This simple and delicious meal is ready in 30 minutes, It’s loaded with nutrients to reduce inflammation from training for a speedy recovery.

Ingredients

• 1 egg plant
• olive oil to brush eggplant
• 2 cups rice or quinoa, cooked
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb ground turkey, optional
• chopped walnuts optional
• cilantro and Tzatziki sauce optional but recommended

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut eggplant in half length wise. Hollow out part of the core to create bowl-like shape. Dice and set aside to sauté later. Brush with olive oil and roast eggplant until it’s done to your liking, about 25 minutes.
2. Preheat sauté pan to medium heat. Add turkey (or other protein option of your choosing), onions, garlic, mushrooms and eggplant innards. Cook until turkey is cooked through and onions are translucent. Add the rice or quinoa. To save time, I use the instant quinoa or rice pouches that cook in the microwave for 90 seconds. You can also add rotisserie chicken or cooked meat from the deli like chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken if you want to really save time.
3. When eggplant is done roasting, remove from the oven and stuff with rice mixture. Top with walnuts, sauce and cilantro if desired. Enjoy! I like to serve it with a side salad of purple onion and tomato.

Athlete Benefits

• potassium and magnesium help replace lost electrolytes from training and promote healthy blood pressure
• Copper improves iron absorption in the gut, helps form red blood cells, and helps keep blood vessels, bones, nerves, and immune system healthy
• fiber promote healthy digestion
• Manganese helps metabolize protein, fat and carbs
• Antioxidants like vitamin E improves cell signaling
• mushrooms support cardiovascular fitness