Eggplant rolls

These rolls will make you drool, if you are a goat cheese lover like me. I first tasted goat cheese on my pizza as a topping, though i found'em mostly on salads (not a big salad fan), the salty bite of it is heavenly. When i found this recipe, goat cheese stuffed eggplant, it sounded so yummy that i can't wait to devour'em. I am telling you, you got to taste this. First couple of bites were clean and slow with a fork and knife, later we started gobbling and licking our fingers with goat cheese all over. Truly no exaggeration. And here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

1 large Eggplant

4oz Goat Cheese (crumbled)

1tbsp dried Onion flakes/1tsp Onion powder

1/2tsp dried thyme / 1/2tbsp fresh Thyme

1/2tsp dried Oregano / 1/2tbsp fresh Oregano

1tsp minced Garlic

1tsp Lemon juice

1tbsp Olive oil + more for drizzling

Salt

Pepper

Optional:

Tooth picks (to hold the rolls)

Orange Zest (to sprinkle on top)

How to:

• Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4" pieces. Lay it over a rack, sprinkle salt all over the eggplant pieces and let it sit and sweat for 20 mins.

• Meanwhile, prepare the goat cheese mixture.
• In a bowl, add the crumbled goat cheese, dried herbs, onion flakes (you can crush the onion flakes to avoid big pieces in your bite), garlic, lemon juice, 1tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

• Combine everything well with a fork or back of a spoon. If the mixture is a bit dry, drizzle more olive oil to make it wet and keep it aside.

• Now, use a paper towel to gently blot the liquid on top of the eggplant. (This way of sweating and blotting reduces the bitterness of the eggplant)
• Then sprinkle pepper, drizzle olive oil and grill'em at medium heat for a min on each side or until you get nice grill marks. (If you don't have grill pan, you can broil'em at low until they brown on both sides.)

• Transfer the grilled eggplant to a paper towel.

• Start assembling the rolls by laying a grilled eggplant on a sheet pan or chopping board, place 1tbsp of goat cheese filling and spread it all over, just like you butter a toasted bread.

 

•   Then, gently roll the eggplant tight and secure it with tooth picks.

• Roll up the remaining eggplant in a similar manner and sprinkle the orange zest for a refreshing bite.

Serve it warm as an appetizer. 

Grilled Halibut Kebabs

Kebabs are served on the skewers with small cuts of meat, seafood or made vegetarian depending on individual tastes. The traditional meat for kebab is lamb. Here, to my taste i skewered halibut fish and bell peppers. To say the truth. i bought these frozen steaks to grill it on a pan, with nice grill marks and eat it whole, but to my surprise, when i opened the package, the steaks were like rod shaped and kinda small, so i had to cut them and make kebabs. I was even more surprised with the after cooking flavor of the fish, so moist and tender. The lemon juice used for marination, unlocks the subtle flavor of the fish, but remember, if the lemon juice stays on the fish for longer time, it starts cooking the fish.

Ingredients:

1lb Halibut steaks (frozen)

1tbsp Lemon juice

1tbsp Olive oil

1/2tsp Paprika

1/4tsp dried Dill

Black pepper (ground)

Salt

Optional:

1 medium Green Bell Pepper

1/2 Yellow onion

4 large Garlic pods

1/2tsp Zesty Blend

Also required:

Metal or wooden skewers

Grill pan

How to:

• Wash and pat dry the fish. Cut'em into 1" cubes and keep aside.
• In a bowl, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, dill, salt and pepper.

• Marinate the fish cubes in the mixture for 10-15 mins.

• Also, cut the bell pepper and onions into the same size as fish and add olive oil, salt, pepper and the zesty blend along with garlic pods. (You can use any store-bought seasoning or just salt and pepper would be fine.)

• In a skewer (if using wooden skewers, soak'em for 20-30 mins to avoid burning), arrange the fish and veggies alternatively and keep aside.

• Heat the grill pan at medium-high and spray the oil (to prevent the fish sticking to the pan while cooking), place the skewers and hear the sizzling.

• Cook for 6-8 mins total or until fish flakes easily, turning sides with the help of tongs. (Spray more oil, if needed.)

• Transfer the kebabs to a plate and serve hot with a side of edamame and garlic bread.