Eggplant + Quinoa

As I was attempting to fall asleep last night, I couldn't help but think about the eggplant sitting in my fridge.  I knew I wanted to saute it at some point this week (I couldn't stop imagining browning and softening the eggplant in a olive oiled wok).  I also have a huge costco-size bag of quinoa in hopes of perfecting this really perfect grain.  So I'm falling asleep and I am mentally adding basil, toasted walnuts, tomatoes (maybe, if I could get ahold of some) and my favorite, red pepper flakes.  I start to realize I cannot start making this dish until I wake up, so I really should fall asleep ASAP.  I woke up with eggplant on my mind and head to the kitchen.  I was so excited to chop into this big purple vegetable and let it sizzle away.  In the end my dish included:

•  quinoa cooked in water with 3 bay leaves
• half an eggplant
•  fresh basil
• garlic powder (didn't have any fresh garlic)
• leftover grilled tomatoes
• red pepper flakes
• sea salt, fresh ground black pepper
• green onions
• toasted walnuts

Not as successful as some of my other food photos, but does the trick

By no means do I consider this to be any kind of recipe, just a list of things I put together.  I really enjoyed the spice from the red pepper flakes because the eggplant itself has almost a sweet flavor.  I liked the balance between spice, salt and sweet.  The walnuts added a really necessary crunch because the quinoa is softer, as well as the eggplant.  The random bites that included the green onions (which I cut into somewhere around 1 inch segments, rather than chopped) offered a really nice, subtle onion-y flavor.  I would have loved some fresh garlic to go along with this dish because everything else tasted so fresh, along with the fresh basil.  I felt like I was eating a very hearty, yet healthy lunch and tried this combination of flavors and textures.  I liked how the quinoa turned out as far as cooking time/technique but I don't think I properly cooked the eggplant.  The skin was a little too chewy and rubbery and they were not evenly cut.  I think next time I might peel it, or learn how to cut the eggplant in such a way where it can evenly cook properly.

I wanted to share this food experience because I learned more about two ingredients I am pretty unfamiliar with by using techniques and flavors that I am used to and really love, such as the sauteing with olive oil, use of herbs and balance of spice.  One things for sure, I was full after lunch this afternoon.