You're at the grocery store or farmer's market and you see some beautiful purple baby eggplants. Their deep, luscious color make you think that they have to be good for you. There have to be some antioxidants hidden within that annoyingly chewy peel, right? Indeed, there are. So you purchase some eggplant, with no premeditated meal plan. Then you bring them home and come to the realization that you actually have to cook them. And eat them. You also realize that you probably don't want to taste—or really notice—the perplexing, mushy vegetable in your dinner.

The cure for such a predicament? Indian spices. Combining the unwanted vegetable with diced tomato, garlic, chickpeas, garam masala, and serving over rice is a great way to put a weird vegetable to good use. I would actually purchase eggplant again, for the sake of making this meal. So if you ever find yourself in a similar predicament, give this meal idea a go. While eggplant may have more uses in emoji form than real life, it has its place in this dish.

What:

multiple baby eggplants

canned diced tomato

canned chickpeas

onion

shallot

garlic

garam masala

coriander

powdered ginger

fennel seed (optional)

tomato paste

lime juice

How:

Dice eggplant, sprinkle with salt, toss and let sit at room temp for half an hour to extract moisture.

Rinse eggplant.

Sauté onions and shallots until translucent.

Add crushed garlic and spices.

Add chickpeas and continue to cook, stirring occasionally.

Add eggplant and a spoonful or two of tomato paste. Continue to sauté and develop flavors.

Add diced tomatoes (including the juice) and sprinkle with lime juice. Simmer for as long as you like.

Serve over rice.

What did I use and why?

No specifics here–this is a whole foods dish!