Cucumber "Shushi"

I made these for the kiddo.  We had a good haul of veggies from the farmer's market and she really wanted some.  I think I got the idea from Pinterest a couple of years ago.  I don't remember exactly, however if I did then it's one of the few things I've tried that worked out!

So tasty and easy.  Just slice a cucumber, scoop out some of the middle and stuff with a very small amount of cream cheese and some carrots, bell peppers and the like.  Easy peasy.

Eggplant with Cactus & Peppers

I scored some great deals on eggplant and prickly pear cactus at the market.  Love both, but this is the first time I have cooked them together.

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant - sliced into rounds about 2 inches thick

2 cactus paddles with the spines removed (google the instructions, it's not hard to do) & sliced into strips

yellow bell pepper - sliced

1 small onion - diced

salsa - I used a roasted pablano salsa from Target that I love

chili infused olive oil.  I'm sure regular oil would work, but I found some infused stuff at Aldi and like it quite a bit

a bit of cheese, diced peppers & a drop of sour cream for garnish

I used my cast iron skillet for this one

I don't use a lot of the olive oil, just enough to cook the veggies in

fry the cactus, pepper & onion until they are tender and the cactus is less slimy.  (it's always a bit slimy like okra)

set aside

brush the pan with a bit more oil if needed and cook the eggplant on one side until browned and kind of transparent.  Then turn over and do the same to the other side.  It should be pretty tender all the way though at this point.

Warm up the salsa.  I know salsa is usually cold, but I wanted it warm this time

spoon some over the eggplant and top with the cactus/pepper mix

sprinkles a bit a cheese and top with diced tomatoes and a drop of sour cream.