Easy Eggplant Masala

I absolutely love the flavors of Indian food, but I’m never too sure when I dine out what goes into my food such as oils and other fats I’m not keen on. I learned recently from looking at a combination of recipes just how easy cooking a “masala” dish is. Given my attempt at trying a week of vegetarianism, I decided to try this eggplant, zucchini and red pepper combination – and much to my delight it was as delicious as it was easy!

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. olive oil

• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbs. cumin
• 1 tbs. curry powder
• 1 whole eggplant, 1/4” sliced and quartered
• 1-2 zucchini (depends how big) – sliced and quartered
• 1 cup organic tomato (marinara) sauce
• 1/2 cup organic, low sodium vegetable broth

1. In a medium sized stock pot, saute on medium heat: onion, garlic, and red pepper in olive oil until onion is glassy.

2. Add cumin and curry powder, mix to coat

3. Add eggplant and zucchini quarters; mix well and fry for 2 minutes.

4. Turn heat to med-low, add tomato sauce and broth, mix, cover

5. Let cook for 15-20 minutes until eggplant is still slightly firm

6. Serve over brown rice or with whole wheat naan bread, or on it’s own!

Makes 2 large servings

Nutrition per serving (without rice or naan): Calories: 250, Fat: 9.5, Carbs: 37.8, Protein 6.8