SIMPLE EGGPLANT BRUSCHETTA WITH TOMATOES AND HERBS

Ingredients:

▢ 1 Large Italian eggplant - or two small/medium
▢ ¼ cup Extra-virgin olive oil
▢ Kosher salt and black pepper
▢ 1 Baguette - or use an Italian loaf, sliced into ¾" (2cm) thick slices
▢ 1-2 Garlic cloves - Peeled
▢ 2 Tomatoes - See notes for tomato options
▢ ½ Red onion - Very thinly sliced into semi-circles
▢ ¼ cup Feta - Crumbled
▢ ¼ cup Basil leaves - Cut into strips or torn
▢ 2 tablespoon Mint leaves - Cut into strips or torn
▢ 2 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
▢ Extra virgin olive oil, sweet balsamic glaze, herbs and more cheese for garnish

Preparation:

- Roast the eggplant. Preheat your oven to 375F. - Toss the eggplant cubes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper in a single layer until caramelized and soft, about 15-20 minutes.
- Toast bread. Rub the sliced bread with extra virgin olive oil lightly. Toast or grill the bread and then rub a garlic clove on one side of each bread piece.
- Toss. In a bowl, combine the roasted eggplant, tomatoes, sliced red onion, herbs, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and taste. Adjust seasoning.
- Assemble. On a serving platter, lay out the toasted bread (garlic side up) and top each piece with a spoonful or two of the eggplant mixture. Drizzle with more olive oil, and sweet balsamic glaze and garnish with more feta and herbs.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

Bread: A classic bruschetta is made with toasted or grilled sliced ciabatta or baguette but do feel free to experiment. You can even use my Rosemary Parmesan Bread as a base here. Gluten-free bread or crackers can also be used.

Eggplants: Choose smooth, blemish-free Italian eggplants. Smaller eggplants tend to have fewer seeds so bigger isn’t always better when it comes to eggplants. Choose small to medium-sized globes. You can even make this recipe with long Asian eggplants.

Tomatoes: Organic and heirloom tomatoes are ideal here, cut into the same size cubes as the eggplant. If you prefer, you can use Roma tomatoes or grape or cherry tomatoes here.
Red onion: I like the taste of red onion here, but you can use what you have on hand. Shallots work well too.

Feta cheese: You can totally omit the cheese and keep the recipe vegan or use another cheese of your choice (parmesan cheese is a great option).

Fresh herbs: There’s really no substitution for basil and mint in my opinion. However, use what you have on hand. If you only have basil, just use basil. You can play around with the herb combinations to suit your tastes. Fresh parsley is also a good option.

Oil: Choose good quality extra-virgin olive oil. If you can find unfiltered olive oil, even better. This is the time to use that beautiful bottle of EVOO you got for Christmas!

Balsamic Vinegar: This is an important sweet and tangy touch, but feel free to use lemon juice, lime juice or another vinegar of your choice. Make sure to taste and adjust as needed.

Fun additions: Feel free to add red peppers, red pepper flakes, kalamata olives, green olives, artichoke hearts, or capers.

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Nutrition Values:

Calories: 181kcal
Carbohydrates: 21g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 9g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
Monounsaturated Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 4mg
Sodium: 251mg
Potassium: 271mg
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 5g
Vitamin A: 382IU
Vitamin C: 7mg
Calcium: 72mg
Iron: 1mg