About a year ago, when my husband I were still in the mist of wedding planning, my then future mother-in-law saw me pull a reusable shopping bag out of my purse at the store. She was intrigued by the trend...and curious as to how to make one. She is a crafter. Her income comes from her ability to make and sell things people want. And people want reusable shopping bags. After all, in today's society, everything is about being green...which means using bags over and over again, among other things. This past weekend we went to Price's parents for Lenore's (my mother-in-law) birthday party. Lenore was so excited about her new craft: reusable shopping bags! Showing me her pattern...and the fact that they fold to fit into your purse (yay!) Lenore then asked me which one I wanted. I was very happy. Those of you who have seen me shop, especially at the grocery store, know that I am happiest when I go through the checkout line with my colorful cloth shopping bags. I have my rainbow bag, my sunshine bag, my blue foldable bag from Bath and Body that now makes trips to CVS with a green bag tag, and now...my little food and garden bag! I am always trying to resist purchasing another bag...because they work so well at the farmer's market, the grocery, carrying things to church or the bookstore. And now I was just given one (though I think I am being used as quality control, if this bag can survive a week with me, most people will have it for years).
Speaking of the farmer's market...I love going and seeing what sorts of seasonal produce is available. Of trying to come up with recipes based off what I already have at home and what I can find at the produce stand or farmer's market. Today we stopped at a produce stand on the way home from Price's parents and got a peck of peaches, a gallon of blackberries, a pint of blueberries, and an eggplant (really fits in with all of the fruit, right?).
Well, the eggplant is going to be for dinner one night next week. Price loves it when I make my version of eggplant parmesan...whether there is cheese or not! So try it and enjoy!
Baked Eggplant over Polenta
Ingredients:
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices, ends removed
1 c. all purpose or whole wheat flour
2 tbsp Italian seasoning or 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1 1/2 tsp marjoram, and 1 tsp garlic powder
1 c. polenta
3 c. water
olive oil, for brushing
spaghetti sauce
parmesan or romano cheese, to serve
Directions:
Mix the flour and seasoning together. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, preferably nonstick. Brush the lined sheet with olive oil. Brush each slice of eggplant with olive oil and dip into flour mixture. It will be crumbly. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil over each slice. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven. Meanwhile, mix the polenta and water together with a little salt to taste. Bring to boil stirring constantly. Stir for 1-2 minutes after boil. Set aside for 5 minutes to set. Heat the spaghetti sauce in a small sauce pot. Serve the eggplant over the polenta with sauce poured over the top. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.
1 small eggplant will feed 2. Personally, I like the white or striped eggplant you can get at the farmer's market, however, a large purple one from the grocery works well and will feed 4, but you will need to double the amount of polenta in the recipe. Pasta may be substituted for the polenta, but I think that polenta gives the dish a really good texture. For those of you who don't know, polenta is an italian style of cooking corn grits.
Enjoy!
