We went shopping at the health food store today and I got some great deals on produce and other healthful foods. Silas helped me unload everything and then asked if he could be in my grocery pictures, too! 🙂
Health Food Store Shopping Trip
2 pints of blueberries — $1.50 each
Cilantro — $0.99
10 oranges — 5 for $1, $2 total
Rudi’s organic hot dog buns — marked down to $0.99
Rudi’s organic bread — marked down to $0.99
2 bags of organic potatoes — marked down to $0.99 each, $1.98 total
1 eggplant — $0.79 {Should I confess that I’ve never bought eggplant before? Anyone want to share amazing recipe ideas?!}
2 mangos — $0.50 each
Green onions — $0.79
3.10 pounds of apples — $0.99 per pound = $3.10 total
5-lb. bag of organic carrots — $1.49
Ezekiel Tortillas — $3.99 {Yes, you can choke — and tell me that I should recant on my I Don’t Make Homemade Tortillas stance! :)}
1 pound raw cheddar cheese from a local farm — $5.99
1/2 gallon organic whole cream top milk — marked down to $1.99
1 lb. green beans — $0.79/lb.
Total with tax: $33.19
Here is my family’s FAVORITE eggplant recipe – we found it while deciding to branch out from the typical eggplant parm recipe (previously our only experience with eggplant).
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-roasted-eggplant-salad-with-smoked-almonds-goat-cheese-164756
Eggplant pizzas… slice, brush with olive oil, roast at 450 for about 10 min, flipping once, add sauce, cheese and toppings and bake a few more minutes to melt the cheese. So yum!
Eggplant dip… easy baba gahnoush type–http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=313391&cid=sm_fb&sf2699959=1
Oops…forgot to add you stir in the celery at the end of cooking – it should be crisp.
This is my Sicilian great grandmother’s recipe! It is absolutely delicious.
Eggplant Caponata
1 large unpeeled eggplant (about 1 ½ lbs), diced
1 cup sweet onion (such as Vidalia), diced
2 yellow or orange peppers, diced (red may be substituted if you can’t get the yellow or orange, but the green ones are really not suitable)
4 cloves diced garlic
½ cup sliced black olives
½ cup sliced green pimiento olives
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups Italian tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed
2 tsp capers (optional)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup diced celery
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
¼ to ½ cup pinenuts (pignoli), lightly toasted (optional)
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add eggplant, onion, peppers and garlic cloves. Sauté until eggplant is soft and brown, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, then olives, drained capers, and vinegar. Cover and simmer until eggplant and onion are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 20-30 minutes. (You want it thick, and slightly sweet/carmelized) Season caponata to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in fresh basil. Transfer caponata to serving bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir in basil. Drizzle with a bit olive oil, ands prinkle with toasted pine nuts. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. (Caponata can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)
Very good as an appetizer or light meal served with toasted slices of Italian bread or pita, paired with goat cheese or fresh mozzarella. You can also use this as a quick pasta sauce (with some more tomatoes or tomato sauce stirred in as you heat it up).
Roasted veggie sandwiches. Just mix up dried basil, lemon juice and mayo in whatever proportions taste goo to you to put on bread and roast whatever veggies you have on hand for 20ish minutes at 450. We like summer squash, eggplant and bell peppers best. Yum!
Here’s a super easy recipe using eggplant (more info & pics on my blog):
Summer Squash Pizza Pasta
12 ounces pasta
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and then cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 eggplant, cut into rounds and then cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
6 ounces Italian cheese blend
Cook pasta according to the directions on the box. While the pasta is cooking, warm garlic and olive oil in a large sautee pan for 1-2 minutes, or until garlic starts to turn light brown. Add in the zucchini, squash and eggplant, stirring well to coat with oil and garlic. Cover with a lid and cook for 4 minutes. Uncover, stir well, and cover again; cook for another 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper an Italian seasoning and cook uncovered for about 3 minutes. Drain pasta and add to the vegetables; combine well. Sprinkle cheese on top just before serving.
There is my little table climber! Cracks.Me.Up.
He asked me if he could eat his lunch at the table yesterday. I said no, he had to sit in his chair while eating. But it made me think of you. 🙂
Love it!
