Roasted Eggplant with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

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Eggplant is one of those vegetables that prepared wonderfully can make you fall in love with it, but then anything less than perfect makes you just hate it. They are a great substitute for meat and personally, I love to experiment with it, prepare it in different styles and try out new recipes. Being married to a meat lover, it's quite an undertaking to prepare a vegetarian meal that he would love 😕😕. 

Recently I got my hands on some fresh eggplants that were exactly what I needed for the recipe I had on my list for a while. Since eggplant is the hero of this dish, it is important to make sure you choose the best one for the recipe. It's important to pick out the right size and kind. Bigger may not be always better as they might have a lot of seeds in them and tend to have a spongy interior. There is also a trace of bitterness in them that require salting to remove. So, look for ones with smooth, shiny skin that are uniformly colored and feel heavy for their size. I also usually get smaller eggplants that tend to be sweeter, less bitter, have thinner skin and fewer seeds. Fresh eggplants should be firm but not hard, and the stem end should be green. You can store these in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Try out this recipe for a healthy vegan meal and enjoy.

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SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 25 min
COOK TIME: 10 min

• 2 long eggplants
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
  
• 2-3 leaves of basil (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup Passata Sauce
• salt

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1. Disgorge Eggplants: Slice the eggplants in half length wise and make crosshatch marks on it. Sprinkle some salt and keep it on a grill stand for the water to drain out for 20 mins.

2. Make Dressing: In a small bowl mix the vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil, parsley, garlic, basil & salt and mix it well. Set it aside.

3. Roast: Dab the eggplants with a kitchen towel to remove the excess moisture. Now, brush the eggplants with the dressing. In a pan add 2 tbsp olive oil, once the oil is heated place the eggplant flesh side down and roast it till the flesh side is nice and brown. In the same pan add the remaining oil, add the sliced onions and cook them till they turn pink. Now, add the passata sauce and cook it for few seconds. Remove it from the heat and keep it aside.

4. Plate: Scoop some of the passata sauce and spread it on the plate. Place the eggplant on the sauce and drizzle the remaining dressing. Enjoy with some side salad.

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