Yes, I really do like eggplant

It was so cold yesterday that I decided to make a stew recipe from my new cookbook, "1,000 Vegan Recipes." The recipe I chose was Chickpea, tomato and eggplant stew. The reason was that I had most of the ingredients listed and I wanted something I could just throw in a pan and just -- stew.

The test was my husband. He really loved it. Of course, I would never have cooked this for my son because he really, really, really hates eggplant. My husband liked it enough to take leftovers for lunch. That means he loves it. He never takes the bad recipes for lunch. I thought the eggplant gave it a little chewiness which was a bit like meat.

With this I served a green salad and a new dish I will blog more about tomorrow. The recipe is Farinata. It is a chickpea (or garbanzo bean) bread and I will share the recipe -- stay tuned. I came across it over the Internet and now am planning on perfecting it. I made it last night but I am not willing to share it until I get the ingredients just right. It was good, but not quite "there." I did include a photo and will tell you my husband really loved that, too.

Chickpea, tomato and eggplant stew
(adapted from 1,000 Vegan Recipes, by Robin Robertson)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium eggplant, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups chickpeas, cooked or 1 small can, drained
1 small can diced tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon basil (I only had dried basil)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth

In a large saucepan, add oil. Saute chopped vegetables about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook on medium high for about 5 minutes, turn to low and "stew" for about 30 to 45 minutes.

The changes: I didn't add Yukon gold potatoes. I substituted green pepper for red. She used three cloves of garlic and I used one. I didn't use oregano because it really isn't my favorite and I didn't have fresh parsley. If I had, I would have used at least as much as she suggested.

Tomorrow -- Farinata.