Baked Stuffed Eggplant

The other night I was flipping through one of my favorite cookbooks, The Garden of Vegan, and came across this recipe.  It's pretty simple and turned out to be really delicious.

Baked Stuffed Eggplant


What You Will Need:
1 medium sized eggplant, halved lengthwise, flesh scooped out and chopped (reserve shells)
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup brown mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large pan on medium heat, saute the eggplant, onions, pepper, and mushrooms in oil until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the rice, oregano, basil, salt, and tomato paste. Let it all simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Place the eggplant shells into a deep lasagna pan, and then stuff them with the vegetable mixture.
4. Sprinkle cheese on top, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.  Then remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

I can't get enough black beans and sweet potatoes.  They just blend together so perfectly.  I came across a black bean burger recipe online, added to it, and came up with the one I'm sharing today.  These burgers are really easy to make, and do best if you make them in advance and let them sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking.  I like mine on a whole wheat bun with yellow mustard and sliced onion.

What You Will Need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet potato, cubed
1+ tablespoon water
2/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
5 basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan.  Saute the sweet potato cubes until they pick up some color and begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to keep them from drying out and let simmer in the pan until the potatoes are soft and most of the water has been absorbed.
2. Add the beans to the pan.  Let heat about a minute and then using a potato masher, mash up the beans and potatoes, until all of the beans and most of the potatoes are mashed, leaving a few potatoes cubed.
3. Add all of the other ingredients to the pan and mix well.  Remove from heat.
4. Divide the mixture into patties (this recipe makes 6).  Place them in the fridge for at least an hour, so they become firmer.
5. When ready to cook, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan.  Saute them for about 4 minutes on each side, or until they begin to brown.