Goodness, all this fuss over a poor, defenseless little eggplant :lol:

Here, try these recipes, they're simple and delicious ---

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tater-D...nt/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Eggplan...ke/Detail.aspx

To the Eggplant Tomato Bake, I usually add a slice of avocado as well, before I top it with the tomato.

To 'purge' an eggplant before cooking, slice it and salt both sides of the slices and let sit for about 30 minutes. This draws the moisture from the eggplant so it doesn't soak up as much oil when you're cooking it, if you'd so choose to 'fry' the slices.

Also, about the nutritional benefits of eggplant, here ya go ---

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=22

I once ran across a recipe for eggplant cake. It really sounded delicious!