At A Couple Cooks, we believe cooking and eating real, whole foods is delicious and makes a lasting difference on your health.  Our state of Indiana ranks particularly low on the list of healthy states in America, so we had the idea: what if we could encourage Hoosiers to make a healthy meal at home and share it with the world? Maybe this could help to inspire the idea that cooking is a fun, delicious investment in your health.

So here’s the challenge, Indiana: cook a healthy meal in your kitchen, snap a photo and share it on Instagram (or by email)! To sweeten the deal, we’re making it a contest: each photo is an entry in a drawing to win 3 months of free groceries from Green BEAN Delivery (@greenbeandelivery) and a fancy chef’s knife from us (@acouplecooks)!

It’s unbelievably simple, and you can find all the details about the when’s and what’s of the contest on our site.

Note from IndyHub: In addition to contest details, you’ll also find a ton of fantastic recipes and mentions of local food providers. Sonja was sweet enough to let us steal this recent recipe to give you guys a taste of what they’ve got going on. You’ve got admit, even if you don’t like it, eggplant has never looked this good.

Grilled Eggplant with Herbed Quinoa and Cherry Tomatoes

The other day, Alex and I visited our friend’s urban farm on the south side of Indianapolis. It was quite a sight: an oasis of green a midst junkyards and concrete. We snapped up bright yellow and red cherry tomatoes and purple eggplants at the farm stand, and chatted with farmer Amy as she diligently harvested onions.

If you would have told me 10 years ago that I’d be visiting urban farms and buying vegetables and making them into something palatable, I would have said “You’re crazy.” I had little interest in food: my dinners consisted of cereal and hot pockets and microwave dinners. It was a lonely way to eat. I felt isolated. I’d mainly shop at large corporate chain groceries and feel depressed after I left.

Of all the reasons to get into food, what hooked me was the community. At the farmer’s market, I could talk to the actual person who grew the food! It was mind blowing to me (and I kind of thought the farmers were rockstars. Ok, still do :)). I became fascinated by the personal connections, and little by little, started trying to figure out what to do with these vibrant tomatoes and eggplant and cucumbers that were so unlike the limp ones in the supermarket.

That’s a very condensed version of how we got to where we are today, making things with eggplant and tomatoes and quinoa and herbs from our garden. It sounds so hippie vegetarian of us, but really, we never set out to become that. We just fell in love with the people behind the food, and over time fell in love with the food too.

And this meal? We hope you’ll fall in love with it too. It’s fairly easy to prepare, and the smoky taste of the eggplant is a fabulous contrast to the dill and feta in the quinoa. It’s gluten-free, and a great vegetarian dinner option that was as much filling as flavorful (which is sometimes hard to find). Enjoy, and let us know if you try it out!

For some food inspiration, check out your nearest farmers market or farm stand, if you have one! These tomatoes and eggplant were from South Circle Farm. Keep your eyes peeled for a new Healthy + Whole feature on South Circle.

Grilled Eggplant with Herbed Quinoa and Cherry Tomatoes

 

What You Need

• 1 large or 2 small eggplant (1 ½ pounds total)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons dill (one handful)
• 2 tablespoons basil (one handful)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro (one handful)
• ½ cup feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt