Sorry, I think I posted in the wrong place! Here it is:

The first dish that I want to share with you is an eggplant dish (I LOVE eggplants but if you do not, you MAY change your mind after you try this).

This eggplant dish is traditionally eaten by peoples of Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. Each of those countries cooks it in a SLIGTLY different way.

Since my mother and her mom (who actually did the cooking) is/was Palestinian, you are getting the Palestinian version.

The dish is originally vegetarian but for my ANA purposes, I have 2 options for adding more meats and proteins. I do believe that it as more than enough fat grams.

Mnazaleh (also pronounced mmm—na-za-leh); the literal translation means “the thing being put down”. The name actually does have a slight connection to the actual dish. The ingredients are “dropped” into the oil! That is all the connection! Weird huh?

Part 1: The Ingredients:

Garlic
Onions
Tomatoes & Tomato paste
Eggplants
Oil
Paprika:
Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Black pepper

Part 2: About the Ingredients:

Garlic:
I like garlic in food so I use around 4 cloves (I can never remember if its called a clove or head; I am referring to the actual little garlic that you break and peel individually; I use 4 of those individual round pieces).

You will need to peel them and cut them very VERY finely.

Onions:
I, and my entire family actually, LOVE onions in this dish but because of the extra-intensive tear and burning effect they have on me, I normally use only 1 large cooking onion. This is actually more beneficial because onions do have a greater number of net carbs.

Sorry but that little chopped onion thing in a can will not work in this dish. You are going to have to have the real thing.

You will need to peel it and chop it into half-moon shaped thin slices.

Tomatoes & Tomato paste:
Although this dish can certainly use lots of tomatoes, because tomatoes are not particularly cheap, I combine tomatoes with tomato paste. So you will need either one very large tomato or 2-3 plum ones. Chop those into pieces the size of a Hershey kiss chocolates (a little larger is okay).

Use tomato paste to get the final taste for this dish. I normally take 1-2 tablespoon of tomato paste and dissolve in a moderate amount of water. Although using 2 tablespoons may be better for the dish, paste does contain a greater number of net carbs. Of course, the amounts I am giving you here are what I make to feed 6 of my family (and they do not believe in portion control); so maybe the paste that you will actually eat will not be that problematic.

Eggplants:
AHHHH, the queen ingredient! How much you will use depends on the size that you buy. In the grocery store that I go to, the eggplant is VERY big (as long as my arm from finger to elbows and as fat at about 1 and ½ tennis balls). So I use 2 (sometimes in my more greedy moments, 3) of those.

You must wash well, do NOT peel and chop into slices the size of a medium chocolates chip cookie.

Oil:
I normally use extra virgin olive oil but that is costly. You can use vegetable oil but I personally do not think it tastes as good. The amount of oil will really depend on how much eggplant you will use. This will become clearer once you read the directions.

Paprika:
This is used to intensify the red color of the dish; it does not add spice or heat (unless you get the wrong kind). Use 2 teaspoons (you can use a LITTLE more if you want a very red color).

Cayenne Pepper:
Although the dish is traditionally not a spicy/hot one, I like hot food. So I always add this ingredient. This is purely optional but if you plan to use it, do not overdo it. When I make the dish for myself only, I use between 2 tablespoons (yes—tablespoons); nobody else in my family can tolerate that. I guess no more than 1 teaspoon (note-teaspoon) for an average person.

Salt and Black pepper: To taste.

Part 3: The method/directions:

