Hearty and Healthy Eggplant Stew

We've never really cooked with eggplant around our house because our parents were never big fans of it. I can honestly say I have NO memories of it being served... none.... at all when we were growing up. Which is really odd because our parents were big advocates of cooking all sorts of different things. 

Oh well... it's never too late to try something new.

I have dived into the realm of eggplant and - so far - I've been pretty happy with the results.

This stew, for example, is amazing. It's healthy, low cal, filled with nutrients, is delicious, smells soooo good while it is cooking, is filling, and easy peasy to put together. Plus, the serving sizes are humongous. Which is always a plus in my books. 

According to Myfitnesspal 1 serving (recipe makes 6) is - 

360 calories, 36 carbs, 14 fat, 25 protein, 10 fiber. 

Healthy And Hearty Eggplant Stew

Ingredients

2 Tbsp sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 lb extra lean ground beef

12 oz mushrooms (about 2 cups), sliced

2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes

2 eggplants, cubed

1 tsp dried cilantro

1/2 tsp ground coriander seed

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

salt & pepper

1 large zucchini, cubed

1 medium acorn squash, cubed

1 (540 ml) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Directions

Using a very large pot, over medium/high heat, heat oil, garlic, onion, and ground beef. Cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. 

Add in mushrooms.

Cook and stir for about 5 - 10 minutes (until mushrooms have reduced). 

Add in tomatoes.

Bring to a boil then add in eggplant.

Reduce heat and simmer, stirring every once in a while, for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, add in spices.

Stir in and then add in the zucchini, squash, and chickpeas.

 Let simmer, stirring every so often, for another 20 - 40 minutes or so. Until veggies are tender. 

Serve hot.

Like any stew recipe, this one is easily adaptable to fit your favorites. Change up the spices or add and subtract veggies as desired - just keep in mind that will change the nutritional counts. 

FYI - There is no added liquid to this stew. It is extremely thick. The only liquid is what is released from the veggies as they cook down and the little bit from the tomatoes. 

This may not look pretty BUT it is very tasty and will fill you up when you are needing something hearty. Our mom wasn't even going to try it as "it just didn't look like something she'd like" but she gave it a go and ended up loving it. You can see where we get our "pretty food" snobbery from,...

Anyways... it's delicious. You should try it.  

 

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