Making Baked Eggplant Boats for a Cooking Contest

I was a member of a cooking group on Facebook where people share interesting, delicious recipes and recipe photos with others that love to cook. Every week there is a cooking competition where participants must create a dish that has a secret ingredient that is chosen by the previous week's competition's winner. The photo of the end product (the prepared/served dish) must be submitted to the competition along with the name of the dish and what ingredients go into it. Once all the entries are submitted the admin of the group posts all the photos (without mentioning the chef's name) and members are asked to Like their favorites. The photo with the most Likes wins. No actual prizes are awarded but the winner gets to choose the secret ingredient for the following week's competition and his recipe photo is displayed as the cover image of the group for one week.

I had never entered the competition before but after hearing that the secret ingredient would be eggplant I became inspired to enter. After pondering about what new dish to create I came up with an idea of doing baking stuffed eggplant and called the dish baked eggplant boats, which I thought was very creative since the eggplant resembles a boat shape-wise. I already had eggplant in the fridge waiting to be cooked and I already had other ingredients that I could use for stuffing. There was no need to go shopping, which saved me time. 

The ingredients I used for the stuffing included eggplant (of course), red bell pepper, carrots, onions, Kumato tomato, Enoki mushrooms, Basmati Rice, dried basil, Ketchup/Aji Mirin mixture and a mix of four shredded cheeses (Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Parmesan). 

It was fun making this dish and also challenging at the same time as the most important part of the recipe was to remove the flesh from the eggplant so that I could stuff the shell with all these great ingredients. I had never done this before so it took a bit of time to get this done so as not to break the eggplant shell or make holes in it. After finally mastering this step everything else that followed in the recipe was a breeze. It still took a fair amount of time though but that was okay. I couldn't wait to try the end product and to present it in a beautiful way on a plate for the competition. 

I used two eggplants for this recipe that were medium-sized. After I removed the flesh from the eggplant, made the stuffing and placed it inside the eggplant shells along with the four shredded cheeses I popped the tray in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes or so. Once done cooking I turned off the oven and removed the tray onto the table. To create the competition photo I used two halves of the eggplant and laid them out on a square plate, putting a bunch of Chinese basil leaves in between them and garnishing the plate with crushed dried parsley flakes. 

Baked eggplant boats stuffed with Basmati Rice,
eggplant, Enoki mushrooms, Kumato tomato, onions,
organic carrot, red bell pepper, and four shredded cheeses
(Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Parmesan)

For the full recipe including instructions and recipe photos head to this link: Baked Eggplant Boats.

After I laid the eggplant out for the photo and snapped one, I dived right in and found myself in heaven. The baked eggplant tasted so good that I ate one whole half of the eggplant in one sitting. I was so happy that the dish turned out delicious (especially since it was my first time making it) and was excited to enter it into the competition.

The deadline for the submissions was Sunday 10pm. I emailed mine on Thursday. I waited to get a reply email letting me know that the submission was received but never got any email. At first I thought about emailing them to see if they got my submission but then I thought that perhaps they don't reply to submission emails so did nothing about it. On Sunday, when less than an hour was left to submit recipe photos I decided to ask if mine was received just to be sure. Their reply was no. I couldn't believe it. After I had spent so much time preparing this dish and working on its presentation the last thing I wanted was to not be a part of the competition. After communicating back and forth with the admins of the group and resending them my submission it turned out that my email was in SPAM. Out of everyone else's entries mine was the only one that made it into spam, which frustrated me big time. Why the heck was it in spam? I certainly wasn't spamming anyone! Thank God I asked the admins if my submission was received. Had I not asked the them about it I would have never been part of this competition, which would have been quite a disappointment. Turns out they do reply to submission emails, so from now I know that if I take part in this competition again but don't receive a reply email that means my email never went through or went straight into spam. I hope that doesn't happen again!. 

I will not lie, I was so sure I would be the winner of that week's competition. I envisioned my recipe photo being displayed for all to see as the group's cover image. I imagined all the praise comments and likes I would get and lots of people asking for my recipe. In the end though my dish didn't win, getting only about 59 Likes. But people wanted to know my recipe, which made me feel proud. 

The dish that won had double the amount of Likes. I was bummed that I didn't win but was still proud of myself for entering the competition and for creating something new and delicious that I know I will be making again and that others want to make too. 

After finding out that I lost to someone whose dish (a set of three separate dishes in one) was made from recipes Googled online instead of being made from the chef's own imagination/creativity, which was revealed only after the dish had won, I became pissed off big time. It is unfair to the other participants when one of them enters the competition by Googling recipes online instead of creating ones from his/her head even if they are slightly altered. They should be disqualified from the competition if they do that. But I guess in this group entering someone else's recipes into the competition is allowed.

Learning that the winner "cheated" left me with no desire ever to compete again if I would be up against people like that. But I have changed my mind. I will enter again, if the secret ingredient will inspire me. I want people to see my creations and to hopefully try creating them on their own. I am not a professional chef, in that I don't do this for a living, but I do have the talent and the passion for cooking and I want to showcase it to the world. No one can take that opportunity away from me, not even those whose creativity means going online and Googling recipes, and then making them. That's considered "cheating", even if it doesn't seem that way to those doing it and shouldn't be allowed in competitions. 