1. You will need a large flat/wide pan/skillet type cookware.
2. Coat the bottom of the pan with oil so that it is covered entirely with a thin layer. Normally around 1 tablespoon.
3. Wait 30 second or one minute for oil to heat.
4. Add onions first and garlic second and leave to sauté. Keep checking on onions and garlic and turning every couple of minutes. Sauté until onions turn a nice golden brown—do not let them burn; if burned the dish quality will be poor, especially since burned garlic tends to turn bitter.
5. If needed, add a little more oil. Normally and additional tablespoon. Add fresh tomatoes and continue to sauté for a few minutes until tomatoes become soft and begin to “melt”. Make sure that you continually monitor and turn so that your onions and garlic are not burned.
6. Now turn your attention to the eggplant. Eggplants require more oil than other vegetables to cook properly. They have a tendency to absorb oil. So in the eggplant cooking steps, you are going to have keep adding oil as needed.
7. Add to the pot 1/2 cup of oil.
8. Add you eggplants.
9. Mix everything in the pan well.
10. Cover and place on medium heat.
11. Let cook until the eggplants are browned and tender and moist but not burned. Please note that the eggplants on the bottom may cook first and absorb the oil. In that case, you will need to turn/mix the pot so that the top eggplants are on the bottom. You may also need to add more oil if the oil was absorbed but not all eggplants were cooked. Add to the pot using increments of 1/4 cup of oil or as needed. By the time I am done with this dish, I have usually used from one to two cups of oil. This depends on you and how much eggplants you used.
12. Add the tomato paste and water mixture. You may also need to add an additional half-cup or cup of hot water (so that the dish’s sauce is not too thick---but I like it better that way).
13. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes or so.
14. Let simmer on medium or medium low heat.
15. After about 30-35 minutes, or whenever eggplants are browned and tender and moist and melt in your mouth WITHOUT leaving a bitter taste, add the spices and let cook for another 5-10 minutes.
16. Always keep checking and mixing and TASTING!

Part 4: Adding protein
In order to make this dish more protein packed, I have several options:
1. If I am lazy, I buy a rotisserie or grilled chicken or mesquite chicken and eat pieces of chicken next to the dish.
2. If I have the time, in the initial stages (right after the onions and garlic), I add minced meat (my favorite is lamb minced meat but ground beef or chicken is fine too. Turkey for some reason does not taste too good). If you plan to add minced meat you will need to also add a 1/2-teaspoon of cinnamon as soon as you add the meat. You will also need to add salt as soon as you add the meat.
3. Same as step 2 but add the chicken strips (like the ones you find in grilled chicken salad).
Part 5: Serving this dish:
Normally, they serve it hot. Great for winter.

SOME Palestinians eat it by dipping bread into it (basically the bread is your spoon). Sure, it tastes great that way but they end up eating at least 3 or 4 pita bread with that meal.
You can also use the low carb tortillas if you wish.
It can also be eaten on top of rice (brown rice).

My favorite way:
If I am in a “dipping” mood (which is rare), I replace the bread with the white parts of the chicken rotisserie. Works out pretty well.

Usually, I just cut up the chicken place it on the plate [as I would rice] and pour the eggplants on top It is best to eat it the spoon way.

Part 6: Comments

As I said, the quantities above make a dish for a family. I suppose a normal person’s serving size would be between half to one cup. But the way my family, and my culture in general, you start with one cup, eat it with pita or rice then go for seconds and thirds! By the time we are done eating one has had 2-3 cups of this meal.

As far as carbs go, you will notice that all the net carbs come from the ANA list of approved vegetables. So that is a good thing isn’t it? I am sorry but I never actually sat and calculated the net carb in this dish (for a half cup serving). If anyone does that—please let me know.

As to the fats, it is mostly from the olive oil. I really do not know how much fat grams will be in each persons serving. Let me know if you calculate it.

Okay, I tried my best to tell you guys how to make this. I never actually give people recipes; I just make them the food and take it to them. I hope it works out and that you enjoy it. Let me know!


SheShe

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SheShe
Height:5'-9"
My weight today is: 260.5
My immediate goal is:254.5
My long-term goal is:130

VERY interesting, thank you for sharing. I'm actually getting eggplant for the weekend, we're doing some serious grilling at my place.

fwiw, if you don't cut the root off the onion, you'll avoid the tear factor (omg, almost typed REAR factor!) Just lob off the top, peel back the first layer and cut as you need. All the boo-hoo stuff is in the root.

BTW, just curious - would cutting the eggplant in half and baking it until semi tender and then frying it up give you the same results?

if you don't cut the root off the onion, you'll avoid the tear factor (omg, almost typed REAR factor!) Just lob off the top, peel back the first layer and cut as you need. All the boo-hoo stuff is in the root.

BTW, just curious - would cutting the eggplant in half and baking it until semi tender and then frying it up give you the same results?[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the onion suggestions; I am going to try it your way. As to the eggplant, baking it first would certainly save calories but it makes it more dry and bitter and does not allow it to absorb oil as well as it should. Although, cutting back on the oil is always good!

__________________
SheShe
Height:5'-9"
My weight today is: 260.5
My immediate goal is:254.5
My long-term goal is:130

awww. i wanted to know how to cut back on the REAR factor! the tear thing isn't an issue for me. i've got the other one.

snort.

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