Quinoa-Stuffed Eggplant

We are cruising through the Eggplant Expanse at the moment.  Well... it's not really THAT expansive, supplies are low with those lovely purple fruits so the pressure is on to find good recipes.  It is sometimes tricky being the Captain and Cook aboard this ship called Wheatless because as cook, I can't complain to the Captain!

Last night I found a recipe that was a real hit!  YAY, I love it when that happens!  It's a fairly simple recipe.... ok... well... except for hollowing out the eggplant.  I flipped it everywhere and almost took out an eye, but I was hanging tough till I did a round with the onions.  I tried to work fast since those things give me an aromatic sucker punch every time.  Luckily I made it through with minimal tears this time. :)

So let's get to it!
*I did take a picture of the stuffed eggplant, but for whatever technical reason, it's not on my memory stick!  The following is a picture of all the ingredients mingling and doing their thing in the skillet before getting cozy in the eggplant shells. 

Quinoa-Stuffed Eggplant

1 medium eggplant ( 1 1/4 pound )

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped & peeled apples

3/4 cup chopped apples

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/4 teaspoon dried sage, crushed

1/4 salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup cooked quinoa

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2.  Cut eggplant in half lengthwise.  Scoop out and chop flesh leaving 1/4 inch of flesh in the eggplant.

3. Place the eggplant shells in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

4.  Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the eggplant, celery, apples and onions.  Cook, stirring until softened (about 4 minutes). Stir in the parsley, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper.  Stir in the quinoa.

5.  Place 1/4 of the filling into each eggplant shell. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through.

Variation: Add 1 cup chopped walnuts when you add the quinoa.