I find the eggplant skin to be a little bitter. Peel one large eggplant and slice lengthwise. Place in a square glass pan that has been sprayed with olive oil Pam. Place slices of eggplant in the glass pan, then some of your favorite spaghetti sauce then some low fat mozzarella cheese then sprinkle with parmasean cheese. Add some garlic in there if you like. Repeat layers. Cover pan with foil and bake 350 degrees about 40 minutes or until eggplant is tender. YUMMMM Let it cool and then cut into squares. DELISH !!
BASICMOUTH 6/24/07 4:03 P
It depends on the recipe, whether you peel the eggplant or not.
Generally, I cube it (or slice it) and then eat it. When you cook the eggplant it softens the skin, and I just eat it. My kids do too. Plain eggplant can be too smooshy to eat. Try breading slices and baking on a greased cookie sheet, then covering it with some spaghetti sauce for eggplant parm. YUM!
As for artichokes, don't be daunted!! They are one of my favorite foods and easy to cook in the microwave. Here is how to prepare one:
Buy a fresh artichoke, and with a good knife or pair of kitchen scissors, snip off the tips of each leaf (they are pointy).
Cut the stem to about 1/2 in. long.
Tear off the first row of leaves, closest to the stem. They are bitter and don't taste good.
Set the artichoke on it's stem in a glass container with about 2" water. If you use a casserole dish, you can fit 4 artichoke's in the microwave at one time. Cover loossely with plastic wrap but make sure the sides are sealed tight. You want to steam the 'chokes.
Microwave for about 20 minutes on high. Check the 'chokes. If the leaves are soft and pull off the stem easily, it's ready. If not, put them back in the microwave for another 10 minutes.
When they are done cooking, take them out of the water and drain them just a bit.
You eat them by peeling off each leaf, one by one and scraping the white soft part of the leaf that was nearest the stem with your teeth. Throw the rest of the leaf away. When you get to the very inside of the artichoke, the leaves will get softer and you can eat the whole leaf if you want. The taste is VERRY mild. Dip each leaf into melted butter, if you like.
Eventually, you will be left with a stem and a round, hairy-looking middle. Use your spoon to scrape out the hair and throw it away. Then cut up the rest of the stem and the inside (called the heart), and eat it.
If you are just needing artichokes for a recipe, just buy the canned (not jarred) versions. Jarred artichokes tend to be in a salty brine, which is NOT what you want in a recipe. The canned versions are less expensive generally and not as salty.
STERNENFEE 6/24/07 3:34 P
I don't think you have to peel eggplant before cooking them, but I think it depends on the recipe. On TV they sometimes peel it and then at other times they don't. But I've never had eggplant myself either and I would like to try it out some time. With artichokes, I think I would start with the canned variety... I think the fresh ones can be tricky.
NEWJULI 6/23/07 4:00 P
My husband is really excited about my being on this diet because I'm experimenting with new foods. He's always been curious about trying to be more vegetarian in our eating.
I want to try a couple of the eggplant recipes on the site....but I have no clue how to prepare an eggplant. I've never eaten it before. Do you have to peel them before you cut them into cubes?
And...I've always been curious about what artichoke tastes like. But......how do you prepare and cook them???
