Eggplant Sandwich

For those of us who are struggling with special diets (or if you're just plain vegan) this makes for a yummy (but messy) sandwich.

This recipe is for one sandwich, just double/quadruple/etc. as needed.

Ingredients:

• a 1/3-1/2 inch slice of eggplant
• butter/olive oil to fry in
• whole wheat bread
• tomatoes
• lettuce
• cheese to taste
• bread crumbs or flour for dipping eggplant in
• spices of choice
• dressing of choice

Directions

I cooked mine without bread crumbs or flour, either way is good, but I suspect without ends up messier.

Melt butter/heat olive oil in a pan on medium until it's warm. If you use bread crumbs or flour, and if you use spices, mix to your needs and dip the sliced eggplant into it, stirring it around until it's fully covered.

Place eggplant in butter/olive oil while it's just warm and allow it to come to full heat. turn it several times until it's cooked, laying a slice of cheese on it when it's close to done. let it melt a bit, turn off the burner and let it melt the rest of the way. Slice tomato, tear up lettuce, apply dressing to bread slice (I used mayonnaise) place vegetables (including eggplant slice with melted cheese) on bread and enjoy.

Eggplant is a meat substitute food.

If you've never had eggplant, it tastes a little like beef, and rather like mushroom, but with a tiny touch of elusive sweetness to it, not sugar sweet. maybe rich is a better word. the skin is a little firm, the flesh is very tender.

The first place I had an eggplant "hamburger" was at a health food store/health bar somewhere near or in Gaviota, CA during the hippie years, and I could not tell the difference from it and a real hamburger.

If the eggplant is a bit overripe, it's ok. It's still fine.

Source: Memory of an eggplant "hamburger" from my early teen hood.

By Cornelia from Oregon