Almond Coated Eggplant
Warren Buffet once said “the chains of habit are too light to be felt till they are too heavy to be broken“, and boy was he right!
I didn’t even realize I was forming a habit in those early days. It started off with 15 minutes here and 15 minutes; before I knew it, I was going at it for hours! And now it’s really hard to stop. Y’all, I am talking about TV-watching.
Before my daughter came along, I wasn’t into TV that much. I had an old TV, and it stayed on as background noise while I was pottering around. Then my daughter came along and when she was old enough, we started watching 15 minutes or so of Barney from time to time. As time went by, she would ask me to join her on the couch when she moved on to The Wiggles, Lizzie McGuire, and One Tree Hill. Then, last fall, she talked me into watching all 5 glorious seasons of Friday Night Lights in little less than 2 months!
This summer, she has me hooked on Grey’s Anatomy! I don’t see any real surgeries happening, but a bunch of people poking around at fake organs; I don’t get why McSteamy is even remotely steamy; I don’t understand how things can run so smoothly if all residents were dating their attending surgeons; but yet, I show up, next to her, on that couch! My daughter has a way of grabbing my heart and making me feed habits that need to be changed. So, I go along. I make almond-coated, pan-fried, eggplant to feed us and join her on the couch because this is her “Summer Adventure”.
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This eggplant came together in a cinch. With a quick coating of spices and yogurt and a smattering of Blue Diamond Salt & Vinegar Almonds, this appetizer was a few minutes from being consumed. While pan frying it made the eggplant lose some of its almond coating; you could choose to bake it, so the almond coating stays intact.
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This “Flavor Your Adventure” post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. For more snack ideas to “Flavor Your Adventure” this summer, visit Blue Diamond Almonds on Facebook • Twitter • Instagram
As always, all opinions and recipe are my own.
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Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 1 5.3 oz container of Greek Yogurt
- 3/4 teaspoon curry powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 can Blue Diamond Salt and Vinegar Almonds
- Oil of choice
Instructions
- Slice eggplant into about 1/4 inch slices
- Mix yogurt, curry powder, cayenne, alt and lime and set aside
- Place enough oil to cover the bottom of a pan and set it on the stove on a medium flame
- As it heats up, crush almonds (this can be done in a food processor for a more uniform coating, or you can place the almonds in a plastic bag and use a hammer or rolling pin and have at it)
- Spread spiced yogurt dip on each side of the slices of eggplant
- Coat with the almond mixture
- And, when oil is hot, fry eggplant slices for about 2-3 minutes on each side
- Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with parsley and crushed pepper flakes and enjoy
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OMG Shashi, we also watched all 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights in about 2 months, probably less! What an amazing show. We love, love, love eggplant in our house, and this preparation looks absolutely DELISH!
Haha – Sonali, I sure am glad we weren’t the only ones! Yes – it was one heck of a show – that coach – what a gem!
BTW – thanks so much!
Ah what?? I need to pick to pick fight with you..Mc dreamy, not dreamy..Oh God, I love love him. You need to go back watch all episodes and please re consider….(lol)
Girl, I am hooked on to Grey’s Anatomy and feel so sad in summers. Just like your little girl, my teen has hooked me on to Pretty Little Liars, crazyyy..
Anyways, love this recipe and I made something like this today for snacking, just love it.
hugs to you and your sweet little girl. It would be so nice if we could all meet up.
xx
Haha! I do love McDreamy, I mean how can you not love those eyes! It’s McSteamy that urks me – not sure why – clearly, I have issues! 🙂
You are so right – I would LOVE to meet you, Asha! Funny thing is my daughter and I came to San Fran in 2010 – before I started my blog – not sure when we will come back, but I do go to NYC around July 23rd most years – so if you ever happen to be there then…
Shashi, even look of these eggplants making me hungry! Also, almond crust sounds so delicious! Great recipe! Pinning, of course!
Thanks so much Savita!
I too adore the tv…I’m totally addicted in the craziest way. My kitchen overlooks the living room so our tv is always on. I feel ya sister! But these eggplants just look fantastic!!! It’s a totally creative way to use eggplant! Love it!
Oh my – now I wouldn’t get any cooking done if my TV overlooked my living room! 🙂
By the way – thanks so much Mila
That looks so good! It’s been too long since I’ve had eggplant.
Have a beautiful day!
Thanks Melanie – hope you are having a wonderful week too, dear.
Haha I barely watched any tv before the.boy and now…we watch a lot of it! Mostly as background noise, but still. It’s definitely habit-forming!
Haha – that boy of yours is all kinds of trouble – eh?! 🙂
I’m with you. I never understood all of the hype about Grey’s Anatomy. 🙂 But I do see the hype over this eggplant dish. What a great way to cook eggplant! Love the use of the yogurt and coating! Great dish Shashi!
Thanks so much MJ!
