The energy of food, just like its attractiveness and tastiness in general, is subjective. Don’t believe the hype.
I love my friend Susie, Boston’s best health coach. You remember her from our popular post on the many benefits of coconut oil. Susie is all holistic and stuff. She once told me that eating apples after a meal would make the apple rot in my stomach (or something silly). Today, I was grilling eggplant and was reminded of the day she told me nightshade veggies have “darker energy because they grow at night and don’t receive energy from the sun.”
Soooo, they stop growing during the day? And, if they grow on bushes, how do they hide from the sun?
Nightshade veggies don’t have “darker energy” (unless you think they do), and they don’t cause many of the conditions reported online. In fact, they have strong nutritional density. From harvesttotable.com:
Eggplant is a small- to medium-sized bush vegetable that produces smooth, glossy skinned fruit that can vary in length from 5 to 12 inches long. Eggplants have large, fuzzy, grayish-green leaves and produce star-shaped lavender flowers with yellow centers. The edible fruit can be long and slender or round or egg-shaped fruit. Fruit is creamy-white, yellow, brown, purple, or sometimes almost black. Eggplants can grow 2 to 6 feet tall, depending on the variety.
Maybe they use umbrellas. Who knows. Suncreen? Whatever.
These aren’t the only myths out there on nightshade veggies. I’ve heard they contribute to osteoporosis, are toxic and cause migraines. Wrong on all accounts. From besthealthmag.ca:
Stephanie Atkinson, a member of the scientific advisory committee for Osteoporosis Canada, says that while oxalates are known to bind calcium in the intestine, reducing calcium absorption, this occurs only when calcium intakes are very low and oxalate intakes very high. Nightshades, however, are not high in oxalic acid, she says. “The alkali contributed by vegetables and fruits is beneficial for bones as it protects them from using bone to neutralize blood acid.
Linking nightshades to migraines is also without merit, according to Dr. Jonathan Gladstone, director of the Gladstone Headache Clinic and director of neurology at Cleveland Clinic Canada in Toronto. “I am certain that headache experts internationally would be in agreement that there is no evidence that tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes cause migraines,” he says.The health benefits of nightshades “far outweigh any risks,” says Piotrowski.
There is one criticism that is fair, however. Eggplant is guilty of being bland as hell. I couldn’t salt my slices enough. I’m all ears if anyone out there has a good grilled eggplant recipe.Strong mind,Kap
Kap – I really enjoy my eggplant prepared as baba ganoush, but grilled sounds good too. I have a hard time with the texture of it sometimes. I recently made some flavored salt (roasted garlic, dehydrated it and then ground it up into a quality kosher salt). Adds some additional flavor besides just saltiness. That would be awesome on a slab of grilled eggplant. Also saw a recipe for lemon salt which might be a lighter flavor for the eggplant… those are my only tips. Oh, and interestingly enough I was discussing eggplant with a co-worker this week. According to Wikipedia, on average 20lbs of eggplant has the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette!
For those trying to “eat the rainbow,” eggplant is a great way to get your purple! http://www.wholeliving.com/173430/eat-rainbow#156422
Truly. But I prefer blueberries and purple cabbage. Haven’t found eggplant too appealing.
Slice, salt and leave alone for at least an hour (although I suggest about 3 hours) then rinse and press before soaking in olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and whatever other spice or herb you desire for about 20 minutes will yield a texture that is much more tolerable then not doing these things. Grill as normal. Expect massive flames from the olive oil if you don’t let the excess oil drip off before putting on the grill.
The salt rest is used to get the water out of the flesh. This technique will also give you an eggplant slice that you can roll with tasty ingredients and then bake.
This recipe is both an adaptation of the Good Eats episode on eggplant and the grilled eggplant at the Anti Pasto bar at Market City Cafe.
I am not a big eggplant fan, except in baba ganoush, but this recipe is freakin’ delicious: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/03/grilled-ratatouille-recipe.html. I usually sub out tarragon for the marjoram, but if you can’t find marjoram and don’t like tarragon, oregano is closer to the intended flavor.
Sure, you could argue that the flavor comes mostly from the dressing, and that there are a lot of other vegetables in there besides eggplant, but it’s tasty so who cares!
A perfect complement to your protein is to make Caponata.
Gill the eggplant till cooked through, do the same to some tomatoes. Then dice them
Put a cast iron frying pan on the grill and dice up fennel and red onions cook till soft.
Add the eggplant and tomatoes.
When everything is the same temp, add chopped Kalamata olives, capers, chili flakes, salt, pepper, olive oil and a splash of balsamic cook till everything is the same consistency about 10 minutes.
Serve warm or cold, finish with a little olive oil drizzle and fresh basil if you feel like indulging crumble some ricotta salata on top
Eggplant is great if you give it the extra attention is requires and deserves! Slice eggplant, place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet, then salt the slices liberally with coarse salt and cover with another towel. Press a heavy pot or pan on top for 20 minutes to draw out excess moisture and bitterness. Then rinse and cook as desired – you won’t need to add more salt. I like to slice super thing and roast into chips, or use in place of tomatoes for a caprese. Or throw into pasta instead of sausage.
1eggplant, 1-2 pounds
2/3cup Olive Oil
4 Cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon Thai Chilies, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut eggplant in half and then into 1/4” half moons.
Sprinkle eggplant slices with kosher salt and let stand in a colander for 30 minutes to an hour to draw moisture out of the eggplant. Give the slices a quick rinse to remove most of the salt without saturating the eggplant. Place the slices between two clean kitchen towels to dry off.
Combine olive oil, garlic, 4 T balsamic vinegar, chilies and salt and pepper.
Lay Eggplant in a flat dish and cover with marinade. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Grill eggplant slices over medium high heat (350-400) for approximately 2-3 minutes a side, or until you get good grill marks.
Remove from grill and sprinkle with remaining 2T balsamic vinegar and chopped parsley. The eggplant can can be served immediately or at room temperature.
In regards to the apple-I did just read that fruit should be eaten by itself. I’m afraid I don’t remember why, but it was written by a doctor. Regardless, I’m still putting blueberries on my oatmeal!
Much appreciation for all the recipes and feedback. I’ll try one and report back.
i believe every naturally grown vegetable has its benefit … love eggplant 🙂 … tempura, baba ganoush … make me think of my favorite veggie sandwich with grilled eggplant, grilled portobella mushroom, zucchini, pickled purple onion, basil pesto, and fresh mozarella in a ciabatta … yummy!