Dinner, delayed

So the whole "I'm gonna be a good blogger" thing fell apart pretty quick, didn't it?  With a sick hubby and the basement (where our bedroom, library and computer room are) flooding, it's been a busy week!  But I'm back!  Dinner is cooking, dishes are done, and what better thing do I have to do than blog.

When we got back from Portugal, our eggplants had ripened!  We've got four, but for tonight's dinner, I only brought two in.  I have paired them with tempeh, glazed carrots, and mashed potatoes.

Baked Eggplant
Cut some eggplants cut into 1/3 inch slices.  Salt them on both sides and let sit for 30 minutes.  Everyone says to pat them dry, but I always just rinse and shake, and that works fine for me.  So do that.  Then lightly oil a baking pan, and put them in.  Spoon tomato sauce over, and pop them into an oven preheated to 350.  Cook for 20 minutes, flip, sauce the other side, and bake for another 30 or so minutes.  I sprinkled Daiya cheese over in the last 5 minutes, but they'd taste good without.

Savory Tempeh
Cut the tempeh into strips.  Steam them over a high boil for ten minutes.  Take a big old sauce pan.  I used a nonstick this time, but cast iron works well if it's well seasoned (which mine is not right now).  Put enough water in the pan to cover the bottom to about a quarter inch.  And two tablespoons of soy sauce (or Braggs) for each pack of tempeh.  Then put in whatever combo of italian-ish spices you want to.  Probably about a tablespoon of spices would be a good total.  I put in some black pepper and hot sauce too.  Add about two tablespoons of oil.  It's kind of like you're making a tea for the tempeh to get seasoned from.  Put the tempeh in and cook over high for ten minutes.  As the water evaporates, the flavor will go into the tempeh.  Don't let it evaporate too quickly.  If it's getting dry, add more water.  You've got to give it time to get to the center.  When the water's gone, you've got some very well distributed oil for the tempeh to fry in.  Cook till crispy.

I added a nice cocktail to dinner.  I muddled a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger with a little bit of agave and mixed that with some sparkling water and Absolut Citron.  Pour over ice and it's very tasty.