This bisque was inspired by my love for all the things in it. I cook eggplant often and I feel as though Ive prepared it every way possible… besides this one. The garlic and lentils make the soup taste almost smoky.

Roasted Garlic & Eggplant Bisque

1 (1 1/2 lb) Eggplant, cut lengthwise into 8 pieces
1 head Garlic
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & fresh ground pepper
1 cup French Green Lentils
3 large Sage Leaves
3 cups Vegetable Stock
1 cup Soymilk
Juice from 1 Lemon

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place eggplant pieces on lightly oiled baking sheet, brush eggplant with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Put aside. Cut the very top off of the garlic bulb (just exposing the tops of the parts inside, cut from the pointed end-not the hairy). Place garlic exposed end up, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Now place both the eggplant and the garlic in the oven and bake until the eggplant is very tender. Everything should be ready to pull out in 45 min to an hour.
2. In a medium saucepan cover the lentils with a couple inches of water- add a couple pinches of salt and the 3 sage leaves. Bring it to a boil then let it simmer over low heat until the lentils are tender- 25 minutes or so. Drain the lentils into a small colander and throw out the sage.
3. Squeeze the roasted garlic into a blender as well as the eggplant flesh (no skin- trash that). Add 1 1/2 cups of stock and puree until smooth. Transfer this into a saucepan. Next put the lentils in the blender accompanied by the remaining 1 1/2 cups of stock and blend that until smooth. Add the lentil puree to the eggplant puree in the pan.
4. Stir in the soymilk and lemon juice and bring bisque to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

When I made the bisque I served it accompanied with a couple of sides so my dinner would have a nice range of flavors. Previous to the following recipe I had never in my lifetime tasted a parsnip.

Tangy Roasted Parsnips

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
3 Parsnips, peeled and cut lengthwise
2 Tbsp fresh Ginger, minced
Salt and freshly ground Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Place parsnips and ginger in baking dish. Pour olive oil and balsamic vinegar over them and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until parsnips are tender.

This is a very simple, sweet salad. Make sure you toss all the ingredients so the vinegar and oil is well distributed.

Walnut Citrus Salad

4 cups Mescaline greens
1 Grapefruit, cut into pieces
1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped walnut pieces
3 Tbsp currants
1 1/2 Tbsp Sherry Vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp Walnut Oil

Toss all ingredients together in salad bowl.