Along with just about everyone else in america I am planning on eating healthier and am trying new veggies. I'd love to know how to cook eggplant and make it yummy. I roasted some in an oven and it didn't turn out so good. Thanks for any input.

I love roasted eggplant! I cut it in 1 inch cubes and toss it with a little balsamic vinegar and a touch of olive oil before roasting. Did you roast yours plain, or seasoned? That's about the only way I eat it, maybe someone else can share some tips

It's also delicious grilled on a george forman type grill.

Two of my favorite recipes are from allrecipes.com

One is called Mediteranean chicken and eggplant and the other is called eggplant rounds. I add a little fat free feta to the chicken and eggplant dish and to the egg plant rounds, I dredge the slices with cornmeal and whole wheat flour mixture. If you go to allrecipes.com you'll find the recipes. My changes are listed in the review area of each recipe under tha name LindaT

Here are two middle-eastern recipes:

Ganouch dip: Roast the eggplant, whole, poke a few holes in the skin with a fork, takes about 40 minutes in a 375 oven. once done, let it cool then peel the skin off and chop roughly. add to a blender with garlic, a little 'tahinni' and some ff plain yogurt, a squeeze of lemon and a dash of cumin and salt and give it a whizz, it should be a little chunky. its amazing with some pita bread or some celery, pepper and carrot sticks.

Eggplant Sandwiches: Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices. sprinkle with a little salt and let stand for about 15 mins. the salt is going to make the slices of eggplant 'sweat', pat dry then dress with some olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, chili, black pepper and salt, then place the slices evenly on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler, cook for around 20 - 30 minutes making sure you flip them when they become browned on one side.
You can eat them right away or you can put them into pita 'flat' bread, dress with a mixture of 'tahini' and lemon and add a few slices of tomato and cucumber.

Enjoy

Were they kind of brown and mushy? If that's the case, they were too wet.

I cook them on the grill at very low heat for what seems an eternity and they have a "crisper" quality to them.

See if that helps.

One of my favorites is ratatouille. There are lots of good recipes online for it; but it is basically a vegetable stew: zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onions, tomatoes; I also like to add mushrooms and italian seasoning. It's hard to go wrong with this; vary the proportions as you like and just throw it all in a pot with a lid and let it stew!
You can also bake it, and melt cheese on top of it at the end.

Really good tips, thanks so much.......I'm going to get to cooking on this yucky, rainy day!

It might help if you slice the eggplant, sprinkle it with a little salt, and let it sit in a collander for 15 minutes to half an hour, then pat it dry with a paper towel before you roast it. This will draw out the water and it will roast better. I roast mine with a little balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.

I really like roasted eggplant mixed with tuna, bottled roasted red peppers, and hummas and served in 1/2 pita. It makes for a nice low calorie sandwich. You could also add some low fat or fat free feta to this (or low fat goat cheese).

I love eggplant cooked Indian style...But it has a lot of special Indian spices (excellent antioxidants). It tastes excellent and is easy to make if you have all the ingredients:

5-6 small eggplants chopped into 1 inch pieces.
1 small boiled potato (sweet potato or regular) chopped into 1 inch pieces.(optional)
1tsp olive oil.
1tsp red chili/cayenne pepper powder.
1tsp cumin seeds.
1/4tsp turmeric powder.
1tsp corriander powder.
salt to taste.
1tsp chat masala powder.

In a nonstick pan, add olive oil and cumin seeds. Then add red chilli powder, corriander powder, saute on medium heat for 30 seconds.

Add eggplant pieces and potato pieces and saute for 30 seconds. Now add chat masala powder and turmeric powder. Add 2 TBSP of water and add salt. Now mix it well, cover and let cook for 10 mins. or until eggplants are soft.

Serve hot, garnished with fresh cilantro leaves.

If you can find the japanese style eggplant (white, pink, or purple skin and thin, shaped more like a zucchini), use it instead of the fat, round italian style eggplant.

I hate the big eggplant, but absolutely love the japanese style. It's much less bitter, and I've never had to use the salt and drain method on it to try to leach out the bitter liquid.

Also, my favorite way to make it is to cut it into 1.5 inch slices, throw it in a zip loc bag, and shake in a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil (I usually use canola or olive oil) and shake to coat. Then I re-open the bag and put in seasonings (usually garlic and ranch dressing powders), reseal and toss again.

Then I roast it at about 425 degrees until it's soft and brown around the edges (usually at least 20 minutes, but if the eggplant is very thin or you cut it thinner, start checking around 15).

I do this for potatoes (45 minutes) and other veggies too, and when I do eggplant usually roast it with onion and green pepper and sometimes mushrooms too (cut in large pieces to match the eggplant as best as possible).

I make eggplant parmigiana all the time. Here's my recipe:

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

2 large eggplants

Pam olive oil spray

salt

pepper

provolone cheese (about 6-8 slices)

tomato sauce (I use about 2 bottles depending on how everything is fitting in my pan)

Italian seasoning

garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the eggplant crosswise without peeling it and "fry" the circles on a griddle or in an electric skillet at 350 degrees that has been sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. Salt and pepper the slices to taste. Spray a glass baking dish with the olive oil cooking spray and add your favorite sauce to cover the bottom. I use one with lots of veggies in it. Keep cooking the rounds of the eggplant on the griddle, turning them as they begin to brown. Keep adding them to your baking dish when they are browned. When all the eggplant is cooked, top eggplant with more sauce and then with sliced lowfat provolone cheese. Sprinkle top of the provolone cheese with some garlic powder and some Italian seasoning. Pop into a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes.

I have also added a layer of mushrooms for a change which tasted AWESOME! Serve with a garden salad, and you have a fine meal that is healthy and tasty.

I usually make whole wheat pasta to serve with the dish.

Hint: Put the cheese just on the top. It will cut much better that way. Let the dish cool about 10 minutes before eating. This also helps the cutting go really well.

Enjoy!

Cheryl