Maggie and Stuffed Eggplant

Happy Hump Day everyone!  I took a picture of Maggie last night so you could see how her eye is healing up.  All the swelling has gone done and it looks much better.  She could really use a good face washing, but I'll leave that for the vet to do next week when she goes for a spa day.  I don't want to mess with that eye right now.  She has adjusted well though.  I was really worried at first, but Maggie is back to her normal self now.  Of course she still has trouble getting around because of her back, but you would never know that she only has one eye.  :o)

After taking about 15 pictures to get the one pictured above, she then turned and gave me this sassy pose as she was watching to see where Tony was going...ha  Every time I would try to take her picture she would turn her head the other way as if she is saying "stop it momma".  My little girl is camera shy.  :o)

The other night I made stuffed eggplant with one of our eggplants out of the garden.   I was a little nervous in trying it, but it was delicious!   Here's the recipe.

1 med size eggplant
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup cooked black beans
salt and pepper to taste
vegan cheese (I used mozzarella)

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Wash the eggplant well, but do not peel.
Cut eggplant in half lengthwise
Scoop out the center, leaving a 1-inch shell.
Dice eggplant pulp and reserve.
Fill a large skillet with ½ inch of water and 1 teaspoon salt.

Place the eggplant shells in the water, skin side up, and bring to a boil.

Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain the eggplant shells, and put them on a baking sheet, skin side down.

Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion, green pepper, garlic, and the reserved eggplant until tender.
Add tomato paste, sugar, seasonings, and the cooked black beans.

Simmer uncovered 10 minutes longer.
Fill shells with vegetable mixture and top with grated cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Here's my one and only Sunflower.  I planted 3 seeds, but this is the only one that grew. 

A friend of mine gave me some Marigold seeds to plant.  This is not what I remember Marigolds looking like.  Have you ever seen Marigolds like this?   I love them though...they are so pretty around my patio. 

Here's a close up picture of one of the Marigolds.

And last but not least, here is our newest employee where I work....Miss Peacock.  She is always at the front door to greet me as I walk in.  If the door was left open, she would definitely go inside.  No one has any idea where she came from.  That's okay though, because she is getting fed well where she is.  She'll even eat out of your hand.  :o)

That's all for today....have a great rest of the week!

~Peace~Love~Happiness~