Hi Crystal! I just made a version of eggplant parmesan this weekend. I posted the recipe here: http://crumbyvegan.com/2012/06/25/parmesan-style-eggplant/. For meat-eaters out there, you can just use ground & cooked hamburger in place of my faux-burger! 🙂
Serve with some angel hair pasta (tossed with olive oil & parsley) to help round out the meal!!
Oops! Forgot the most important part of the recipe – it only takes 1 eggplant! Fits your shopping to a T! 🙂
I had an Italian professor come visit me while in college and she taught me to make the most delicious eggplant! You slice it length wise into thin strips (so you end up with long ovals), then sprinkle eat slice with a little salt to let it dry out a bit (just on a baking rack with a towel or paper towels).
After about 30 minutes, write all excess water off. Turn on a frying pan and add peanut oil (she was really liberal with the oil, but I prefer to just coat the bottom) and fry each piece of eggplant, both sides, in the oil. They just need to look “oily” and a little “shrively”, but not toasted and fried. Take them off the oil and put them on a plate with lots of papertowels to absorb excess oil.
Make “homemade” sauce. Can of tomato sauce, chop up a few fresh romas, add fresh basil (tear and toss in liberally), salt, pepper, and a clove of minced garlic.
Cook pasta (you’ve got to use something with REAL semolina!)…thin spaghetti/angel hair.
Serve pasta on plate, add sauce, and then top with strips of eggplant. You can garnish with extra fresh basil. Add LIBERAL sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese.
It’s SO simple (and not so healthy), but it’s literally my favorite recipe in the world!
I made these last week with eggplant:
http://pinterest.com/pin/5348093277347589/
So good!
Funny, our local health food stores are ridiculously overpriced. I do go there for specialty items that are hard to find or some bulk ingredients for which I want a specific amount. I’d love to patronize them but everywhere else is cheaper.
Greek stuffed eggplant is a recent find, especially if you can find imported feta– yum! http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/greek-style-stuffed-eggplant-10000000459517/
I am ok with $3.99 for tortillas if you are going to buy good ones and don’t want to make your own… I recently started making them and was surprised at how easy they are… and I find them a bit therapeutic to make as well. BUT the only reason I started making them is because there are so many preservatives and hydrogenated oils in every type that are affordable, i.e. on sale for $1. I just decided that they were easy enough, taste better, and worth my time to make. But I wouldn’t feel guilty about paying more for something that is better for your family.
If I could figure out how to make sprouted tortillas, I totally might fall for trying to make them! Anyone have a good recipe?
Crystal,
Here is my recipe for making homemade sprouted tortillas…you can even freeze the sprouted grains for whenever you want to use them. And, wheat berries are almost foolproof in sprouting. Very hard to mess up! It’s not hard to make these…and boy is the flatbread (alternative to the tortillas) sooooo good when still warm. Heaven!
http://vimandvigor.typepad.com/vim-and-vigor/2010/09/in-my-kitchen.html
Blessings,
Joy~
I knew someone was going to have a recipe for me that I’d have to try!
But here’s where I show my ignorance: what is sprouted flour? And do you have a tutorial on sprouting wheat berries and other grains on your blog or a trusted source that you could point me to?
Thank you for helping out this clueless person here! 🙂
Crystal,
You are not ignorant in ANY way! You have taught me and blessed me so much, I feel privileged to return the favor 😉 If you click on the link I provided above, you’ll find a link in the second paragraph to a post I wrote on what sprouted flour is, and how to make it.
I don’t use only sprouted flour, but I do like to use it when I can, to up the nutrition in our foods.
If you do have questions about the process, I’d love to help you.
Blessings,
Joy~
I’m so sorry that I totally missed that link! Thank you SO much!
We really like baba ganoush. It’s basically a dip made from roasted eggplant. Here’s a good recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/babaganoush-recipe/index.html
It’s great with fresh pita bread, or pita or tortilla chips, or with raw veggies like carrot sticks.
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’m hoping to try it and will let you all know how it goes!
I was beginning to wonder if you ever went to the grocery store! I have always wondered if you made trips you didn’t post.
For eggplant, a lot of people think it has a bitter taste. If you slice it into circles, sprinkle with some salt, and put it in the oven for a few minutes, it will get the bitter taste out. The taste becomes a lot creamier. From there, I’ll put it in anything like a pasta bake or stir fry. I’ve even fried it and made eggplant sandwiches.
