Seasonal Cooking - Sweet and Spicy Eggplant with Tofu

Step into a produce section with green ambitions and you're bound to be confounded. Between local, organic and unlabeled, the produce options are endless and I never seem to remember which is more important and which fruits are genetically altered. Fortunately there is one thing I do know for sure... Cooking with in season produce is not only better for the environment but more importantly makes for fresher and better tasting food. The amount of shipping, preservatives and freezing to get out-of-season vegetables to your grocery store essentially zaps out the natural flavors and juiciness that you associate with ripe vegetables. If you need an example just try eating a tomato in December. Unfortunately in America grocery stores continue to sell items way past their peak season, so here is a website to help you determine what's currently in season where you live.

So while I’m not sure I can commit to using only in season veggies in all my cooking, I’ll kick my efforts into gear with one of my favorite and easiest recipes that just happens to use veggies ripe for the picking in the NY area in early September. Continue reading for some flavorful Asian inspired delight…



Sweet and Spicy Tofu with Eggplant
Note to carnivores: tofu gets a bad rap but follow the directions below and you'll know what the hype is about

Ingredients
- 1 package light firm or firm tofu (I like Nasoya brand)
- 1 red onion
- 1 large eggplant (about football size) or 4 miniature eggplant (any purple variety works)
- 1 red bell pepper
- Hoisin sauce (found in international food aisle near Asian sauces.
- Asian hot sauce (Sriracha is pretty common)
- Pam
- Soy Sauce

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Drain tofu and remove from plastic. Slice the block down the middle of the side like you’re slicing an English muffin.
-Lay the 2 sheets of tofu next to each other and wrap them like a present in 2 dishtowels or 5 paper towels. Put a stack of books or heavy pot on top of them.
-Leave and let drain for 20 mins at least (while you do all the below)

-Cover baking pan in tin foil and spray with Pam
- Chop eggplant into bite size pieces, chop red onion into thin slices and red pepper into little pieces.
- Put 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce on vegetables– mix to make sure that hoisin sauce is coating everything.
- Place veggies on tinfoil covered pan and put a big piece of tinfoil over them (so they are kind of steaming in the middle). Put in oven and cook for 20-25 minutes – eggplant should be almost mushy.
- Spray a frying pan with Pam and put over medium high heat.
- Unwrap tofu and slice into little triangles – place in pan and cook each side for 8 minutes, flipping only once – tofu should be golden on each side.
- Place cooked tofu aside until eggplant mixture is cooked.
- Once all cooked – throw everything back in the frying pan over medium heat (with more Pam) add two more tablespoons of hoisin sauce and 1 ½ tablespoon hot sauce (or more if you like it hot).
- Mix evenly till everything is hot and saucy!

Pour a little soy sauce on each serving, eat with chopsticks, break your dependency on Chinese take out and understand why Ancient Chinese emperors declared soy a holy food.