eggplant teriyaki rice bowls
+ an epic before/after reveal
(Real quick, I just want to apologize for being MIA last Friday. I had some life things come up that needed my attention, but I’m back and all is well and I can’t wait to tell you about my week spent scrubbing floors…)
Now that we’ve made it to (mid) September, the farmer side of me is taking a much, much needed deep breath (and sipping a margarita while binging Emily in Paris). August is all hustle and bustle, searing heat and sweat-soaked shirts as we scramble to get all the beds prepped and the fall veggies planted. But by the time September rolls around, (hopefully!) the fall crops are in the ground and, for the first time since March, the deafening sense of urgency hounding at us to plant! weed! water! harvest! suddenly goes… quiet.
But of course, me being me, as soon as one task is checked off the list, I have to find some other massive project to tackle. And if you’ve been following along for the past few weeks, you know that my new project is turning the second floor of our barn into a creative studio for myself. And so for the past week, I’ve spent every spare minute scrubbing decades of dirt off 1,200 square-feet worth of wood floors. Honestly, I never planned on cleaning up these floors… as you’ll see in the “before” picture below, they didn’t seem to be anything special, and not really worth the effort:
But! As we started cleaning up, we spied a glimpse of some gorgeous, glowing wood just waiting to be unearthed under all the dirt and grime. So after countless hours spent sweeping, scrubbing, and mopping, I can confidently say that these floors are now (much!) cleaner and shinier than the floors inside our house:
Kinda crazy, right?!
It’s been a difficult few months for me personally, and this project has brought an unexpected amount of joy, accomplishment, and calm to my overly active brain. I love working with my hands and seeing a tangible difference after a day’s work, so this whole process has been deliciously satisfying. Now that it’s a clean, blank canvas, I’m excited to start fitting out this space to be a creative + productive work studio. Maybe I could even host some cool events up here…?
Speaking of events, on Saturday I hosted my final cooking class of the season. It was a picture perfect day – 75 and sunny with zero humidity – and we had the loveliest group of folks join for my Eat Like a Farmer workshop. It’s my favorite time of year to host this class, as we still have lots of summer abundance to cook with, but the first fall veggies (greens! winter squash! root crops!) have also started to arrive.
As we toured the farm, we stopped at the corn patch and everyone got to harvest a ripe ear off the stalk, rip away the husk, and bite directly into the plump, juicy kernels. I know most folks don’t ever get the chance to eat fresh, sun-warmed corn straight from the field, and it’s these hands-on, one-of-a-kind experiences that I love to cultivate here. I’m beyond grateful for all the support I’ve received over the years, and I’m energized to keep creating new opportunities for people to come to this little farm to learn, create, eat, and (hopefully!) walk away inspired + empowered.
PS – I’ll be announcing my 2025 workshop dates in November, and paid subscribers will get first dibs on tickets. Stay tuned!
Need some culinary inspiration for the weekend? Here’s my weekly round up of seasonal recipes from around Substack (and my ever-growing recipe index) to help you eat like a farmer:
Tomato & Sweet Corn Galette from yours truly :)
Diced cucumber salad with tomatoes, watermelon & feta by
/ (snag her new cookbook here!)- /
Keep reading for my new recipe this week, eggplant teriyaki rice bowls – this week the recipe is available to ALL subscribers. For full access to my recipes every Friday, consider joining as a paid subscriber!
Anything drenched in teriyaki sauce is an automatic YES for me. Teriyaki wings, beef teriyaki, teriyaki salmon, tofu teriyaki… yes, yes, and YES.
But make my own homemade teriyaki sauce from scratch? Absolutely not. I always assumed it was too complicated, and best left to the experts at our favorite local takeout spot. So the other tweek when our friends invited us over for a BBQ and asked that we bring some kind of sauce for chicken wings, I figured it was about time I learned how to make my own teriyaki. And honestly, it was WAY easier than I’d imagined, and called for ingredients I already had in my pantry/fridge. That said, it took a bunch of tweaking and recipe testing to create my *perfect* teriyaki sauce, which I’m happy to share with y’all today.
This recipe for eggplant teriyaki rice bowls is my current comfort food. We’re talking warm bowls of rice topped with caramelized eggplant, fresh carrot, edamame, and drizzled with an irresistible teriyaki sauce… yes, thank you, more please! I’ve written this recipe such that you make the teriyaki sauce and prep the other veggies while the eggplant is roasting, so the whole thing easily comes together in just over 30 minutes.
So to all my fellow teriyaki lovers, this one’s for you! :)
Keep reading for today’s recipe, along with a 1-page PDF for easy printing.
PS – This week *everyone* gets access today’s recipe… if you enjoy this newsletter and want to receive a new hyper-seasonal recipe every Friday, consider becoming a paid subscriber! Paid subscribers also get access to my (ever-growing) full recipe archive, handy gardening guides, and monthly bonus content.
Eggplant Teriyaki Rice Bowls
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 cups short grain rice
2 lbs globe or asian eggplant, peeled or unpeeled, cut to 1/2” dice (8-10 cups diced)
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
2 cups frozen shelled edamame
3 large carrots, peeled or grated
Toasted sesame seeds, optional garnish
Teriyaki Sauce
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup water
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
PREPARATION
Cook 2 cups rice according to package instructions. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Chop 2 lbs eggplant to a ½” dice and place on your prepared baking sheet. Toss the eggplant with ¼ cup olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, tossing the eggplant around the 15-minute mark.
While the eggplant is roasting, make the teriyaki sauce – in small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup water, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger and 1 minced garlic clove. In a separate small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch into ¼ cup cold water until the cornstarch is dissolved, then whisk the slurry into the saucepan. Continue to cook over a gentle simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened. Set aside.
While the eggplant is roasting, prep your other veggies:
Fill a small saucepan with water, season with a generous pinch of kosher salt, and bring to a boil. Add 2 cups frozen shelled edamame and boil for 2-3 minutes, until the edamame is bright green and tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
Scrub 3 large carrots clean and use a peeler to peel them into thick ribbons OR use a box grater to grate each carrot. Set aside.
After the eggplant has been roasting for 25-30 minutes and is tender and beginning to brown, remove from the oven and toss with ⅓ cup of the teriyaki sauce directly on the baking sheet. Return to the oven and roast for another 5 minutes.
To assemble – fill each bowl with rice and top with the teriyaki eggplant, a scoop of cooked edamame, and a pile of carrot ribbons (or grated carrot). Spoon a bit more teriyaki sauce over everything and garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Store extra teriyaki sauce in a sealed container in your refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.
That’s all for this week! If you enjoyed this newsletter, it means the world if you tap that “heart” button below, share this with a friend, subscribe, or leave a comment (it really helps more people find this newsletter)! Thank you so much for your support!