In the past two weeks I have turned my laptop on several times with the intention of blogging a recipe. Unfortunately the impulse to check the news is too powerful and I have spent each night poring over articles and videos about the Israeli-Arab conflict. Technology has given us the ability to hear and see hundreds and thousands of wartime reports; the tragedy is that this same technology has imprisoned us by our own bias. I am tired of the noise from both sides and, rather than taking a tumble down the rabbit hole tonight, I decided to blog.
Tonight I feel the thousands of miles which divide my world from theirs; I am torn as I sit in my apartment, calmly cooking for the work-week, the only sounds of struggle coming from “The Honourable Woman” on my television (because of course I choose to unwind to a show about the conflict itself). I am not sure what I am trying to say. I feel helpless and overwhelmed and so fortunate to be where I am at this very moment – but the feeling of longing, and a slight desire to be there, still exists.
So my solution tonight was to cook, to feel in control of what I would be eating this week at work, to ensure that the food I put into my body is both healthy and delicious. Unfortunately this recipe will offer no solution to the Middle East. But it helped me forget about things for a bit, and sometimes that is enough.
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
2 cups of cherry tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
3/4 cup of tomato sauce or canned diced tomatoes
1 avocado (do not use the skin or pit)
1/2 cup of frozen kale
1/2 cup of goat cheese
1/2 cup of shaved Parmesan cheese
2 cups of steamed broccoli florets (I used frozen and steamed)
Salt, pepper, olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Chop off the top of the eggplant, removing the stem, and begin slicing the eggplant into thin strips. Lay the strips on a foil-lined baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake at 450 degrees for 40 minutes, turning the strips over halfway through.
In a food processor or blender, combine the cherry tomatoes and garlic clove and blend until it reaches a salsa-like consistency (I also sprinkled in some crushed red pepper flakes). Set aside. Use the blender to also combine the flesh from the avocado, frozen kale, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Using an oven safe dish, begin constructing your lasagna. Place a layer of eggplant on the bottom, letting the strips overlap.
Top with all of the tomato sauce (or canned or diced tomatoes – not the cherry tomato mix). Crumble all of the goat cheese over the tomato sauce.
Next up, add a layer of eggplant and spread the avocado blend on top. Then spread the cherry tomato mixture. Add broccoli florets. Repeat (eggplant+avocado+cherry tomatoes+broccoli) until you run out of toppings. I ended with a layer of eggplant, then broccoli on top.
For that extra hint of flavor, top the entire thing with shaved Parmesan, fresh pepper, and a bit of salt.
Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees and let cool before eating.