I love pan fried eggplants .. and almond coated sounds perfect!! I have been meaning to do a parmesan coated one but now, i might just try this out!! Looks great Shashi! DO link up at SaucySaturdays!! Have a great weekend darling,, 🙂
Thanks so very much for the kind words and link-up offer! Will definitely try to next Saturday! Hope you have a wonderful week xx
I love eggplants, unfortunately I am the only one in the household who likes them but this isn’t stopping me from cooking them from time to time 🙂
Hey – that means you don’t have to share! Score!!! 🙂 Thanks Agata!
love eggplant..looks fantastic
I love eggplant! I bet the nuts gives this a great texture!
They sure did – thanks so much Whitney!
This eggplant looks totally amazing! Will have to try it.
I don’t watch much television, but I do sometimes have it on while I work. I pay so little attention to it though that I can get halfway through a show and think- wait, I think I’ve seen this before. 🙂
Hahaha! I get that way about movies sometimes, Christin! Every time I watch the Twilight saga with my daughter – it’s like it’s the first time 🙂
I wasn’t into TV before I started dating my boyfriend. And then it became How I Met Your Mother, Homeland, Scandal, Masterchef… and lately, I’ve been indulging in The Mindy Project. I don’t have that much time to watch TV but it’s definitely been happening more lately! I love eggplant and I don’t know why it gets such a bad rep from some of my friends. Eggplant is one of my favourite veggies and this is such a great use of almonds!
My sis has been trying to get me to watch The Mindy Project – I tried watching it once and fell asleep – guess I gotta try again…
BTW – Thanks Genevieve!
I love eggplant! And I love how you were so creative with the nut coating. I’m going to try that for sure. Also, loved the quote you used in the first paragraph of this post. 🙂
Thanks so much Byron!
Wow… I want to dive into your photos. I am the only one in my family that will eat eggplant… but I think I can still eat all of those slices. 🙂
Thanks Ramona – hey, at least you won’t have to share! 🙂 My daughter fought me for the last piece – her arms are longer than mine so she won 🙁
Eggplant is my favourite vegetable. I love the addition of almonds to this recipe, I bet it adds such a delicious crunch! The spices sound amazing too, I definitely need to try this!
Thanks so much Harriet!
This eggplant looks incredible, Shashi! Love the almond coating!
Thanks bunches Kelly!
The only way I know how to cook eggplant is to bread it and bake it as eggplant parmesan! I needed some new recipes to add to my collection!
Hey – breading and baking sounds pretty fabulous to me, Emily! 🙂
Hehe, I totally hear you–the minutes creep up and ADD up! We just started marathoning HIMYM and oh lordie, it’s a long couch trip. So I totally understand. Wouldn’t mind whipping up this eggplant and snuggling with it on the couch, though 😉
Haha – Ala – appetizers seem to fuel the marathons eh?! Thanks so much lady!
That’s a great quote from Warren Buffet – certainly rings true. I love eggplant when it’s cooked well and this looks absolutely perfect, Shashi!
Thanks so much Marissa! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
I happen to love eggplant and have a ton of it growing in my garden. 🙂 These look delicious. Gorgeous photos too!!! I will try it with full fat coconut milk instead of yogurt. Yum!
Thanks so much Jenn! I m not sure if the coconut milk alone will help the almonds stick on – but I guess if you pulsed the almonds in a food processor it could work? Would love to know how it turns out…
I actually use coconut milk a lot to adhere breading and it works like magic!!
Well – I learned something new today! I gotta try using coconut milk net time! Thanks Jenn!
Eggplant dishes are such a childhood food for me! Eggplant parm would be my favorite kind, haha, but now of course, I don’t eat that so I use eggplant much more “modernly” 😉
I grew up on it too – my mom would saute strips of it in oil and spices – it used to be so good!
I’m not a huge eggplant fan but my dad is. I’m going to visit him in the next few weeks and with his garden harvest, looks like I have to be a great daughter and cook this up for him!
You are indeed a GREAT daughter Pamela! Hey – you could use some of your tomatoes to make a sauce to go with this?
haha, Grey’s Anatomy used to be my fave show. . I loved McSteamy . . you’ll like him more later. . keep watching. . LOVE this pan fried eggplant!!!! and YES to the Blue Diamond Salt and Vinegar Almonds!!! love those!
Haha Alice – I’ll keep watching – but so far I am team McDreamy – those eyes…. 🙂
Love eggplants! Definitely need to try this recipe! I’m not someone who follows Greys Anatomy, BUT I get addicted to it once I watch one episode, and once went through an entire season in one day! 😀
An entire season in one day? Now my mind is blown! 🙂
Btw – thanks Dini
We LOVE watching Grey’s Anatomy and finished all 11 seasons :-)) These eggplant slices look amazing!
We are on season 6 still! Thanks so much Angie!
I LOVE eggplant but have never thought to pan fry it… usually I just roast it! Have to try this recipe soon, especially with that sauce! Yum!
