New Tricks: Part Two

This is my stove top. I have everything at my fingertip here, including all sizes of Le Cruset cookware, an anniversary gift from Hubby.

But I'm not home cooking for me and hubby. I'm at my daughter's,  and she and her husband are vegans. She is recuperating and I am here to help.

Yesterday was my first attempt at creating delicious dishes by studying recipes and adapting to whatever was in the fridge. Here is the menu I came up with:

Breakfast: cereal and soy milk
Lunch: Salad, garden fresh arugula and assorted greens; eggplant terrine, apple crisp.
Dinner: Farro with a sauce of caramellized onions, pinto beans, hot salsa; strawberry smoothie

The remarkable thing is not that I came up with this menu; the remarkable thing was the way I invented the eggplant terrine. Here is my version of the recipe, with ingredients I had at hand.

Ingredients: eggplant, tofu, onions, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, olives, tomato sauce, olive oil, basil.

Preheat overn at 375F.
1.  cut the eggplant in half and scoop out its interior. Chop tofu and marinate in salad dressing.
2.  saute the onions, garlic, mushrooms and eggplant interior in olive oil.  I set the concoction aside and added olives, breadcrumbs, tofu. Salt and pepper.
3. In the same pan that I sauteed the onion mixture, I added another tablespoon of oil and sauteed the eggplant boats, gently, turning them often, side to side to get tender but not brown.
4. Stuff the boats with the mixture of onions, mushrooms, etc.  Spoon tomato sauce lightly to cover the mixture. Add an additional T of olive oil.

Bake for 20'

Serve with slivers of fresh basil, alongside the green salad and crusty bread.
I want to rename it Eggplant Surprise.
It was most delicious!

I did not miss my parmesan cheese or my mozzarella either.