Don't miss Laura's fun giveaways! Not only is she giving away a book but also an adorable Readaholic T-shirt. Leave a comment to enter and don't forget to leave your email address so she can contact you!
As a child, I despised eggplant, but as I've aged (ahem,
matured), I've grown to love it. Not only is it tasty and hearty enough to be a
main dish, it's good for you, being low in sodium, cholesterol and calories,
high in fiber, and containing Vitamin K, B6, thiamine and manganese. My two
favorite dishes are a creole eggplant that I adapted from a Joy of Cooking recipe many eons ago, and
eggplant parmesan which I added to my repertoire last month. (I have no idea
why it took me so long to try making a dish I've always enjoyed at Italian
restaurants.)
Eggplant Creole
So, here's my version of the eggplant creole. You'll need
the following ingredients:
Small to medium eggplant, peeled or not (your preference--I
leave the peel on for more fiber), chopped (The Martha Stewarts in the crowd may want to save the eggplant
shell to use as the "baking and serving dish" for the eggplant
creole--I usually just bake it in the saucepan I use to mix it together.)
2 Tbs olive oil
4-6 strips of bacon, cooked, and chopped
1/2 c minced onion
1/4 c chopped green pepper
1 (14.5 oz or thereabouts) can diced tomatoes
1/4 diced celery
1/2 c canned or fresh mushrooms, sautéed with butter, garlic
and wine (optional)
1/3 c bread crumbs (I use Italian seasoned, but you can use
plain or with other seasonings)
1/2-2/3 c shredded cheese
Sauté the onion and bacon in the olive oil in an oven-proof
pan until the onion is translucent. Add the eggplant and everything except the
tomatoes and sauté for approx 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer until the
eggplant is tender (I usually let it cook for 30 minutes or so). Toss in the
bread crumbs and stir until thickened. Add mushrooms. Top with cheese of your
choice (I use cheddar but mozzarella is good, too), mixed with more bread
crumbs. Pop into a 350-degree oven for
15 minutes, or until the cheese has browned. I serve it over rice. Yum!
The Readaholics and
the Poirot Puzzle, the second in the Book Club series, comes out Dec 8th.
(Pre-order now!) Amy-Faye has organized the grand opening event for her brother
Derek's brewpub, but the party fizzles when a body turns up. Turns out someone
tossed Derek's business partner Gordon off the roof and the police think Derek
did it. The Readaholics scramble to find the real murderer, investigating
Gordon's ex-wives and unhappy family members, scorned women and former
employees nursing a grudge. Since they're reading Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, the idea
of a conspiracy can't help but pop into their heads (especially Maud's, their
resident conspiracy theorist). Amy-Faye wants to solve this case quickly since
it's going to put a real strain on her budding relationship with Detective
Lindell Hart if he arrests her brother . . .
Laura DiSilverio is the
national bestselling author of 15 mystery and suspense novels, and a
retired Air Force intelligence officer. Her first standalone suspense
novel, The Reckoning Stones, debuted
in September and was a Library Journal Pick of the Month (starred review).
Her Book Club Mystery series kicked off in April 2015 and the second
in that series, The Readaholics and the
Poirot Puzzle, is out Dec 8. A Past President of Sisters in Crime, she pens
articles for Writer’s Digest, and teaches writing in various fora. She
plots murders and parents teens in Colorado, trying to keep the two tasks
separate.
www.lauradisilverio.com
www.facebook.com/lauradisilverio
@lauradisilverio
Don't forget to leave a comment with your email address to enter the giveaway for a copy of Laura's book and the Readaholic T-shirt!
