Coffee and a Smile (and a Recipe)

Ahhhhhh. I am sipping coffee and sitting at my desk while the children play happily behind me. I do love days off!

I went to our local farmer's market last weekend and bought an eggplant. I had never prepared eggplant before and was quite anxious to try something with it. Paco is pretty much a meat and potatoes guy, but was willing to try it in our quest to lose weight. (I am down 10 pounds. He has lost roughly the same.) I looked around on the internet for some good recipes and asked around, but couldn't come up with something that great. We were planning to just brush it with olive oil and season it with salt/pepper and throw it on the grill. However, I ended up looking at a recipe called 'Poor Man's Caviar' and was intrigued. I went to a friend's house on Monday and decided to make it for that gathering - it was GREAT!

Cut slits on top of the eggplant, then roast it on grill rack at 500 degrees for about 20 minutes. Take eggplant out of the oven and scoop out the flesh. In a food processor, combine eggplant, drizzle of olive oil, coarse salt, pepper, and whatever other seasonings you would like. (I used a parmesan/oregano blend from my friends pantry.) Serve with a baguette or other bread/cracker.

WARNING: The consistency looks like green baby food. It got rave reviews with my friends, though, so try it anyway!