I’ve made LOTS of trips in recent months that I’ve not posted. I gave myself grace at the beginning of the year to not feel like I needed to post all of my shopping trips because it was becoming a burden rather than a blessing to our family for mom to have to try and document and post every shopping trip all the time. And my policy is that when blogging becomes a burden, not a blessing, something has to change. 🙂
At any rate, I still plan to post many of my trips — especially those that are ones you all would be especially interested in (Target deals, Kroger deals, etc.) — but I’m giving myself grace to only post shopping trips as I have the time/energy versus feeling like I always have to post all of them or feeling guilty if I don’t get a picture snapped and a post written up about a shopping trip.
Thanks to you all for being flexible as I seek to make blogging something that works well for our family in the season of life we’re in!
Wow, there is no way we’d ever get those deals at our health food store. Lucky you!
What great deals! Eggplant is my second favorite food (behind tomatoes). I hope you enjoy yours, too!
I make a lasagna with sautéed eggplant & zucchini. I prefer it to meat lasagna!
We love Ratatouille’s ratatouille from Smitten Kitchen.
http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/
Even my 1-year old loved it! Then she turned up allergic to eggplant. So now we make it without the eggplant. (It was better with the eggplant.)
We grow lots of eggplants during the summer. We love it a few ways, but 2 of my kids favorites is Eggplant Tempura with dipping sauce and Eggplant Lasagna. We substitute the noodles with sliced blanched eggplants. This is a great Low Carb meal, great for diabetics. Truthfully, I love eggplants cooked in a pan with some tofu, swish chard and some soy sauce. A very simple stir fry of sorts.
My parents grow the most delicious eggplant in their garden so we are always experimenting with new ways to prepare them. My personal favorite is to slice them in 1/2″ thick circles and peel them. Let them set on a paper towel for 10 min or so to pull out some of the moisture. Then brush them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on medium high heat until tender throughout (10 min? I’m not sure – never really timed it.) I like mine with some provolone cheese melted on top, but it’s good without too. Then serve it on hamburger buns with hamburger toppings. Another favorite is eggplant enchiladas. My recipe is here: http://www.the-homestyle.com/2011/10/30/eggplant-enchilada-casserole/ Wow, I could go on and on. I really do love eggplant. 🙂
I’ve made eggplant a few times. All but one time, it was disgusting. I think the key to good eggplant is letting it weep, which is done by sprinkling with salt and letting it sit. Rinse and pat dry. Then, I breaded and fried mine, put it in a glass dish with marinara and topped it off with some fresh mozzarella and baked it. My husband, who does not like vegetarian meals one bit, absolutely loved this. This is where I got my recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/eggplant-parmesan-recipe/index.html – I only put one layer of eggplant in the dish.
Yum! sounds good! Today at the store i got 12 mangoes for $3.99!! I thought that was a great deal and gave some to my mom and my mother in-law! 🙂
That is an AWESOME deal on mango!!!
My mom always fried eggplant slices in a little bit of olive oil after dipping them in egg and then seasoned flour. I still like to eat it that way, however, I found another recipe that I can’t get enough of. Roasted eggplant and pepper dip. I’ve made it so many times the recipe morphs depending on what I have on hand when making it. The ingredients are: eggplant, bell pepper (tried with all colors), garlic, onion, tomatoes (can use fresh or canned tomatoes, or tomato paste), olive oil. Cut up the eggplant and the rest of the vegetables into 1 inch cubes. Mix all the ingredients (except for tomatoes if using canned or tomato paste) with a little bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast at 350 degrees for 25-30 or until the vegetables can be easily pierced with a fork. Blend in a blender until smooth (add canned tomatoes or tomato paste at this point). Great for dipping celery, carrots or chips. I hope you give it a try. It’s really fantastic.
Great deals! Just made some yummy eggplant that I found on sale last week. The kids ate it up so I posted about it: http://www.elenisavesu.com/2012/06/easy-bake-healthy-eggplant-parmesan.html
Eggplant croquettes- search for the recipe on All Recipes. They are delicious- even my super picky husband and kids like them.
Those Ezekiel Tortillas are the only ones I buy anymore. We all love them, and I haven’t found any other brand that can compete with the awesome ingredients. FYI – If you are near a Trader Joes, they are always $2.99 there.
Thanks, Sharon for the TJ’s tip. I will have to research these tortillas now.
Peel eggplant and slice into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Coat both sides in mayonaise and dredge in parmesan cheese. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 until soft and melty in the middle. Yum!
