Happy October! Even though it’s hard every year to see summer come to a close, I can’t help but feel a little excited thinking about the hustle and bustle of fall- back to school, turning the heat on for the first time, bubble baths, crisp evenings, and all things apples. Next week Ben and I are taking our annual apple picking trip to Carter Mountain– my favorite day of the year! Bring on the winesap, stayman, and apple cider doughnuts! Crossing my fingers for good weather up there!
This week, right on cue, I started craving roasted vegetables. For some reason I’ve been super into eggplant recently. Maybe because of it’s slightly meaty texture and the fact that you can customize it with just about any spice.
For this one, I went for an Indian curry profile, using garam masala (my favorite new spice blend- have you tried it in my Brown Butter Molasses Cookies yet?) and cumin to spice things up. I tossed on a can of chickpeas, as well as some red onion, tomato, sliced zucchini, and cauliflower.
I could not stop eating this right off the sheet. #trueconfessions
You could do a lot with these roasted veggies alone, like put them in a stew, serve as a side dish for a beautiful autumnal salad, or do what I did and use them in a grain bowl! I had some cooked lentil and farro, so I tossed some of these on top of the grains with some spinach, then topped with a nice runny egg and some feta crumbles. I bet goat cheese would be excellent as well!
(Side note: have you tried the Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Hot Stuff Sauce at Whole Foods? I am obsessed. We are having a game night tonight and I may just have to make them.)
Hope you enjoy!
- 1 medium eggplant, sliced into discs 1/4″ thick
- 3-4 medium zucchini, sliced thinly
- 1 head cauliflower, brokein into florets
- 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
- 1 can garbanzo beans
- extra virgin olive oil (about 3-4 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garam masala or other Indian spice blend
- 1 tsp curry powder
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- Optional: cooked grain (I used lentils/farro), egg, feta or goat cheese
- Preheat oven to 400 deg.
- Line two large cookie sheets with silpat or cooking spray.
- Layer eggplant and zucchini on sheet so that they are slightly overlapping. Top with red onion and drizzle with about 2 tbsp olive oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all spices until combined. Sprinkle on about half of this mixture to the vegetables.
- Add the cauliflower and chickpeas, drizzle with remaining olive oil and spice blend.
- Bake at 400 deg for 50 minutes until chickpeas are crispy and cauliflower is golden-brown.
- Allow to cool, then remove from pan and use on top of your favorite grains for a satisfying and healthy side, or top with poached egg and crumbled feta to make it a meal!
Claire Tastes 
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