Vegetable Garden Meals

Well, summer is blazing and our gardens are ready for harvest.  I must admit, my vegetable garden probably have used a little more TLC.  But, we managed to harvest some beautiful and delicious eggplants.

Today we are going to prepare a couple of dishes that begin as one preparations and make two distinct and delicious dishes.
Let's start with the base for our two dishes.
In a large saute pan over med/high heat, add:
4 TBLS olive oil
2 large eggplants, washed sliced and chopped to bite size pieces
1 large onion peel and chopped
4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
S&P to taste
Continue sauteing until tender, adding extra olive oil as mixture absorbs the oil and begins to get dry.
remove from heat and set aside.

Eggplant Cornbread Salad
1 recipe of your favorite cornbread cooked, cooled and cut into bite size pieces, set aside in large bowl.
Add to cornbread:
1 cup of eggplant base
2 tomatoes chopped to bite size pieces
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese


Blend together:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup buttermilk
Pour over cornbread  and toss together, cover and serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.

Eggplant Ragoue

To the remaining eggplant base, add:

2-15 ounce cans of roasted chopped tomatoes

2 TBLS italian seasoning

Simmer until heated through out and flavors have blended, S&P to taste.

Serve over your favorite prepared noodles and top with shredded parmesan cheese.

These are delicious meals as a whole or as side dishes.

Find something that you love and share it with someone.

Sandra Boyett