedy process. Still doesn't juice greens very well, but if you're looking for something fast and still in the cheaper range, this is your guy. We used it a lot when I worked at a Raw Retreat Center and were making a lot of juice every morning for all the guests. You can find it for around $150.

The Omega Juicer

Now this is my ultimate favorite juicer. It's slower, but gets a lot more juice out of your produce. I can juice anything even kale stems and lemon peels. Great for anyone wanting to use a wider range of produce, which is why I like it because I can get a wider variety of nutrients in my diet. Plus, in some ways you save on money because you need less produce to get the same amount of juice as the others. And it's super easy to clean. Down side? It's pricier, around $250. However, I got lucky and found mine on craigslist for $150.

Blenders:

I'll admit it, the blender I use now is crappy, so so crappy. It was given to me by my parents, who had two, and it's the very same one I used as a kid to make smoothies. There are a few buttons missing and my smoothies can't necessarily be classified as "smooth," but I make it work because this girl is saving up for one of these amazing blenders:

THE Vitamix

Talk about smooth. I mean silk. It's ridiculous what you can do with this blender. Yes, the ~$500 cost is terrifying, but for anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, it's soooo worth it. Smoothies are the least of the Vitamix's capabilities that include being able to blend soups, sauces, dressings, pates, dips, and even grind flour. Did you hear that?! Grind flour! We used to turn flax seeds into flax meal, I should say flax dust, in just a few seconds. It's a beautiful thing, the Vitamix. Downside? Well, the large chunk of change it takes to put this bad boy on your counter top.

The Blentec

The Blentec is another high powered juicer and there are a lot of debates about which one is better, but I think it just comes down to preference. I haven't worked with the Blentec as much as I have with a Vitamix, but the one thing I liked about it was that it seems to mix better on its own with out needing the tamper mixing tool. Either way they're both amazing and expensive, but you can't really go wrong.

Food Processors

Food processors are pretty essential unless, of course, you have a Vitamix, but they're great for making dips, pestos, nut butters, etc. I use mine all the time.

Cuisinart

This one is my favorite and one I've used for years and years. Not too pricey and very effective. I love using the other attachments to shred or grate vegetables super fast. Plus, it's lasted me for so long.

KitchenAid

KitchenAid is a great company and they make quality products. I haven't worked with this processor as much, but it's similar to the Cuisinart and I think either one work great.

Gadgets

Garlic Press

This is essential for me as a Massage Therapist. It keeps me from having to smell like garlic, which, in turn, keeps my clients happy. I've noticed you have to be picky about garlic presses as lots of them don't work. The one above is my favorite.

Lime / Lemon Juicer

These are awesome! So fast, so easy, and cheap!

Microplane

These are great for grating fresh nutmeg or ginger and as a zester.

Coffee / Spice Grinder

This is a fast, easy way to make fresh spice blends, by grinding whole spices together. It's the faster version of a mortar and pestle.

Spiralizer

This is my newest addition and I love it. This gadget makes certain vegetables into noodles and ribbons. I originally bought it to make zucchini noodles as an alternative to spaghetti, but I'm loving how it adds to plating. I like my food to look beautiful, so I'm having a lot of fun adding spiralized veggies to my plates. The only downside is that there are only a few vegetables that work well with it.  Zucchini is the best.

Multiple Blade Peeler

It took me a long time to learn not to go cheap with peelers. A bad peeler is such a pain in the a**! I use a triple blade peeler that also has soft skin and julienne settings. I use the julienne setting a lot to speed prep along.

Sprouting Trays

Sprouts are so good for you and it's an easy, economical way to get tons of nutrients in your diet. These trays are the best I've used and make the already easy process easier.

Cheezy Mashed Cauliflower: A Potato Alternative

Cauliflower, surprisingly, is a pretty versatile ingredient once you start thinking outside the box. I've used it before to make raw Greek "couscous" and it was pretty delicious. Here I used it to make something that resembles mashed potatoes, but less starchy. Hope you enjoy! Cheezy Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

1 tbsp. olive oil

1-2 large shallots, minced

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup water

Sea salt, to taste

Green onions, sliced for garnish (optional)

Paprika, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot steam the cauliflower in a steamer basket until tender and soft.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over med-high heat. Add shallots, garlic, and lemon juice and sauté for 3-5 minutes until shallots are clear.

Add in nutritional yeast   and water and sauté until thick and well combined.

In a food processor, process cauliflower until smooth. Add the sauce and process until mixed thoroughly. Add sea salt, to taste.

Garnish with green onions and paprika and serve.