[Teachyrchildren]

My eggplant-hating husband loves this. The marinade turns the eggplant a really pretty reddish color, its just lightly spicy, and the bit of honey helps the eggplant caramelize. I sometimes top the slices with crumbled goat cheese or feta for a bit of protein and a touch of saltiness. Since you're just brushing the marinade onto the eggplant, there's not much oil and honey in each serving.

1 small to medium eggplant

Marinade:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. chili powder
pinch of salt if desired if you have not salted the eggplant
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced

For serving; fresh chopped herbs (basil is nice), feta or chevre (optional)

1. Heat up your grill, and brush with oil if necessary.

2. Peel the eggplant, and slice it into rounds or the long way into ovals, about 1/3 inch thick. (If your eggplant is very fresh, no need to salt and drain. If you wish, lightly salt the slices, then use paper towels to wipe off the salt and any liquid after 20 minutes or so)

3. Mix the marinade in a small bowl. Brush the marinade on both sides of the eggplant slices. Let rest 15 minutes or so.

4. Grill the eggplant on both sides, until lightly charred and soft. Remove the slices from the grill, arrange on a plate and brush the remaining marinade on the slices.

5. Serve topped with feta or chevre, and some fresh choped herbs.

[Shannon in ATL]

Wow, that sounds yummy!

[sharongracepjs]

oohhh this sounds amazing...but I don't have a grill Could I bake it in the oven or saute it after marinading?

[caliyah]

this sounds so good! i have an eggplant in my fridge and i think i'm going to try making this today

[Teachyrchildren]

Sharon, I'll bet you could cook it in an oil-sprayed nonstick pan. I'd just let each side cook until browned before turning, so you get that nice caramelization.

[kittycat40]

I generally do not like eggplant. It is one of those vegg I buy and then never prepare so it goes to waste.
This sounds GRRREAT! If I come across some lovely eggplant this weekend, I will prepare it this way. Happens I just yesterday bought the hugest log of goat cheese. Lucky us
Thx

[kittycat40]

gotta say, been craving this dish ever since I saw this recipe posted. FINALLY, I now have several eggplants and multiple green and yellow squash. AND a huge log of goat cheese!!

Ohhhh, Ima salivating! Looking forward to getting onto the grill this evening!!

[midwife]

Dang, Kitty, wish I was there to share your veggies and goat cheese. Enjoy!

[Teachyrchildren]

One thing I've discovered about this dish after making it many times--if you're like me and prefer your eggplant to be quite soft, just cover the finished grilled eggplant with plastic wrap for a few minutes before serving. The residual heat and moisture under the wrap will further soften the eggplant, and the moisture will make the eggplant seem to have more oil than it really does, fooling the eater into thinking its richer than it really is.

[kittycat40]

Midwife, come on by for the next time!
Teach, I'll keep that in mind for the next time. I do prefer it softer than I ended up with. It ended up being a little bit burned on one side and then a little bit harder on the other side. I placed all the slices (I added a farmer's market red onion to the mix) on a baking dish and then served myself a stack of the rounds, sliced them and added the goat cheese into the mix. It was YUM.

Then I sliced all the rest up and placed it into the fridge. huh, forgot all about it. DINNER for tonight

[sharongracepjs]

Made this last night...omg AMAZING! I made it in the oven, since I don't have a grill - roasted it at 325 for about 12 minutes, then flipped and put it back in for another 10 minutes. DELICIOUS with a bit of feta on top!

Thanks for sharing!