It was nearing dinner time and I didn't have a side to go with the collard greens and barbecued tofu I had prepared. So, as usual, I rummaged through my fridge to find some odds and ends I could use to conjure up something delicious.

Here are the odds and ends I had to work with, some leftover eggplant and a handful of dried mushrooms (the remainders of the big jar I had in the pantry):

What I came up with was a real shocker. Everyone loved it! This simple pulled together recipe became a keeper. Try it out.

Ingredients:

1/2 eggplant
3/4 cup dried mushrooms
3 stalks celery
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups brown rice
1 cup spelt (if you don't have this, you can use another grain, or just an extra cup of brown rice)
2 Tbsp flour
6 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock)
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp all-purpose salt-free seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

First, I put the mushrooms in a bowl and added a cup of water to let them soak while I prepared everything else.

Next, I chopped up the eggplant. I had to chop it up pretty small. When my kids come across a big chunk of eggplant, they are likely to plot a coup. Don't want that.

Now it's time to chop up the onion and celery. Look at 'em. They're just begging to be made into something miraculous.

Now saute the eggplant, onion, and celery in the olive oil over medium-high heat for about five minutes. 

Add the garlic, spelt, and rice and saute for about five more minutes or until the ions are softened and translucent (don't burn the garlic). 

Next, take if off the heat and stir in 2 Tbsp of flour. After you stir in the flour, add six cups of chicken stock and place it back on the heat.

Now's the time to chop up the mushrooms. Add the liquid you soaked them in to the big pot of goodness that's already simmering on the stove.

Add the chopped mushrooms and give that goodness some seasoning. I added some parsley, Mrs. Dash, and a touch of salt-free garlic seasoning (only because I didn't have enough garlic). Here are the happy folks right here who posed for the pic. I didn't tell them they had to line up by height. That was their choice.

Let it simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally until it has turned into something glorious. It took about 40 minutes. Don't rush it. This is REAL food we're talking about.

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