The Girl With the Dragon... FRUIT! My Love for Asian Supermarkets

I only live about an hour away from Albany, NY, so when I was there last weekend and noticed an Asian supermarket, I had to go! I obviously love my fruits and veggies, so I was excited for the opportunity to get some exotic produce. I loaded up on my edamame (which you can find in most grocery stores), got some sea weed, kelp, thai eggplant, and a beautiful dragon fruit (amongst other yummy things). I had never had an actual dragon fruit before, and the medium sized one I got was about $8, so I was hoping it'd be good! *Note - ignore my silly photo, skin is inedible! Anyways, yum! The meat inside was was subtly sweet, and reminded me more of a kiwi fruit than anything else. You just peel all the skin back, slice, and enjoy! Could it be any easier? And it all looks so perrrrty!

So as I said, I bought some thai eggplants as well at this market. They are very different looking compared to the big long purple ones we usually see in the supermarket. They were about tennis ball size or smaller, and perfectly round, and green! So cute. Anyways, I decided to whip up a yummy masala with them in it, and it came out delicious! Granted, I put my Asian eggplant in an Indian dish, but oh well, I didn't know what else to do with them! So because it was scrumptious, I'll share the recipe that I used, courtesy of The Happy Herbivore (http://happyherbivore.com) by Lindsay S. Nixon (my fav vegan cookbook!).

Chana Palak Masala (Altered by me to include my awesome eggplant!)
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 12oz. can peeled whole tomatoes with juices
1 15oz. can chickpeas, drained
1 12oz. bag baby spinach, fresh or frozen
10 (or so) thai eggplants, unpeeled and quartered
1 c. water or vegetable broth (I bumped this up to 2-3 cups because of the amount of eggplant)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp mild curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground ginger
red pepper flakes, as desired
1/2 to 1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

1. Sounds yummy already, doesn't it? Line large pot with a thin layer of water and saute onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes.
2. If using eggplant: Add tomatoes with their juices, broth/water, and eggplant. Cook, covered over medium heat, for about 10 minutes until eggplant is soft and just about done. Then add chickpeas and spinach, cover, and cook for about 4 more minutes until spinach cooks down.
3. If not using eggplant: Add tomatoes with their juices, chickpeas, spinach, and broth/water. Cover and cook over medium heat until spinach cooks down, about 4 minutes.
4. Using wooden spoon or firm spatula, break tomatoes apart.
   
5. Add remaining ingredients except garam masala, cover, and cook for 3 more minutes.
6. Add garam masala, stirring to combine, and cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes, allowing for flavors to merge.
8. ENJOY!