Marinated Lamb and Spicy Sweet Eggplant

Sorry for the hiatus. :) We got back from Alaska, but then 3 days later we left for another week and a half to go spend time with my husband's family at the beach. I'm just now getting back and getting cooking again! And let me tell you, I have missed my own food, lol. To make up for it, here's two recipes instead of one.



Again, I apologize for the crummy picture. There's no natural light in the room I take the pictures in and my flash is just awful. :(

serves 2

LAMB:
2 boneless lamb cutlets
red wine vinegar (if your version of paleo doesn't allow for vinegar, substitute a different acid such as lemon or lime juice)
extra virgin olive oil
fresh parsley
minced garlic
ground turmeric
crushed coriander seeds
sea salt

Stab the meat all over with a fork. Put it into a plastic bag along with all the other ingredients. I didn't measure anything when I did this...just eyeball it. A good glug of vinegar, two glugs of olive oil, large handful of parsley, a few cloves of garlic, a teaspoon or so of turmeric, a small palmful of coriander, and a large pinch of salt. Let this marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, and longer if you like. Preheat your broiler and then broil the lamb until it is pink in the center (I had 2 4-oz cutlets and I broiled them 5 minutes on each side). The flavors of this were really, really good. I mean really good. I can't wait to make it again good. Try it!

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SPICY SWEET EGGPLANT:
1 medium to large purple eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
1 inch of gingerroot, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T of honey or agave nectar
1/4-1/2 cup water
sea salt

Slice the eggplant into thick rounds. Using the olive oil, brown the slices in two batches in a large skillet. Remove the eggplant to a plate. It will probably have soaked up all of the oil, so add about 1/4 cup water to the pan and then throw in the garlic and ginger and stir until it is fragrant. Add the cumin, hot sauce, lemon juice, and honey and stir to combine. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and make it look saucy. Place the eggplant back into the pan, nestling them all in together. Put the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes until the eggplant has absorbed all of the sauce. You can flip the eggplant at some point if you want, but it's not necessary. By the end of cooking they should be very very soft. Let the eggplant cool slightly and salt to taste. This dish is good both hot and at room temperature. I like it so much that the paper I have it printed on is practically see-through with all the crud I've spilled on it in the kitchen while making this delicious eggplant. :)

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As you can see from the picture we also had asparagus with this meal, but all I did was snap the ends off and steam it for 5 minutes. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as my husband and I do!