Enjoy Egg Plant with Fresh Seasoning. Kids Can Cook Roasted Veggies!

Kids Can Cook!  9 year old Kalea enjoys cooking. During this video she also discovers she enjoys preparing and eating eggplant.   This video, Roasting Vegetables is Kids Play  is fun to watch for some seasoning and timing tips, or  to show your kids how much fun (and easy) cooking can be.  Also, if you have any hesitancy about the challenges of cooking and seasoning, relax, enjoy this video, and enjoy cooking!

Eggplant is still growing and ripening nicely,  and can be a tasty  addition to a steam fry, added to whole grain noodles (I just had some added to last nights tomato sauce), or roasted veggie dish.  Eggplant’s texture does well taking up the flavors of seasoning and other ingredients.

Roasted Veggies with Eggplant Ingredients:

• Potatoes – 4 medium (cut to your size preference)

• Portobello Mushrooms – sliced

• Large Eggplant – 1/2 inch slices (or several small)

• Onion – one medium chopped chopped

• Ginger

• Oregano, Basil – fresh chopped or dried (to your preference)

• Balsamic Vinegar

• Artichoke hearts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*

1. Cook Potatoes in large glass baking dish for 20 minutes while you prepare your other ingredients.

2. After 20 minutes add the sliced portabellos and season with Balsamic vinegar

3. Also layer on the onions and egg plant

4. Add seasoning to your layers

5. Cook for additional 30 minutes

6. Top with Artichoke hearts with a splash of balsamic vinegar

7. Cook additional 10 minutes.  Check  that potatoes have softened, add additional time if still firm.

An array of wonderful nutrients makes eggplant’s purple color.  The advice “eat the rainbow” of fruits and veggies, helps you get all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to function, grow, repair, because each color reflects their nutritional content!

For example - the purples are rich in anthocyanins,

a subclass of phytochemical known as flavonoids.  They have potent anti-inflammatory properties and scavenge free radicals.  They also help regulate endothelial function;  the endothelium is the all important lining of your blood vessels.  The anthocyanins help regulate nitric oxide (NO) production which helps blood vessels stay smooth, resist plaque and dilate effectively.  These nutrients also benefit glucose control and blood pressure.