Mediterranean Eggplant Steaks and Orzo Salad with Walnuts

The other day I was trying to think of something for dinner. It had to be vegetarian because I didn't get out any meat to thaw and I wasn't about to go to the store. Since shopping was out, that also meant that I had to use what was in the good ol' pantry. I was patting myself on the back all night after this meal. Not only was it budget friendly, made from scratch, extremely healthy, planned at the last minute, but the flavor was wonderful and no one complained about the lack of meat. Wait, wait --- I have to pat myself on the back again. hehehe Ok, ok..... I have to be honest, not everyone was thrilled with the meal. My 2-year-old would have nothing to do with it. But she's a picky eater and doesn't eat the majority of what I make anyway, so we can just ignore that.

By the way, I am amazed with her vocabulary lately. She went from speaking very little, to saying more new words than I can count in the last 2 weeks. Every day she says something new. It amazes me the difference a week or two can make in a 2-year-olds life.

This is completely random, but I took this picture and I absolutely love it. The bug sat on the flower right next to me and I was able to get a clear picture. I'll post more random photos later (I have tons of garden pics), but for now we can actually get to the food. :)

Remember the beast (cast iron grill)? When I pick this
up, the only thing I can think about is how I would lose
my foot if I dropped it. Yikes.

Onions, banana peppers and a pepperoncini pepper

Artistic close-up :)

Spinach mixture

Top the eggplant

Breadcrumbs and parsley

Once brown, remove from oven

Mediterranean Eggplant Steaks

Serving Size = 2 - 3

Adapted From

• 1 eggplant, cut lengthwise, 1 inch (I would cut them smaller)
• 1 box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained (9 oz)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt/Pepper
• 4 very small peppers, chopped (banana peppers) or 1 roasted red pepper chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Handful of pitted olives, diced (I used green)
• 1 onion, chopped (I used the white part of the spring onions pictured above and reserved the green part for the orzo salad)
• Hummus (roughly 15 oz)
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, panko + 1 - 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. I made my hummus, so click here for the recipe.
3. Get out your monster grill and heat it up. Brush the eggplant slices with EVOO, sprinkle on salt and pepper and grill until tender (ALMOST cooked completely, but a little undercooked). 
4. In a large skillet, add some oil and cook the onion and peppers until they soften a bit. Add the garlic and spinach, mix until combined. Add the green olives and remove from heat.
5. Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and top each one with the spinach mixture. Then top that with a few tablespoons each of hummus (you can't have too much). Then mix together the breadcrumbs, parsley, and 1 - 2 tablespoons of EVOO (just eye it). Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top.
6. Bake until the breadcrumbs are brown and toasted (5 or 10 mins).

Fresh oregano

Mix and serve

Orzo Salad with Walnuts

Serving Size = 3 - 4

Adapted From

• 1 cup of orzo
• Water (cooking orzo is like cooking spaghetti, fill a pot with enough water to cover the orzo well)
• Broccoli (as much as you want)
• 1 cup or so of toasted walnuts
• 3 stems of fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (I didn't have much lemon juice, so I replaced it with apple cider vinegar)
• 1 tomato, chopped (I skipped it)
• 2 tablespoons of EVOO (or almond, grapeseed or avocado oil)
• Salt/Pepper
• Onion, thinly sliced (I used spring onions, only the green part reserved from above recipe)
• Feta (I skipped it, but add to taste if you want)

1. Bring water to a boil, add some salt and add the orzo, cook uncovered for 9 minutes, or until al dente, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, drain and let cool (I start grilling the eggplant after this). 
2. Chop up the veggies and add to a bowl with the orzo. Toast the nuts and let them cool, then chop and add. Mix together the lemon juice or vinegar and oil, add some salt and pepper (a pinch of sugar if you like) and pour over the mixture. Add the oregano and mix well.
3. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Linking to: Foodie Friday, Weekend Roundup