Vegan Miso Orange Glazed Eggplant

Sometimes I forget that vegan cooking can be quite simple.  This eggplant dish is a great lazy meal since it only takes a few minutes to prep.  The rest of the cooking time is baking in the oven so you can set it and forget it.

Did you know that there are 14 varieties of eggplants?  Here, I used the most common one found in American grocery stores – the American or Globe eggplant with its bulbous, pear shape.  If you’d like to create this dish with better presentation, try substituting with the Japanese eggplant with its long and thin shape, cutting in half lengthwise.  You can also garnish with fresh green onions or chilies.

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Recipe after the jump 🙂

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Oysters Magic Sauce

Oysters don’t have to be reserved for a special occasion or only enjoyed in a fine restaurant.  They’re quite easy to prepare at home whether served raw or cooked.  I’d also like to share with you a delectable, magical, fantastical sauce made from Hog Island’s hogwash recipe and my own little sumthin sumtthin on top.  This preparation is absolutely the best way I’ve had oysters.
IMG_1236Recipe and how to shuck video after the jump.  I hope I’ve demystified making oysters at home for some 🙂

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Vegetarian Baked Mushroom Ravioli

I bought the frozen mushroom ravioli bag from Trader Joe’s.  I love the ravioli but I’m not a huge fan of the sauce.  Easy fix – discard the sauce and cook the ravioli in butter then baked with fresh grated parmesan cheese.  I also added dry aromatics – ground sage and italian seasoning mix.  The result: crispy edges, soft bits of the mushroom filling, and a subtle but nice sage and italian flavor.

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Recipe after the jump 🙂

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5 Ways to Extend The Shelf Life of Herbs

We all know that buying fresh herbs can get expensive and they tend to spoil fairly quickly.  Whomp whomp.  Here are 4 ways to extend the shelf life of your herbs.

1. Turn Fresh Herbs to Dry Herbs by Microwaving

Food & Wine’s Mad Genius video series on YouTube demos how to dry herbs by microwave. Genius indeed!

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