I love eggplant, and this is my favorite ways to prepare it. Cooking chickpeas in a dry skillet right on the grill makes them deliciously crisp on the outside and creamy inside.
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 large (1 1/2 pound) eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, divided
- 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
Prepare a grill for medium heat cooking. Squeeze half of the lemon over both sides of eggplant slices and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Place a medium heavy skillet (a 9-inch cast-iron works well) on the grill grates and heat until very hot. Add chickpeas to the skillet and cook, shaking the skillet frequently (wear an oven mitt to protect your hands), until chickpeas are spotted with brown and beginning to crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.
Add tomatoes to the skillet and return it to the grill. Place eggplant slices directly on the grill grates. Cook, flipping eggplant occasionally and shaking the skillet, until eggplant is soft and browned and tomato skins are browned, about 10 minutes total. Transfer eggplant to a platter.
Using a large fork or a potato masher, crush tomatoes, then stir in paprika, pepper and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Tomatoes should form a sauce; if they are too dry, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water. Top eggplant with tomatoes, chickpeas and mint and squeeze remaining lemon half over the top.
Nutritional Info: Per Serving: 130 calories (20 from fat), 2g total fat, 250mg sodium, 26g carbohydrates, (10 gdietary fiber, 7g sugar), 6g protein.
Recipe courtesy of our Positive Power Partner:
