Vegan Scrumptiousness

My latest culinary adventure involved 2 new recipes. The first was a spicy Eggplant and Black-eyed Pea Stew. We bought an eggplant the other day at the store because it was so pretty, but since we've started eating healthier we couldn't very well batter and fry, although that sounded delicious! I do love fried eggplant! I stuck with the plan of finding a healthy recipe though and turned to one of my favorite cookbooks, "150 Vegan Favorites" by Jay Solomon. It turned out wonderful! The side dish was a Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Orange Scented Red Pepper Vinaigrette. Also inspired by a need to use fresh produce we'd already bought and my quest for new roasted dishes. That recipe came from "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman. This cookbook is certainly working it's way up on my list of favorites as well. This too, turned out wonderful! Another keeper! Also among firsts, I had never zested anything, until now. The orange zest played lovely with the cumin and sweet red pepper while the red wine vinegar balanced it nicely. I loved the burst of freshness the green onions and fresh parsley added too. All around a great dinner!