Cobcobo: Eat healthy, eat eggplants

IN TODAY'S world everything is fast, even food must be fast. It is for this reason that many people are so stressed and undernourished.

Few people have the time to cook and prepare nutritious and delicious food because of the very fast and competitive world we are living in right now.

People eat at fast food restaurants or eat instant food instead that is why many people acquire illnesses, sickness or diseases related to poor nutrition, improper diet or too much fast food and instant food.

Few people realize that if they take time to prepare nutritious food it can save them time and money.

Why?

Because eating nutritious food makes you healthy and if you are healthy, you will not be spending time and money for medications.

So this time I will share eggplant salad recipes by Robert Greene in his book "Greene on Greens" so our dear readers will have an alternative to "tortang talong" or "pritong talong" which is usually full of cholesterol because of the egg yolk or if the oil used is not cholesterol free.

According to Robert Greene's book, the eggplant is the perfect food for dieters: a half cup is tabbed at a mere 25 calories. And while relatively low in vitamins, eggplant is extremely mineral-rich and heavy in amino acids which control essential proteins in the body. Every slice of cooked eggplant affords a diner with megadoses of potassium, phosphorous, calcium and magnesium.

Here are the recipes:

Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Salad)

One eggplant endowment, a cool but tangy salad or first course from Greece, gives the vegetable an entirely unexpected flavor as it is roasted over an open flame first. The recipe came my way from a bright and wildly enthusiastic teacher of her Hellenic kitchen heritage, the estimable Athena Forogolu.

1 medium eggplant (about 3/4 pound)

1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped

1 small onion, grated

1 large clove garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (can be replaced with other vinegar)

1/4 cup olive oil

Sliced black olives

Chopped fresh parsley

1. Roast the eggplant over a gas flame (or under a broiler) until the skin has blackened and is crisp. Cool.

2. Rub the skin off the eggplant with damp paper towels. Chop the eggplant pulp.

3. Place the eggplant in a bowl and add the tomato, pepper, onion, and garlic.

4. Combine the salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil in a small bowl. Pour this dressing over the vegetables. Toss well. Garnish with olive slices and parsley. Serve well chilled. Serves. 2 to 4.

Fried eggplant salad

This is one of the eggplant's finest recipes, and certainly its most egalitarian rendering: it all takes place in one skillet.

1 large, or 2 small, eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Salt

1/2 cup olive oil, approximately

1 medium onion, halved, thinly sliced

1 large clove garlic, minced

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh parsley

Lemon wedges

1. Cut the stem from the eggplant and slice it in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 1/4 -inch-thick slices. Place the slices in a colander, sprinkle them with salt, and let stand 30 minutes. Brush the eggplant with paper towels to remove the salt; pat dry.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add enough eggplant slices to cover the bottom. Sprinkle lightly with more oil, and sauté until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Continue to sauté the eggplant slices, adding more oil as needed.

3. Pour off all but 2 teaspoons oil from the skillet. Add the onion; cook over medium-low heat 1 minute. Add the garlic; cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

4. Place one fourth of the eggplant in the bottom of a deep, narrow serving bowl. Sprinkle with the juice of 1/2 lemon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to mixture. Continue to layer, squeezing lemon juice over each successive layer of eggplant, until all ingredients are used up. End with onion mixture. Chill well. Serve garnished with parsley and lemon wedges.

Serve 4 as an appetizer.

Pinoy version:

You can try mixing roasted eggplants, tomatoes, ampalaya (bitter gourd), onions, ginger. Season with a little salt, pepper, and vinegar. The ginger should be salted and rinsed to reduce bitterness.

Eat healthy, live healthy and be happy!

For any questions and suggestions please e-mail me at reynacobcobo@yahoo.com or call/text 09088657751/ 309-3763.

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