Saturday night’s dinner was centered around one of the wonderful Christmas gifts that my mom brought to Charlotte…

A fresh ROSEMARY TREE!  It is so cool to have herbs this fresh and this natural.

Our dinner was entirely rosemary-themed.  Starting with balsamic marinated mushrooms and eggplant.  I sliced the eggplant, put it in a bowl with the mushrooms, and let it marinate in a mixture of balsamic vinegar and a small bit of minced rosemary for about 20 minutes. 

After it had marinated, I spread it out on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven at 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, I had also cubed up some firm tofu and made marinade #2 – this time with lemon juice, minced garlic, lots of chopped rosemary, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Laid out on a cookie sheet with sliced onions, and put into the oven with the others at 400 degrees. 

While our dinner roasted, Casey toasted a 1/2 cup of panko crumbs.

Half-way through baking time, about 35-40 minutes total, I stirred both trays and flipped their spots in the oven to ensure even cooking.

Final product – perfectly crusted and seasoned tofu cubes, with slightly caramelized onions…

All tossed together with a bit of oil and PANKO for an absolutely delicious combo!  The rosemary lemon marinate was subtle, but just tangy enough – perfect!

Meanwhile, the eggplant and mushrooms came out and were sprinkled with fresh parsley…

So unbelievably delicious!  We served these dishes with a cup of rice, which had been cooking in our handy rice cooker all along – seasoned with minced garlic, and what else?  Rosemary!

At first I was worried that so much rosemary would be overwhelming for one plate, but since each use was subtle and measured, it ended up being a perfect group of complimenting flavors – yum!

I’m off for my first day back to school now after a wonderful and much needed two week break.  I’m very tired, and strangely nervous – I don’t remember how to do this!!  Wish me luck!