Lazy days and a salad...

My early resolution of trying to get out of bed early and do more with the day hasn't quite stuck and is very hard to do when you only manage to get to sleep at 2am in the morning. So there have been many lazy mornings, late starts and breakfast at noon, i would use this as an excuse for why i have been eating so much junk food lately, chocolates, biscuits and anything else high in sugar and fat. Normally my choice of snacks are fruit and yoghurt but the healthy part of me is tired and has not fully registered that i'm not on vacation, that will be changing very soon! or so i hope....

Meanwhile i have been experimenting more with traditional Moroccan cooking, the Moroccan food i'm used to eating out in restaurants and cafes is nothing like home-cooked food, sometimes lacking in flavour and spice ( my opinion any way, but maybe that's because my tastebuds are used to more spicy food in the Indian way). I decided to put a little twist on a classic Moroccan salad/side dish, i always love eating this out in the local cafe's all you need is bread for dipping.

The original recipe was found on http://www.cookingwithalia.com/, it's a great site with so many wonderful Moroccan recipes, simple and easy to follow with video's to watch how it's done.

Zaalouk  - Adapted from cookingwithalia.com

2 small eggplants ( Aubergine's)

2-3 tomatoes peeled and diced ( i used 2)

2 tablespoons Coriander ( cilantro)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove crushed garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon hot (garam ) masala

1/2 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1. peel and dice the eggplant, boil the eggplant cubes in salted water for 30 mins.

2. Drain eggplant cubes from the water and press with a spoon until all excess water is released.

3. On a medium heat, add the chopped tomatoes, eggplant, olive oil, garlic and spices to a pan and cook for 30 mins. Crush the eggplant and tomatoes with a wooden spoon while cooking until you end up with a puree. 

Can be served hot or cold with fresh bread.