Eggplant and Wild Rice
Ingredients:
All these amounts can be varied according to your taste – this is a good balance, but more rice is always good too. And less cheese if you’re watching the calories.
1 large eggplant or 2 smaller ones
2 C chopped onions
12 oz mushrooms, chopped
5-6 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ C raw, wild rice 1 ½ C cottage cheese (large curd, low fat is fine)
1 C grated cheddar cheese
2 T sunflower seeds
1 T sesame seeds
2 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t dried basil
½ t dried thyme
½ t dried oregano
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
Make the rice according to the directions. Basically, it’s ½ C raw rice in 1 ½ C boiling water. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. It’s really chewy and nutty tasting. Be sure to wash the rice beforehand.
Peel the eggplant and chop all the veggies. It’s a mess and it takes a while. Sautee all the veggies with the spices, salt and garlic in the olive oil for about 20 – 25 minutes until it is all one beautiful thing. It really cooks down, so don’t be alarmed at first at the huge amount of veggies. In a big bowl combine the sautéed veggies, the cheeses, the cooked rice and the seeds.
Bake in a greased casserole for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.
