Mmmm Eggplant!! I loooove eggplant. Bake it, baba ganoush it, pan fry it, grill it, curry it, crumb it and deap fry it I don't care I just love it!
I go through stages where I just crave eggplant.
They are packed full of dietary fiber, vitamins C and B1 magnesium, phosphorus and potassium and folic acid. And are know to block the formation of free radicals.
Another interesting fact is they contain nicotine but you would have to eat 9kg of eggplant to get the same nicotine in just 1 cigarette
In addition to featuring a host of vitamins and minerals, eggplant also contains important phytonutrients, many which have antioxidant activity. Phytonutrients contained in eggplant include phenolic compounds, such caffeic and chlorogenic acid, and flavonoids, such as nasunin.
Brain Food
Research on eggplant has focused on an anthocyanin phytonutrient found in eggplant skin called nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage. In animal studies, nasunin has been found to protect the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes. Cell membranes are almost entirely composed of lipids and are responsible for protecting the cell from free radicals, letting nutrients in and wastes out, and receiving instructions from messenger molecules that tell the cell which activities it should perform.
Rich in Phenolic Antioxidant Compounds
Researchers at the US Agricultural Service in Beltsville, Maryland, have found that eggplants are rich sources of phenolic compounds that function as antioxidants. Plants form such compounds to protect themselves against oxidative stress from exposure to the elements, as well as from infection by bacteria and fungi.
The good news concerning eggplant is that the predominant phenolic compound found in all varieties tested is chlorogenic acid, which is one of the most potent free radical scavengers found in plant tissues. Benefits attributed to chlorogenic acid include antimutagenic (anti-cancer), antimicrobial, anti-LDL (bad cholesterol) and antiviral activities.
ARS researchers studied seven eggplant cultivars grown commercially in the U.S. and a diverse collection of exotic and wild eggplants from other counties. In addition to chlorogenic acid, they found 13 other phenolic acids present at significantly varying levels in the commercial cultivars, although chlorogenic acid was the predominant phenolic compound in all of them. Black Magic—a commercial eggplant cultivar representative of U.S. market types—was found to have nearly three times the amount of antioxidant phenolics as the other eggplant cultivars that were studied. In addition to their nutritive potential, the phenolic acids in eggplant are responsible for some eggplants' bitter taste and the browing that results when their flesh is cut. An enzyme called polyphenol oxidase triggers a phenolic reaction that produces brown pigments. Scientists have begun work on developing eggplant cultivars with an optimal balance of phenolics to ensure both optimal nutritional value and pleasing taste.
Cardiovascular Health and Free Radical Protection
When laboratory animals with high cholesterol were given eggplant juice, their blood cholesterol, the cholesterol in their artery walls and the cholesterol in their aortas (the aorta is the artery that returns blood from the heart back into circulation into the body) was significantly reduced, while the walls of their blood vessels relaxed, improving blood flow. These positive effects were likely due not only to nasunin but also to several other terpene phytonutrients in eggplant.
Nasunin is not only a potent free-radical scavenger, but is also an iron chelator. Although iron is an essential nutrient and is necessary for oxygen transport, normal immune function and collagen synthesis, too much iron is not a good thing. Excess iron increases free radical production and is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and cancer. Menstruating women, who lose iron every month in their menstrual flow, are unlikely to be at risk, but in postmenopausal women and men, iron, which is not easily excreted, can accumulate. By chelating iron, nasunin lessens free radical formation with numerous beneficial results, including protecting blood cholesterol (which is also a type of lipid or fat) from peroxidation; preventing cellular damage that can promote cancer; and lessening free radical damage in joints, which is a primary factor in rheumatoid arthritis. Source
Vegan & Gluten Free
Eggplant & Tempeh Hot Pot
~ this would have to be one of my favorite eggplant recipe
2 cups diced eggplant
1 package tempeh, cut into 1 cm cubes
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 small-size onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Sheet of Vegan Gluten Free Puff Pastry
Preheat oven to 200°C . Coat 4 ramekins with coconut oil, and set as.
Filling -steam eggplant and tempeh for 10 to 15 minutes, until eggplant is soft
Cook onion and celery in coconut oil until soft. Add fennel seeds, capers, and vinegar, and fry for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, cayenne, and cooked tempeh and eggplant. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Divide filling evenly among prepared ramekins. And top with Pastry
Bake pies until crust is golden,
Eggplant Dip ~ this one is my fav from the Forks over Knives Book
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUgb0qoodTmSXbU1oZZIheMNhC8INt5FXIUET7WXsPvW_e62__gSDvEY-nAeZIKwj4BRpjDP_FLmgPmTB5s0Xp7ZTE6c4XQhyphenhyphenHOl71vBfZRiQcyz9Q56OBZkzLxHRHME3fR0dNmClB-g/s200/dip.jpg)
5 eggplants
5 cloves garlic
1 large lemon juiced
2 Tbs Tahini
5 green onions
salt & pepper
heat oven 220°C , roast whole eggplants on a baking sheet or grill for 40-50min until soft. cool
Scoop out insides of eggplants put into bowl discard skins
Mash Eggplant let sit 30 min, discard any accumulated juices
Add the remaining ingredients mix together cover & refridgerate