Bug Shot, or how I didn't make a casserole

Monday Jenni had a headache, and so it was time for the hubs to step-up to the plate and take on dinner. Here is the highlight reel (in text form anyway).

After logging off from work, I head to the fridge to see what I could come up with. Hmm. Okay. Looks like Pops is calling an audible.

In the fridge I find eggplant, some green onions, left over rice from the night before, a few mushrooms, and some shredded cheese. A plan is forming. Okay, head to the cabinets. Here I track down a couple of cans of beans and a can of Italian style tomatoes. Now we're cooking ... well not yet, but we are certainly getting close. I pull out an 8x11 glass pan, and commence to chopping.

Here is the rundown of ingredients (please note some measurements are guesses, as I'm making it up on the fly):

1 Medium Eggplant
2 Cups of Rice (roughly)
2 Green Onions
3 White Mushrooms
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Red Kidney Beans
1 Can of Tomatoes (with Basil, Oregano and Garlic)
Shredded Cheese
Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
Seasonings (I used Oregano, Basil, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt and Pepper)

Chopping board and knife ready, I peel and then cube the eggplant into small pieces (maybe 1/4"). From there I do my best to cut the mushrooms and green onions to match. Toss it all into the glass dish. Open the container for the rice, and dump it into the dish. Can opener in hand, I head for the beans and tomatoes. Black beans, kidney and tomatoes - all land square in the dish. I don't drain the cans or rinse. Deal with it.

There is now a pyramid of food in the middle of the dish, and the back of a spoon ends that dynasty. I'm getting close. The oven is set for 350 and preheating. I pull the seasonings from the cabinet and start to get a "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On." Step the next: mix it all up. The aforementioned spoon get's called back to active duty and I'm on the way. A couple of small handfuls of gluten free bread crumbs, a hefty sprinkle of shredded cheese, and into the oven it goes. Forty minutes later I up the temp to 450 to bubble and brown the cheese, and 5 minutes down the line I yank that sucker like a bad tooth.

Hi-ho, hi-ho it's off to the table we go.


So at this point, were I you, then I might be asking myself: "Self, why is this post called Bug Shot? There were no bugs, and he didn't shoot anything." You know what. You're right. We allowed our nearly 4 year old daughter to name the dish as a bribery to eat dinner. It worked. Sort of. She chose the name Bug Shot, and so it shall forever be know.


Jenni and I both enjoyed the dish greatly, and she even said it could make a nice replacement or alternative for chili. I was surprised by the amount of eggplant flavor the dish had. Which is nice; if you like eggplant.

If you try it, we would love to hear your comments on how it turned out,

any changes you made, etc -