haha yes I am asking two questions in one! my first is about weird craving, no not craving odd combinations, but craving things you have NEVER had before. I read somewhere that our bodies crave what we need. Example if you are craving gummie bears you may be low on magnesium. The other day I was craving asparagus, even though I have never tried and always assumed I wouldnt like it (I dont know why I love almost all veggies) and I loved it when I tried it. This has happened before. A couple years ago I got a craving for candy fruit slice (once again never had them) and then went through a couple bags a week for a couple months. Am I just weird or does this happen to others?
My second question is for eggplant recipes. I love eggplant and decided to grow it in my garden this year,and dont want any to be wasted. I already know how to make ratetouli (sp?) breaded eggplant, and eggplant parmesan. What others are good?
When I was preggers with my 3rd I craved cantelope. Up till then the smell of it would send me from the room retching. Well number 3 is 24 and I still love cantelope.
I craved root beer with all 4 pregnancies.
Mmm, love eggplant. Here is my favorite recipe to use eggplant in:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spaghetti-Squash-I/Detail.aspx
This is a verrry healthy dish as it uses spaghetti squash as the "pasta". The recipe is very versatile. I always add sauteed mushrooms and eggplant, sometimes I also add sauteed zuchinni, kalamata olives, green onions. I have also used dried herbs instead of fresh herbs. It always turns out tasty.
I have never craved something I hadn't previously tried, but I have also heard that your body craves what you need so I do try to pay attention to that. I find a few times a year I just NEED to have a steak, same for my homemade spinach & artichoke dip. I will think & think & think about those things until the craving has been satisfied.
As for eggplant recipes, I made this for the first time last year & it was a huge hit both at home & at the office:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegetarian-Four-Cheese-Lasag...
I like grilled eggplant, its super simple, just slice it, a little olive oil, salt & pepper and thats it. I like mine with melted cheese on a crusty roll.
And nope your not weird! Im not a big red meat eater but every now and than I just have to have a burger or a steak.
My favorite thing to do to eggplant is roast it. Roasted eggplant makes a wonderful addition to pasta sauce and it's also the base for baba ganoush (a delicious middle eastern eggplant dip). To roast the eggplant prick it a few times with a fork (otherwise it will explode and make a huge mess in your oven) and put it in the oven at 450 for 20-30 minutes depending on the size.
I was at a luncheon on Monday. The vegetarian entree was sauteed eggplant stuffed with spinach, served over lightly sauced penne pasta. OMG, made me so happy to have requested vegetarian!
I'll preface this by saying I wrote off eggplant entirely (I thought) before trying this recipe, but now we have it once a week.
Preheat the oven to 425. Peel the eggplant and slice it into 1/4 inch thick circles. Place on a cookie sheet, salt and pepper to taste. Brown 7-8 min. per side. Remove from oven and top with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce, pizza seasoning, shredded motzerrella cheese, and your favorite pizza topping. Put it back in the oven till the cheese is melted.
We started eating these while cutting down on carbs and now hardly ever eat real pizza. They're extremely good!
I find our tastes change over the years.
When I was growing up my Mom was in love with just about every soup there was. I hated it all. But now that I'm about the same age she was when she was in her soup phase - I LOVE SOUP!
I had an opportunity to try a candy I absolutely LOVED as a child, and it tastes so gross to me now.
We like eggplant a lot of different ways but one of our favorite is very simple.
I peel it and slice it into inch sized cubes.
Lay it into a single layer in any pan where it'll fit.
Then I sprinkle (or spray) a little olive oil on it.
I season lightly with some salt, ground pepper and garlic powder.
Toss so all sides are coated.
And we'll eat it raw like this.
It's delicious and very slightly sweet!
Of course you could always toss it in the oven for 5 or 10 min and it's still delicious warm, too.
I love eggplant in an indian curry... YUM!
