Eggplant: Roasted, Not Fried

At a farmers market recently, I saw the most beautiful light purple, almost lavender eggplants. I couldn’t resist buying them. With them, I made a low-fat roasted eggplant salad.

Often, eggplant slices are fried, and when they are fried, they absorb a great deal of oil. For this salad, almost a dip that works well with bruschetta, eggplant slices are roasted to bring out their smoky flavor.

Of course, roasted garlic goes perfectly with eggplant. No extra oil is needed to dress the eggplant when you mix it with a roasted garlic puree. Just a touch of balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice finish the salad. A bed of chopped tomatoes sets off the eggplant nicely in texture, taste and color.

ROASTED EGGPLANT SALAD (VEGETARIAN)

1 head garlic

Salt

Olive oil cooking spray

2 eggplants, cut into 1-inch slices

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons minced green onions

2 teaspoons minced basil plus 2 basil leaves cut crosswise into thin strips

4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 small tomato, chopped

4 slices rustic bread, toasted

Cut top quarter off garlic head. Place whole head on square of foil. Sprinkle with salt to taste and spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Fold edges of foil to seal. Set aside.

Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on baking sheets sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. Lightly spray eggplant with cooking spray. Place garlic packet on baking sheet with eggplant slices. Roast garlic and eggplant at 425 degrees until eggplant is tender and lightly browned and garlic is soft, about 25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Remove peel from eggplant slices and break up into shreds or small pieces. Place in bowl and stir in cilantro, green onions and 2 teaspoons minced basil.

Squeeze garlic from 8 cooked cloves into separate small bowl and mash. Stir in balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir mixture into eggplant. Let eggplant chill in refrigerator at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Spoon eggplant onto platter. Sprinkle chopped tomato around eggplant and sprinkle with basil strips. Serve with toasted bread.

4 servings. Each serving:

136 calories; 284 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.94 gram fiber.