Eggplant Veggie Stacks

If you are entertaining this weekend, or simply looking for a side dish to add to a main meal these eggplant vegetable stacks should be on your menu.  The addition of olive tapenade in a dressing provides a wonderful depth of flavour to the dish.

The ingredients of this meal are clearly not yet in season and that bugs me. I generally (like the plague) avoid buying ingredients that are not in season. These ingredients are Australian grown but are not from my local area. Eight weeks ago I was diagnosed with SIBO, a digestive disorder, and am currently in the midst of my treatment which limits the types and amount of vegetables I can eat. It has been a very strange experience to have to limit vegetables, and to carefully measure those I can eat.  In the past I have always added as many veggies as possible to all our family meals, every day. I am still doing this for the kids so they are not missing out.

There are a few vegetables that I can eat in unlimited quantity so they form the basis of all my meals.  A few of these include eggplant, capsicum, and tomato – the wonderful summer produce. The main winter vegetables I can eat include bok choy and kale. My mind battled the new restrictions for a week or two and then I succumbed to buying them because the treatment diet is so limited and I was eager to eat something with a flavour I enjoyed.

Yes, I have previously written many posts about the benefits of buying local seasonal food, and a book that covers the topic! I do believe that is the best way to eat and to support your community but when it came down to a health choice, this is the best thing I can do for my body right now to get well, regardless of how strongly I feel about the source of my food. I have managed to find the first of the tomato season from Adelaide and the rest are hydroponic. The eggplant and capsicum are coming from Queensland. My treatment is not forever and I have plans for a larger than usual planting of the vegetables I can eat this season. There will be plenty of them coming from our garden soon enough.

This recipe is would make a lovely lunch, perfect picnic food as the weather warms. I hope you enjoy it. I have added a touch of spring with our home grown rocket and it’s pretty white flowers.

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An easy entertaining recipe using eggplant

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

A lovely light lunch or side dish for easy entertaining.

Course: Appetiser

Servings: 4

Author: Kyrstie Barcak - A Fresh Legacy

Ingredients

• Coconut oil for cooking
• 1 eggplant sliced into rounds
• 1 capsicum
• 100 grams tomatoes diced
• 1/2 avocado diced
• Dressing:
• 2 teaspoons olive tapenade
• 1/2 lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• pinch chilli flakes

To serve

• Rocket
• leaves fresh mint chopped finely
• leaves fresh coriander
• leaves fresh parsley
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Add coconut oil to two pans on the stove top
2. When the oil is hot add the eggplant rounds to one pan and the capsicum slices to the other
3. Cook until the eggplant has browned on one side and turn. Repeat until all pieces are cooked
4. Cook the capsicum until it starts to char on the edges and turn. Repeat until all pieces are cooked
5. Remove the eggplant and capsicum pieces from the heat and arrange each eggplant slice on a serving plate.
6. Top with the capsicum
7. Add the tomatoes and avocado
8. Mix the dressing ingredients together and drizzle some over each one
9. Add the fresh herbs and rocket to serve

Recipe Notes

Cut the eggplant rounds about 1.5 cm thick
If you don't have olive tapenade, use finely chopped olives instead
This dish can be prepared in advance and served cold when required.

Have you ever had to change your diet to include food you would not normally eat?