Using the Force to Cook Vegetarian

            The wonderful and lovely people who work and run The Painted Lotus, a fantastic tattoo shop in my home town held a fundraiser for The BC Children’s Hospital. It was epically Star Wars themed and these hardworking folks raised $12000 for the cause. For my part, I made a little food to fuel their efforts. It was a small thing but I hope it was helpful. I put together some Brisket sandwiches which I have explained in earlier posts and I did some salads as well. I will give you the vegetarian option I came up with to hopefully quell the hunger of the non meat eaters in the group. This one goes out to the lovely people at The Painted Lotus for all of their hard work and generosity towards a great cause.

The Painted Lotus Veggie Sandwich to the tune of Duel of the Fates

1 eggplant sliced

Oil

Cherry tomatoes halfed

Feta cheese crumbled

Onion finely diced

Green olives quartered

Mint minced

Rice wine vinegar

Sesame oil

Olive oil

Good rolls

-So the proportions of the ingredients are really up to you to find the balance that you like. I will throw in little bits of advice as I go.

-We will start with the marinated vegetables: In a good sized jar, I use an old pickle jar, add your tomatoes, onion, olives, and mint. Then add in your oils and vinegar. I use the usual 2-1 oil to vinegar ratio, maybe a little bit more vinegar. I also mix the olive and sesame oils 1-1 otherwise all you will taste is the sesame oil. Once all of this is in your jar give it a good shake and let it sit in your fridge for at least a few hours to let all the flavours come together.

-As for the eggplant if you don’t draw some of the water out of it you will end up with a soggy and less than pleasant product. So give it some salt and let it sit for about an hour or so. Pat it dry. Add some oil to a sauté pan over medium heat. Add in your eggplant and cook until golden and slightly soft. Remove from the heat onto paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

-Split and toast your rolls and put your sandwiches together. And enjoy your sandwich.