Eggplant Stew over Couscous

This stew felt like the perfect thing for this rainy night... even though technically now it is summer!

The original recipe began by combining 1 and 1/2 cups cubed and peeled eggplant in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons water and 1/2 tsp. salt, and microwaving for 8 minutes. Since I lack a microwave, however, I combined those three ingredients in a baking dish, tossing to coat, and baked at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, stirring once half-way through.

Next, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 and 1/2 cups (1-inch) bell pepper strips (the recipe didn't specify which color, but I chose red), 1 cup chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1 medium zucchini, (cut in half lengthwise and then thinly sliced); saute for 8 minutes.

Add the eggplant mixture from the oven, 1/2 tsp. dried basil, 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, 1/4 tsp. dried dill, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, 1 (14.5-ounce) can of diced tomatoes, undrained, and 6 ounces of canned tomato sauce (for those last two ingredients, I bought the ones from Whole Foods' 365 brand).

Cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, make 3 cups of cooked couscous according to package directions (about 1 cup uncooked couscous yields 3 cups cooked - I accidentally made a bit too much!).

Serve 1 cup of the vegetable mixture over 3/4 cups couscous, on each of 4 plates. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons shredded vegan cheese in place of Parmesan (I used the vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods). Each serving is 340 calories.

Cost:
eggplant $2.15
bell pepper $0.88
zucchini $1.42
canned diced tomato $2.19
tomato sauce $0.79
vegan cheese $3.39