Poultry and Vegetable Sunday Bake

I told you before: I suck at naming recipes. Let's not even get into that now! Just know that this recipe is chockfull of vegetables and poultry (chicken and turkey, because I didn't have enough of either to cater to guests I had coming over).

I used to avoid eggplants like the plague before I started this fertility diet. The only way you could get me to eat eggplant was with a trailer load of peanut butter. Then I started my research on this diet and found that, in some places there's a 'remedy for infertility' which has milk and eggplant as its ingredients. That made me take another look at eggplants, and I realise that, cooked right, they actually make for delightful eating.

Eggplants are rich in antioxidants which help to lower LDL cholesterol. They are also rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and folate. We all know how beneficial those are to men and women who are trying to conceive.

This recipe is perfect for having guests over on a Sunday. Just prep the veggies, toss into a baking dish, throw in the oven, set an alarm and go take a nap (no, not really, because you have to baste the meat after about 30 minutes in the oven).

Ingredients

1 1/2kg of chicken or turkey (or a mix like mine), cut up.
1 large eggplant
1 medium leek (cut off the green part)
3 large tomatoes, sliced into rounds
4 large carrots, sliced into rounds
1 large red onion, sliced into rounds
300g of green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces (or however you like them)
10 atarodo peppers (habanero), blended
2 Knorr double stock cubes
2 tablespoons of salt, divided
2 teaspoons of curry powder, divided
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
2 tablespoons of coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350. Slice the eggplant and leek. In a bowl, put the oil, 1 double stock cube, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, and 1/2tablespoon of salt. Mix well, and add the eggplant, leek, onions, carrots, and green beans. Stir to coat well. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Ensure that the veggies line the pan evenly.

To the same bowl in which you mixed the vegetables, add the blended pepper, 1 double stock cube, thyme, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, and 1 1/2 tablespoon of salt. Mix well. Remove 4 tablespoons of the pepper sauce and reserve. Add the meat to the bowl, stir to coat and leave aside for 10 minutes. Then place the meat on top of the vegetable bed in the baking dish. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the meat and bake for 1 hour, baste the meat after 30 minutes with the reserved pepper sauce.

To make a sauce for rice, after the meat is done, pour the liquid from the baking pan into a pot. Add a slurry of cornstarch and water and simmer for 3 minutes. Serve over the vegetables and meat.

Enjoy, and remember,
It's sooo good for you!

Deema