Moroccan Eggplant

Yesterday I did something wild and crazy....I made myself lunch.  Might not seem that crazy to you but it is a rare occurrence around here.  Most days I don't eat lunch.  I've discussed this before...you can read about it on the only other lunch post I've done, back in August, which was probably the last time I made myself lunch.

Anyway, I know I should eat lunch more often and since we had an extra eggplant left over from the yummy eggplant parm we made the other night, I decided to revive an old favorite of  mine, Moroccan Eggplant.  It is super easy to make but it does take about an hour since the eggplant has to roast for 40 minutes.  It's not a labor intensive dish though, and I actually did something else wild and crazy while it was roasting.  I cleaned out my spice cabinet.  Woo Hoo.

For anyone who is interested in some house organizing/decluttering motivation, check out this calendar from My Simpler Life.  The calendar is free to download and each day you have just one item to declutter.  I'm loving it so far!  And Jan 5, 2012 was the day to clean out the garlic salt that expired in 2004.  No lie.  Plus I didn't even live in this house in 2004!  (Mr Pears owned the house before we met).

Ok back to the recipe....it's good.  It is easy to reheat throughout the week and it is healthy.  I hope you like it.

Moroccan Eggplant, adapted from....I don't know!  I've been making this awhile and I've no idea where I found the recipe....sorry!  If it's yours let me know and I'll give credit where credit is due.

(makes three lunches, double the recipe to serve four for dinner)

1 medium sized eggplant
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons smoke paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
a pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
Serve over couscous

Start by spraying a large pot or dutch oven with vegetable oil cooking spray and heating it on medium for about 5 minutes.  Prick your eggplant all over with a fork and then put it into your hot pan and cover it.

Let it roast for 20 minutes, turn it over, then let it roast another 20 minutes.  When it is cool enough to handle, slice off the top stem, slice the eggplant lengthwise and then put it face down in a colander to drain for about 10 minutes.

Once drained and cool, scoop out the flesh and put it into a saucepan.  Mash it up with a wooden spoon.

Turn the heat on to medium low and add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.  Heat all the way through, about 10 minutes.

While the eggplant is heating, make your couscous.  I make mine by heating 1 cup of water in the microwave until boiling (about 1min30sec) then pouring it over 1/2 cup couscous in my serving bowl.  I just stir it together and put a small plate on top for 5 minutes.  Fluff, drizzle some olive oil and voila!

Top the couscous with the eggplant and enjoy!  This is easy to reheat and keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days.  You can make the couscous fresh each day (only takes 6 minutes!) or make a bigger batch and reheat that too.