Recipe(tried): Spicy Eggplant Miso Saute with Bulghur, Mid-Eastern Eggplant Rolls and Eggplant Sandwiches on Baby Greens with Tomato-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here are a couple that I have made several times and my husband actually ate and liked it. Everytime I buy eggplant he says he doesn't like it so why do I buy it and then I remind him of the recipes he did like so why is he bothering me? Anyway, here they are:

From Fast Vegetarian Feasts by Martha Rose Schulman
Spicy Eggplant Miso Saute with Bulghur

1-1/2 c. bulgur wheat
3 c. boiling water
1/4 c. miso
3 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1-1/2 lb), peeled and diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
1/4-1/2 lb. pressed tofu, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced, both green and white parts
1/4-1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes or 1 small hot pepper, seeds remove,sliced

Place the bulghur wheat in a heatproof serving dish and pour the boiling water over it. Let stand while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a small bowl, mix together the miso, water, honey and sesame oil and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or a large, heavy-bottomed skillet and saute the eggplant for 5 minutes, stirring, Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 2 min. Add the tofu and saute for 5 minutes. Add the miso mixture and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the green onions and pepper flakes (or peppers),and cook, stirring, until the onions are tender.
Pour off any water that hasn't been absorbed by the bulghur. Fluff with a fork and top with the eggplant mixture.
Serve at once. Serves 4.

Mid-Eastern Eggplant Rolls
From Kathy Cooks by Kathy Hoshijo

2 large eggplants
Olive oil for frying

3 tbsp. olive oil
2 c. cooked, mashed garbanzo beans
2 tsp. asafetida* or 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 c. finely chopped, fresh parsley
1 c. cooked bulghur wheat
1 c. chopped frozen spinach
1/4 c. lemon juice
3 tbsp. sesame tahini
2 tbsp. soy sauce

Make Yogurt Dressing (see following recipe) and cook garbanzo beans. Pour 1 cup boiling water over 1/2 c. uncooked bulghur; then cover and allow grain to cook while preparing the rest of the ingredients. To prepare eggplant, cut tops and thin slices of round edges from opposite side of eggplant. Now cut 1/4" thick slices lengthwise.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet. Lay slices of eggplant in to cook over medium heat with lid on, adding more oil if needed. (Eggplant absorbs oil as it cooks, so watch to be sure there is enough oil to keep eggplant from sticking to skillet.) WShen you can see the top surface and edge of eggplant slices take on a wet, almost translucent appearance, flip over and cook for same length of time on other side. Remove from heat when whole slice is cooked through and tender. Cook all the slices in the same way.

Make filling by pouring olive oil and garbanzo beans into skillet and lightly mashing (so beans get crushed, but don't mash into a paste). Add spices and saute together for a few minutes to disperse flavor of spices. Turn off heat and add next 6 ingredients. Mix well. Filling is now ready to go into cooked eggplant slices.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread 1/4-1/3 c. filling in a strip across width of cooked eggplant slice about 1/3 of the way up. Roll small edge over filling, continuing till eggplant is completely colled. Place seam side down in a baking dish, securing with a toothpick if you like (it's not really necessary, though). Fill tray, arranging rolls in rows side by side. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. To serve, place 2-3 rolls on a plate, pour yogurt sauce over them, and sprinkle with paprika. Makes 6-8 servings.

Yogurt Sauce

2 c. plain yogurt
32 finely chopped mint leaves
1/2 c. finely diced tomato
2 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate while making eggplant rolls to allow flavors to blend. Makes enough to pour over 6-8 servings.

From John Ash, From The Earth to the Table
Eggplant Sandwiches on Baby Greens with Tomato-Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 medium eggplants, cut into 12 1" thick slices
1/4 c. olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, cut into 6 slices
1/2 c. loosely packed basil leaves
12 rinsed and dried anchovy fillets (or 1/2 tube anchovy paste)
1-1/2 c. panko bread crumbs (japanese) or other dry breadcrumbs
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts
1 c. all purpose flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
vegetable oil for frying
3 c. savory baby greens, such as arugala, frisee, red mustard,
flowering kale and spinach
Tomato-Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Garnish: Deep fried capers and rosemary leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until lightly brown and tender, about 20 minutes.
Arrange the mozzarella slices on 6 of the eggplant slices. On a cutting board, coarsely chop the basil and anchovy together and sprinkle over the cheese. Top with a second eggplant slice to form a sandwich.
In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and walnuts. Dredge the sandwiches in flour, patting off excess. Dip them in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrunb mixture. The sandwiches may be prepared up to this point and kept loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
Add vegetable oil to a saute pan to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat oil to 350 degrees. In batches, saute the sandwiches in a single layer, turning once to brown both sides. This will take only a few minutes per side. As they are done, remove to paper towels to drain. Keep warm. These sandwiches may be cooked up to 4 hours in advance and reheated in the oven at serving time.
To serve, toss the greens with a little of the vinaigrette and serve the hot eggplant sandwiches on a bed of the lightly dressed greens. Scatter with deep fried capers and rosemary leaves, if desired. Serve immediately.

Tomato-Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 c. balsamic Vinegar
2/3 c. tomato juice
1/4 c. olive oil (preferably extra virgin)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp. minced sun-dried tomatoes (rehydrated or oil-packed)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients, seasoning to taste. Allow to stand at least 1 hour before using. Store any unused dressing, covered and refrigerated, up to 10 days.

This recipe is especially delicious. I love these little sandwiches. I've made them 3 times so far and each time loved them more and more. They are a little time consuming but you can make each part at different times if you have to. Enjoy.

* asafetida is a yellow powder you can get at any indian store.