The wonders of eggplant

Let me start by trying to express how much I love eggplant. It really is a mighty veggie. It's good for you. It's the perfect way to beef up any vegetarian meal. It's a lovely shade of purple. Anyways, I like eggplant. About two weeks ago we bought and eggplant and tonight we finished it off.

Things made with the eggplant thus far:

Stir Fry Thing:

Chopped eggplant, halved cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, and garlic (to taste) all combined in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar. Fry/cook. Serve with grated cheese of your choice (I used that fake parmesan because we had it) and bread. Enjoy. I recommend adding in some fresh garlic and frying it up with that, but, alas, we had none.

Eggplant & Tomato Layers:

Thinly slice eggplant and tomatoes (enough to layer your casserole dish). Alternate layers of eggplant and tomato and drizzle each layer with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese. (Are you starting to realize that I have limited ingredients, yet?) Bake at 350 until cheese forms a crust and eggplant is soft. Enjoy.

Eggplant Alive (Inspired by Life Alive in downtown Lowell - look it up!):

Fry chopped eggplant and chopped red onion in a pan with salt, pepper, garlic, some olive oil, and some balsamic vinegar until eggplant is soft and onion is browned.

Chop one red apple, one red and one green pepper, diced tomato, combine with eggplant in baking dish and bake at 350 until all is cooked (apple is soft).

Microwave a handful of kale (remove the stems first!)

Combine all and serve over rice with cheese of your choice and some salsa. (I love salsa)

Let me edit my former statement: I really like eggplant and tomatoes and have very few options in my fridge. Regardless, it's delicious.