Are you an eggplant lover? It’s one of my go to vegetables for a delicious main dish recipe. Packed with fiber and low in calories, eggplant can be a great vehicle for other flavors. This Meatless Monday recipe for Cripsy Eggplant with Whipped Feta, Roasted Tomatoes and Mint will show you exactly what I mean.
The cultural heritage of Costa Brava, Spain is strongly tied to the Fishing Tradition. I recently had the opportunity to travel thru five small villages on this beautiful region, where the mountains and sea come together and provide shelter in a more gentle side of the Rugged Coast. The natural surroundings, unspoiled villages and quiet coves attract many visitors today, but surprisingly, most Americans I spoke with were unfamiliar with this area. Let me introduce you to a lifestyle steeped in history that revolves around the sea.
If you’ve been following me on Instagram you might be under the impression that I’ve been eating my way through Costa Brava. You know what? You’d be absolutely right! While I have plenty more to share about this beautiful part of Spain, I’m leading off with a bit of food porn that will keep me in the gym for extra hours in May. It is impossible to even begin to count the calories I’ve consumed over the last twelve days.
I was in Spain attending the TBEX conference, the largest Travel Bloggers gathering in the world (more to follow on the event). What I discovered in Catulunya is that gastronomy is a huge part of the cultural experience. This trip was over the top for food tasting: 2 hour lunches, 3 hour dinners, copious amounts of Cava. The people of Costa Brava are a hearty bunch, and I had a hard time keeping up. Slow living and slow eating is the mantra in this area of the world. I hope I can take part of the concept home with me.
Eating local and in season is a wonderful way to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Fresh and local Asparagus, once known as sparrow grass in England, is springing to life in farms all over New England. While I love the vegetable grilled, using seasonal asparagus in a fritter is a tasty change of pace and allows for serving it as a main course on Meatless Monday.
Dipped, grilled, made into soup, or featured in this Asparagus and Ricotta Fritters recipe, these subtle spears are the darlings of early vegetables. I remember the first time I saw them at a farm poking through the ground. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but seeing them so perfectly shaped and ready to eat was a surprise.