Cooking with Chayote Squash

There are different types of squash out there - different shapes, sizes, and colors. All are healthy and nutritious.

I am not a fan of every kind of squash. I love those that resemble a zucchini and recently I have fallen in love with chayote squash. It is light green in color, is of a pear-like shape, and has "wrinkles" at the wider end of it.

Chayote Squash

Chayote squash does not need to be peeled when cooked but it has to be washed before cooking.

When preparing a delicious bowl of chayote squash all you really need is salt, however, you can add herbs, spices, and sauces to it as well.

When I make chayote squash I use some sea salt, roasted sesame seeds, dried parsley flakes, and Aji Mirin (sweet cooking rice wine). I pour a little bit of canola oil into a large deep skillet (over medium heat), and once heated I add the chayote squash, which I cut into cubes beforehand. Then I sprinkle a little bit of sea salt, turn the chayote squash with a spatula, cover the skillet with a lid, and let it cook. From time to time I add oil to the skillet as necessary and turn everything with a spatula, so it doesn't stick or burn. When the chayote squash is almost done cooking (it has to be soft yet still slightly firm) I sprinkle roasted sesame seeds. dried parsley flakes, and add a few teaspoons of Aji Mirin. I mix everything, cover with the lid again, add oil if necessary, and let it cook for a few more minutes. Then I turn off the heat and let it stand covered for a few more minutes. After that I am ready to eat.

Chayote Squash Cooked

Chayote squash can of course be eaten by itself but it also makes for a great side dish and will complement any meat or fish dish. You can even have it with some sausages too. And while you are at it pour some beaten eggs over it and have an omelet... It will make for a healthy and delicious breakfast that you can have any time of the day. You can even use it in soups and salads too. Hmmm... now I have the urge to try making cream of chayote soup. I bet it tastes heavenly. Maybe that will be my next culinary project.

Fried Potatoes and Fried Pork Bellies

I love pork bellies and haven't had them in a long time so decided to make them yesterday for dinner. Pork bellies are easy to prepare. I just rinse them with water, pat dry with a paper towel, cut into small pieces and fry in a skillet with a little bit of oil for about ten minutes turning them once in a while. All I add is a little bit of salt. No other spices are necessary. Then when I am done I fry some onion and add it to the pork bellies.

Of course since I decided to have some pork bellies I had to have some fried potatoes. The two together are heaven on earth, along with a fresh half-sour pickle. I am not a fan of using frozen french fries that comes in a pack. I prefer to fry potatoes myself so that's what I did. I used Idaho potatoes, which are the best when fried. I cut them into thin slices and fried them in a skillet with some oil until they were golden brown and soften enough yet still crunchy. When they were almost done cooking that's when I added the salt. Better to add salt towards the end to prevent the potatoes from being mooshy. I don't remember how long it took to cook the potatoes but I tried them as I was cooking to figure if they were done or not. I'd say the cooking time was definitely less than half an hour.

Here is a picture of the dish:

Fried potatoes and fried pork bellies

Now this isn't the healthiest of food choices I know. That's why I only eat this once in a while. Actually, I don't remember the last time I had this. It was surely years ago. But it is so good that I just couldn't resist!

Artichoke Soup

I was browsing through a cookbook that my aunt had gifted me years ago and came upon a recipe for artichoke soup. I have never thought that one can make soup out of artichokes but it turns out that it is possible. Great news for me since I love artichokes prepared any which way.

I have never tried artichoke soup before, nor have I seen it on restaurant menus. So, the only way for me to try it is to make it myself. I am excited about it. I already have the vegetable broth simmering on the stove, which is needed for this soup. Other ingredients are already in the fridge, minus the fresh thyme. I can substitute it with some other herbs and that will not ruin the recipe I think. Either way I don't want to make the artichoke soup exactly as described in the recipe. That will not be fun. I want to make it my own.

So, once the vegetable broth is done cooking, I will set it aside and start making my artichoke soup. Once the artichoke soup is done and I've tried it I will take a picture and share it with you. I will also post the recipe on hubpages.com where I've shared many other recipes with others. I can't wait!

Well, off to cook my artichoke soup! Enjoy the rest of your day!

Whatever You Eat Should Be Delicious

When it comes to food I don't just grab anything and stuff it into my mouth, even if I am so hungry that my stomach is growling. Whatever I put into my body has to be delicious and preferably healthy too. So, no matter how hungry I am or how long I haven't eaten, I take the time to prepare a delicious meal for myself, if there is nothing already made sitting in the fridge.

I guess I take after my uncle because he is much the same way. He loves to cook and eat delicious food just like me.

And I am sure that everyone is the same way. Maybe some don't like or enjoy cooking but everyone loves to eat only great tasting food, especially if they spend big bucks on it at fancy restaurants.