Amazing epplant parmesan:
Peel eggplant and slice about 1/4 inch thick. Place in a colander; sprinkle with salt and let sit in sink/over a plate for 30 min. Rinse; drain well. Dip slices in beaten egg and then seasoned bread crumbs. Fry both sides or bake on greased sheet at 400 for about 20 min, til crispy. Layer as you would lasagna- eggplant, spaghetti sauce, then ricotta (mixed with egg and herbs if you like). Repeat to use all eggplant. Top with mozzarella. Bake at 350 for an hour. Delicious!
I am interested in which health food store all these products are purchased at……… I hope we have one where I am located but I don’t live no where near you in Kansas.
Unfortunately it’s just a local store. However, I’d definitely recommend checking out area health food stores. From what I’ve seen, many of them offer markdowns and clearances — and some have some fairly good weekly specials, too.
I have tried eggplant many times, not fond of it but wish I was.
Got to love the wonderful summer produce!
I love steamed green beans with garlic and a hint of butter.
Good luck with the eggplant. I really want to like it, but have not found a recipe that makes it good to me :/
We make eggplant into ratatoui. Even my four year old loves it.
cube: eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms. Saute with onion and garlic. Add any italian style seasons you like/have. Add one to two cans of diced tomatoes. Serve over polenta and top with parmeasan. The whole thing can’t cost more than a few bucks and tastes great. Hope you like it too.
Was this at a Whole Foods Market? Is it common to find marked down items at a Whole Foods Market like I do at Kroger?
No, unfortunately we don’t have Whole Foods Market here — love their 365 brand! It’s just a small local health food store with weekly produce sales and great markdowns.
What is the name of it? I’m hoping to find a similar one in MN that has those cheaper prices!
Eggplant parm is good! But you only have one eggplant so it probably wouldn’t work well for that.
Another thing I love to do with eggplant is cut it into sticks, dip in egg and then roll it in either bread crumbs or wheat germ, spray them with olive oil cooking spray and then bake them in the oven. Once they are done I sprinkle a little shredded Parmesan cheese on them and serve them with some marinara dipping sauce! So good and the kids love them!
I do the same with zucchini 🙂
You found some great bargains! I shared a couple of eggplant recipes on your Facebook status, but I thought of another one that my family enjoys: Eggplant Rice Bake
Looks delicious!
Here is a Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant Medley:
3 med. zucchini, sliced about 3/4″
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 egg plant, 1″ cubes
1 onion, minced
1 T. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dry thyme
3 garlic cloves, press or mince
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quarter
1/4 cup fresh basil chop (this is the easiest herb ever to grow! We are having fun with it this year.)
1 T. lemon juice
1. Heat broiler.
2. Mix 1 T. oil with zucchini and salt and pepper. Broil on a baking sheet about 7-10 minutes.
3. Repeat with eggplant.
4. Cook 2 T. oil, onion, thyme and some salt in a skillet about 10 minutes over medium. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add tomatoes.
5. Add onion mix to veggie mix and serve.
Sounds good – I’m trying it!
So happy to see these healthy food purchases for your family – and at such great prices! What a great trip!
This is how I make my low carb pizza…(Sweat the eggplant first: slice eggplant 1 /2 inch thick, put into a strainer in a single layer and generously salt them, let sit 30 min. Wash off and dry with paper towel or kitchen towel. )
* Drizzle olive oil and oregano on them and broil at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. Then top with pizza sauce and other toppings and bake another 10 minutes until cheese is melty! We do this with zucchini also!
*Or sweat the eggplant and layer into lasagna instead of noodles.
*Or sweat them then dip in egg and then into a parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumb mixture and bake.
Sorry I don’t have measurements I cook by sight and taste!
I like eggplant chopped in bite-size pieces on top of pizza w/ marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. It kind of provides a meat-like texture.
I’m envious. Where do you find such deals!? Rudis bread for $.99? were these prices with coupons too?? Those are crazy deals! raw cheddar for 5.99!!?
Our health food store has a few great produce deals each week and then I can often find fantastic markdowns. However, the cheese price is the regular price — it’s so good!
What are all your plans or the produce? Will some of that food go into freezer cooking sessions?
We should be able to eat it up within the next 1-2 weeks (if not longer before!). I plan to juice some of the carrots/oranges/apples. And I’ll probably freeze the blueberries for smoothies.