Hot and Sour Chinese Eggplant

I am always looking for new ways to incorporate more vegetables and healthy foods into our diet. Before I tried this recipe, I didn’t care for eggplant at all. I decided to make this for my husband who is a big fan of just about all vegetables and pretty much anything spicy. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this! Not only it is a change of pace from the usual eggplant dishes…It is a flavorful and healthy addition to your summer meals.

Typically, this recipe is made with Chinese eggplants which are longer and skinnier than the version most of us are used to. Since they are difficult to obtain in my area, and I don’t make it into the Asian market very often, I have learned to adapt my recipes with local ingredients.

You will need:

2 long Chinese eggplants or 1 large American classic eggplant

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp chili paste

salt

First cut the eggplant into cubes and sprinkle with salt.

Add just enough water to cover the eggplant. I put a plate on top to push the eggplant under the water. Soak for 30 min.

Thoroughly rinse the eggplant and pat dry with paper towels.

Mix remaining ingredients together for the sauce.

Coat the bottom of a pan with oil and brown the eggplant cubes.

Add the sauce and cook about 7 to 10  min or until sauce thickens a bit.

Serve immediately. 🙂

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Happy Husband’s Spicy Drink

When my husband was in college he liked a drink called Snappy Tom. It was a drink he craved. Unfortunately, it is no longer available in stores. A while back when he had one of his Snappy Tom cravings, I decided to see if I could come up with my own version. I wasn’t successful in mimicking the flavor but kind of stumbled onto my own recipe that he likes just as well. It doesn’t taste at all like Snappy Tom, but it’s now the drink he craves. 🙂

There is no alcohol in this recipe, neither my husband nor I drink alcohol of any sort. There is however quite a bit of spice in this, so it’s not for the faint of heart. 🙂

The recipe is very simple. You will need:

8 oz. tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lime juice

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp Tabasco

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

Simply mix everything together. It can be served warm or cold.

This drink will wake you up! 🙂

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Spicy Tropical Pork Sliders

As summer approaches I begin to think more about spending time outside and less about being in a hot kitchen. These sliders take very little work and will free you from that hot kitchen in a hurry. 🙂

You will need:

1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into approx 1 inch chunks

5 sprigs of fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp soy sauce

4 Tbsp pineapple juice

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic chili paste

10 oz. (1/2 can) pineapple chunks)

Cut the cilantro into small pieces (you can leave some of the larger stem pieces off if you prefer)…I use kitchen scissors.

Most grocery stores sell some sort of chili paste in their International food aisle, if an Asian market is not convenient for you to go to. I use the Huy Fong Foods brand chili garlic sauce. The best chili paste will have a rich red color and a slight sweet taste. If you can’t get chili paste you can substitute with 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder.

Mix everything except the pork and pineapple chunks together to make a sauce mixture.

Add the sauce mixture to the pork, followed by the pineapple chunks. You can marinate this in the fridge if you like, but I find that it is pretty flavorful even without marinating. I usually don’t, especially when I’m in a hurry.

Heat a couple of Tbsp of cooking oil in a pan, enough to coat the bottom. Cook the meat on medium heat until pork is done. Then add just a couple of minutes longer to brown the meat a little.

Cut dinner rolls (I used Hawaiian dinner rolls) in half and serve the meat in it.

These would be a perfect addition to an outdoor party or luau! 🙂

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