eggplant curry

I think I may have mentioned that I spent my morning run on Sunday planning the evening's meal in my head. This is where I landed.

It started with eggplant (specifically, the 3/4 of the eggplant that remained upon my return from Seattle - the missing quarter had been incorporated into a pasta dish - props to JR for being "adventurous" in his cooking!). I knew I wanted to go in a "something with rice" direction. When I started thinking through the produce in my kitchen (onions, tomatoes, mushrooms), curry seemed like the unifying force that would pull it all together. I also threw in some garbanzo beans for good measure. The result was a flavor-packed, healthy dish that came together relatively quickly and will provide sustenance for a couple of days. Here's what I did:

Eggplant Curry

Serves 4

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

2 Tbsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 yellow onion, sliced into thin strips

1 small eggplant (or 3/4 of medium eggplant!), chopped into 1/2" cubes

1 c. small mushrooms, halved

1 tomato, chopped

1 16-oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 c. coconut milk

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

2-3 c. prepared rice

Mix garlic, ginger, curry powder, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook the onion and eggplant until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic mixture. Stir and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add tomato, garbanzo beans, and coconut milk. Stir well. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve over rice topped with cilantro.