Aloo Baingan with Lemon Pepper Drumsticks

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For the most part, if I am craving some takeout for dinner, the Indian restaurant around the corner is my go-to spot.  I love the intense flavors and fresh spices involved in Indian cooking.  One of my favorite dishes to order is Rogan Josh, an aromatic lamb delicacy cooked with spices in a tomato (or chile) based sauce.

Since I had eggplant on hand last night, I chose to take a stab at creating my own version of Aloo Baingan.  This dish is traditionally made with eggplant and potatoes, which are cooked with spices, onion and tomato to create a side dish with a nice thick consistency.  For my version, I cooked eggplant with fire roasted tomatoes and sweet potato puree, to give it a thicker consistency.  I also chose to serve it over a bed of rice to enjoy it as more of an entree.  The spice level for this recipe is mild, but could easily be made spicier by increasing the amount of red pepper flakes used.


The Aloo Baingan was so delicious that I almost forgot to talk about the just as amazing chicken drumsticks!  Yesterday, I came across a lemon pepper chicken recipe that incorporated nutmeg.  I never would have thought of this combination on my own, but I decided to add nutmeg in with the lemon pepper drumsticks I had already planned to cook.  The nutmeg proved to be a success as these ended up being the best drumsticks I have made to date.  

Before I send you on to the recipes, I need to give credit to my husband for being the one to actually cook these drumsticks while I was working on the Aloo Baingan - he did a great job!

Aloo Baingan
Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 small-to-medium eggplants
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 cup fire roasted diced tomatoes (canned)
  • 1/2 cup sweet potato puree (canned or homemade)
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
  1. Slice the eggplant into 1/2" thick rounds and then chop each round into quarters (you should be left with triangular-shaped pieces of eggplant).
  2. In a small bowl, mix the garlic, chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and red pepper flakes with 2 Tablespoons of water to make a paste.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the eggplant and fry for 5-7 minutes, or until tender.
  4. Add in the spice paste to the eggplant and cook for another few minutes, stirring often.
  5. Stir in the tomatoes and sweet potato puree.  Cook for another few minutes, stirring often to ensure that everything is well-mixed.
  6. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the garam masala and lemon juice.
  7. Serve immediately over a bed of rice (or cauliflower "rice" if going Paleo).

Lemon Pepper Drumsticks
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients
  • 5 chicken drumsticks (I used skinless, and actually forgot they were skinless because they were so good and crispy)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the raw drumsticks with the pepper, nutmeg, coriander, olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice.
  3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange drumsticks so that they are not touching. 
  4. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches at least 165°F.   *The good thing with darker meat is that it is not as sensitive to being over-cooked.  We cooked our drumsticks to an internal temperature of 185°F and there were very juicy with a nice crispy exterior.

-Brought to you from Erin's Kitchen

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