After a while, in case you haven’t noticed, cooking healthy meals can become . . . well, a teensy bit mundane. Perhaps even . . . a chore? More than likely, we’ve all been there at least once in our lives.

Happily, the tomato and eggplant cooking demonstration last week at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center offered up more than a few recipes and tips on cooking, giving a nice little shot of adrenaline to my own somewhat sagging level of inspiration. And that was the point. To echo one woman in the class, we wanted to learn something new.

Instructor Denise Dill is a community cooking educator at the center. Her background is in farming, which in turn led her to the local Lots to Gardens program. Using vegetables grown in Lots to Gardens participants’ city gardens, Dill guided the group through some hands-on lessons in using tomatoes, eggplants and other fresh veggies.

One of the guiding principles of the cooking classes, which are held monthly through the Nutrition Center, is to not just show folks how to grow their own foods, but to continue the process by showing them how to cook and utilize their harvests. The three concepts Dill follows for each class are: use vegetables that participants grow in their own garden, make the meals colorful and incorporate a grain to make the meals wholesome.

The classes are driven by participants: They tell Dill what they’d like to learn at the next class and she builds the class around what food is in season. The classes continue through the winter. Frozen vegetables might be used, along with ones purchased from the bulk buying club that they participate in.

During her classes, Dill offers up nutrition facts about the foods she’s using, throws out interesting tidbits about different varieties of each vegetable, and talks about how each one is grown or harvested. The class is held in a huge, fabulous commercial kitchen located in an old classroom at 208 Bates St., across from Kennedy Park in Lewiston. It’s like Rachel Ray comes to town — all that’s missing is a studio audience, a famous Hollywood guest and a flashing “applause” sign!

Dill is happy to share general cooking tips for class participants, from basic ones such as the easiest way to crush and peel garlic cloves, to how to tell if your knives are sharp, the best way to keep foods and herbs fresh, and recipe substitutions to use in case you find yourself fresh out of a certain ingredient.

The three recipes Dill demonstrated in the class included two made from eggplant. Although a very elegant and beautiful vegetable, eggplant can be a rather “challenging” vegetable to use. Eggplant tastes quite nasty when raw, so both recipes revolve around cooked eggplant.

The first thing Dill pointed out about eggplant is that if you don’t eat the skin, there is hardly any nutritional value left in the meaty insides. So, she said, “if you’re going for nutrients, it’s all in the skin!”

The breaded eggplant was baked instead of fried, to lower the fat content. She also recommended using 100 percent whole wheat bread crumbs, which are better for you but tend to be a little more difficult to find, she said, than the typical enriched flour versions found in the grocery aisle.

Another tip she offered, to help keep things neat and tidy while you cook, is to use one hand for dipping the eggplant into the wet mixture, and the other hand for the dry mixture. Also, although we did not do this in the class, she said you can prevent the eggplant from getting mushy during cooking if you sprinkle it with salt and let the moisture “sweat” while placed on paper towels for a few minutes prior to cooking.

Another recipe she shared was gazpacho, a tomato-based soup made with raw vegetables said to have originated in southern Spain. It is typically served cold during hot summer months, and uses up lots of fresh veggies. The gazpacho recipe Dill used in her class is quite easy to make compared to others you might find, some of which might include peeling or de-seeding the tomatoes. You’ll need a blender or a food processor. We used regular tomatoes along with funky Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes. Yes indeed, they ARE partly purple! Fun to note is that the Cherokee Purple is rumored to be one of the best-tasting tomatoes one can grow. The fun part of gazpacho is what you sprinkle on top, and Dill shared many options to choose from.

Dill’s said her September cooking class will most likely include squash and apples, and will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28. To register, call 513-3848.

Instructor Denise Dill adapted the following recipes from www.food.com. Her substitutions are noted in the recipes.

Oven Fried Eggplant

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise (healthy substitutions: Half mayo and half yogurt; about 1/4 cup olive oil; three egg whites)

1 tablespoon minced onions or 1/2 tablespoon onion powder

2 small to medium unpeeled eggplants, sliced into approximately 12 1/2-inch-wide strips

1/3 cup fine, dry, 100 percent whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Vegetable oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Combine first two ingredients, stir well.

