Grilled Eggplant Stacks

Grilled Eggplant Stacks

Serves: 2
Ingredients:
-1 medium tomato
-6 oz of fresh mozzarella
-1 Italian Eggplant
-4 tbsp of pesto
-olive oil
-pepper

Directions:
1. Turn on grill to medium heat.
2. Slice eggplant into 6, medium-thick slices. Brush both sides of eggplant with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Grill eggplant on each side for 5-7 min each.

3. Slice tomato into 4-6, medium-thick slices. Grill for 3 min on both sides.
4. Slice 6 oz of fresh mozzarella into 4, medium-thick slices.
5. Once everything is done grilling, stack egg plant, tomato, mozzarella, and pesto. (There is no right order)
6. Enjoy!

*Fun Tips About Eggplant*

- 1 cup raw: 20 calories, 5g carb, 3g fiber, 2g sugar, 1g protein

-Eggplants are in the family with tomatoes, sweet peppers, and potatoes

-They grow like tomatoes (hanging from vines)

-Great source of fiber, manganese, molybdenum, potassium 

-Good source of: Vit K, magnesium, copper, Vit C, Vit B6, folate, niacin

-They have a more bitter taste and spongy texture

-Season: August through October

-Anthocyanin phytonutrients in the skin: protects cells from free radicals

-Phenolic antioxidant: anti-cancer, anti-LDL, antimicrobial, antiviral

-Comes in different colors and different sizes

-Selecting: make sure it is firm, heavy, smooth, shiny, have a vivid color, the stem should be bright green; if you gently press and it springs back= it is ripe

-Store 50 degrees F for a few days

 -Wash and cut right before using, cut with a stainless steel knife

-To reduce some bitterness: you can add salt to it for 30 min to make it sweat.

-Cooking eggplant: bake it, roast it, or steam it