Thanks so much Cassie!
eggplant is my favorite food, no joke! Sometimes I bread it and pan fry it but I NEED to try this with the salt and vinegar almonds! Pinning 🙂
Thanks so much! Breading it would make for a more consistent crust – but the almonds made for a nice textural change
Yum! And YAY for Friday Night Lights! If you liked that you’ll probably love Parenthood too 🙂
I loved Friday Nigh Lights!!! I am definitely gonna have to check out Parenthood
Eggpant is literally one of my favorite vegetables! I have never tried pan frying it though and these pictures are making my mouth water!
Thanks so much Selena! Pan frying it made it so soft…slightly different from roasted eggplant
I love eggplant, and this is a new one for sure. Yum yum!
Thanks so much Katie
haha oh my gosh! My sister was obsessed with Lizzie McGuire! Completely forgot about that show!
This eggplant looks so so good! I am always looking for new ways to use eggplant!
UGH – Ashley, I hate to admit this – but I quite enjoyed watching Lizzie McGuire myself when my daughter went through her phase! 🙂
Thanks & I Hope you have a wonderful weekend
We do the same thing, Shashi! We get hooked on various shows and binge watch them on weekends to relax. But here’s the thing. I think part of the appeal is the ability to spend time together in a relaxed manner. If that happens to be a favorite tv show at night, then so be it! All I know is I really want this eggplant. We have some eggplants in our garden that will be ready to be picked soon, and I have some Blue Diamond almonds in the cupboard. I think I know what dinner next week will be! 🙂
You are so right David – I love hanging out with Lil Shashi and so far, she still seems to enjoy hanging out with me, though I think sometimes, she enjoys it more when I get hooked on a show she introduces me too 🙂
Btw – thanks bunches!
Hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!
I admit that my daughter and I have always watched Grey’s Anatomy together and since she is not living at home I do not watch nearly as much. 🙁 When she comes home I will make this eggplant recipe – love the idea of coating in almonds!
Thanks so much Janice!
Gorgeous eggplant dish Miss Shashi! Love it. I don’t use eggplant enough. But recently warmed up to that Barney vegetable when I made a yummy Roasted Veggie tortellini dish last week. Yours looks delicious.
Oh Good gosh – Allie – I saw YOURS – I lost a ton of saliva looking at YOURS – Girl – yours was so so delicious!
I am a big fan of eggplants.thanks
Thanks Shivani
I love eggplants, and these pan fired ones looks so crispy and flavorful! Loved this healthy and delish recipe! Yogurt and spices sounds so good! And good luck with TV habit! 🙂
Haha – thanks Anu! I love using yogurt and spices to coat veggies and meats!
Never enver have I tried eggplants with almonds and it seems to me an interesting combination. I am going to try this in the near future, cause eggplants are in season here. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting
I am growing eggplant this year…not sure how that is going to turn out! This would be a great recipe to try if I actually get some!
Thanks Julia! And Good Luck!
This year I grew them too – I got one big one in June and nothing since – am thinking its because I haven’t been watering like I probably should be – GAH!
One of my favourite vegetables! Your pictures are making me hungry.
Thanks so much Sarah!
Wow! I make pan-fried eggplant all the time, but I usually just use a little salt and chilli. This looks amazing!!! And getting rid of my TV four years ago was the best thing I ever did.
Haha – I am thinking when my daughter goes off to college, my TV might disappear too! Thanks Tara – hope you have a wonderful weekend
I love eggplants … The recipe sounds wonderful 🙂
Thanks Manal 🙂
Grey’s Anatomy should be banned, it is too addictive!!
You cannot go wrong with aubergine, these babies look tasty!
Haha – you are so right about it being addictive! Thanks so much Emanuele!
At first I thought you were talking about exercise! Yes, the dreaded TV! I have it on but on mute so I can see what’s happening but I don’t have to get too distracted. We’re enjoying watching the US version of ‘The Office’. Your eggplant looks fabulous xx
Haha – nope, not exercise, Charlie! I am intrigued by your version of the Office! And thanks so much-hope your weekend is wonderful! xx
I am totally hooked on Grey’s Anatomy! I never have the television off when I am home alone 🙂
I have gotten in the habit of keeping some food network show or the other on when I’m home alone too, Tandy!
To be honest I have never even tried eggplant! It just seems like such a weird vegetable but this quick and easy recipe looks sooo good. I will defintely have to try this. 🙂
Thanks so much Daisy!
Love eggplant and this is such a creative way to prepare it! With tv I’m on and off, sometimes I watch a lot and other times, not that much! Pinned 🙂
Thanks so much Mira!
I love eggplant… and how flavorful and healthy this recipe is with all the spices and yogurt. Good luck with the TV habit. 🙂
Thanks so much Denise!
Haha you’re talking to a big tv addict although I haven’t actually watched any of those shows. Thanks for the recs! 😀 Also eggplant is one of my favourite vegetables!
Haha – your welcome, Lorraine!