2. In a separate shallow bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese and Italian seasoning.

3. Dip each eggplant slice in the wet ingredients, being sure to coat both sides.

4. Dredge the coated eggplant in the breadcrumb mixture.

5. Place eggplant on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly spray the top of the eggplant with the cooking spray.

6. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Turn eggplant over; and bake an additional 12 minutes or until golden. (This step may be omitted if they’ve have browned enough on the bottom during the first 12 minutes). Serve with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. (See recipe.)

Possible substitution: This recipe also works great with zucchini and summer squash.

Honey Mustard Dip

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise (or half mayo and half plain yogurt)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup yellow mustard or Dijon mustard

Directions: Stir together and serve right away or chill until needed. Great with breaded veggies, raw veggie sticks, spring rolls, sandwich spreads and salads.

Eggplant ‘Caviar’

Serves 12

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 3-1/2 hours

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1 small onion, chopped fine

2 tomatoes, small diced

2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Cut eggplant in half, lengthwise and pierce each section with a fork in several places. Put on a baking sheet and bake (with cut side facing down) about 20 to 30 minutes in a 325-degree oven until eggplant is mushy and wilted. (It will become slightly brown in color, but don’t let this scare you!)

2. Refrigerate eggplant until cool (if you have time).

3. Cut the top of the eggplant sections off just enough to remove where the tough stem once attached and discard. Place onion, eggplant, garlic, oil, Italian seasoning, and lemon juice in a food processor and season with salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

3. Place eggplant mixture in a bowl and add tomatoes and season with more salt and pepper if desired.

4. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

5. When time to serve, add a garnish of fresh parsley, basil or cilantro on the top.

6. Serve on toasted whole grain pita bread or use as a sandwich spread.

Extra additions: Add to (or in place of) tomatoes some fresh red, green or yellow bell peppers for extra crunch. You can also roast your garlic while roasting the eggplant for a sweeter, less pungent flavor. Just cut the very tip off of the garlic cloves and place in foil, drizzle with olive oil, seal the foil and roast until soft and fragrant. The garlic will probably cook faster than the eggplant, so check it after 10 minutes.

Gazpacho

Serves: 6

Prep time: 30 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and diced small

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped (approximately 6 large)

1/2 medium red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 carrots, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, celery salt or garlic salt.

Pepper to taste.

Garlic powder

Red pepper flakes

Tabasco sauce

Pinch of sugar

Avocados, radishes or cilantro, for garnish

6 tablespoons yogurt or 6 tablespoons sour cream, for garnish

1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. In a blender or very large food processor, puree the tomatoes, red pepper, onion, garlic, carrots, lemon juice, spices (I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, pinch of sugar, and tabasco sauce), olive oil, half of the diced cucumber and a 1/2 cup of water.

2. Pour into a large bowl or Tupperware container. Stir in the remainder of the diced cucumber.

3. Cover and chill overnight or for at least three hours.

4. To serve, garnish soup with avocado, cilantro, radishes, croutons or sour cream.

Extra additions: If you like more crunch, add the red or green bell pepper at the end and do not puree. You can also try adding fresh corn.

Start ’em young

Denise Dill also offers a Kids’ Cooking Club every Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Lewiston Public Library. Call 513-3133 to register. The class is free for children age 8 to 13. Class participants learn how to make items such as burritos, ployes with fruit (buckwheat pancakes), smoothies, no-bake chocolate chip cookies with apple and carrot-raisin salad.

Tomato fun facts:

Did you know? Americans eat tomatoes more than any other fruit or vegetable (except potatoes in their many fried forms).

Each American eats about 22 pounds of tomatoes a year.

Over half the tomatoes consumed are in the form of ketchup and tomato sauce.

Look for tomatoes that have bright, shiny skins and feel firm to the touch.

Avoid tomatoes that are soft or mushy, lack color or have blemishes or cracks.

To peel tomatoes easily, place them in boiling water for a moment and remove from heat. Allow to stand for one minute then plunge them into cold water.

Store tomatoes at room temperature! Refrigeration ruins their texture and flavor.

Tomatoes will keep longer if you store them stem down.

Tomatoes should ever be left to ripen in direct sunlight, as they will lose most of their vitamin C.