Eggplant Ragout

Happy and excited, and just back with my fresh from the farmer's market eggplant, I had a small dilemma... what do I do with it? I knew that I was craving something hearty and full of veggies, so I immediately went through my mental rolodex of recipes. Lo and behold, the only thing that I could think of was Eggplant Parmesan.... Mmmm my fave, but I had that last week and I really couldn't justify the additional assault to my arteries.

Mindful of this, I went to Recipe.com, to find something quick and easy to stir up in the pot. I was thinking that I wanted something with an Indian or Caribbean vibe ( Curry and coconut milk) and with a little spice. The closest that I came to it was this Eggplant Ragout with tomatoes and peppers and chickpeas. I chose this recipe because I already had most of the ingredients that the recipe called for.

Here is the recipe: http://www.recipe.com/eggplant-ragout-with-tomatoes-peppers-and-chickpeas/

Adaptations that I made:

I didn't have red peppers, so I used green peppers. I also chose to use dried chickpeas over canned because 1) They are suuuuper cheap $1 for a whole bag 2) Dried beans haven't been sitting in water, and who knows what other types of preservatives for years, 3) They taste better.
Also, after I made the stew, it was okay, but I really wasn't that impressed so I added:

3 tablespoons of coconut milk
1.5 tablespoons of good curry powder
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to bring up the heat



We've been eating it for the past 2 days and my mom continues to rave about it. :-) She knows how to make a girl feel good. Me being me, after day 1, I got sick of eating straight stew, so ob day 2, I drizzled whole wheat pocketless pita with olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt and then loaded it up with the stew..... Bellissimo!!!!!!

Here is my slide show showing the process. This is my first one so let me know what you think.