Grilled Eggplant with Balsamic Honey Syrup ♥

Slowly but surely, I'm finally grooving with the grill, attacking the easy stuff first. Grilled corn in the husk. Now grilled eggplant. How're my grill marks, not bad, eh?!

It was late when I turned on the grill, then looked for a recipe for eggplant I picked up over the weekend. The thing I love most about Everyday Vegetables by Jack Bishop (thanks again, Kalyn!) is that reliably, at the very last minute, it's (1) easy to find a recipe that (2) appeals with (3) the ingredients are already on hand and (4) cooks in a flash. Did I mention delicious, too? That goes without saying ... plus I'm pleased to add to a small but growing collection of grilled vegetable recipes.

This, for sure, fits my definition of real food, the favorite recipes and techniques and sources you turn to again and again. If there's anything that I strive to share with A Veggie Venture and Kitchen Parade, my published food column, it's real food.

NUTRITION NOTES It took a full two tablespoons of oil and garlic to brush the eggplant. Are there tricks to using less oil when grilling vegetables? I'd appreciate your tips.

TOOL TIP While I've long discarded all the silly silicone baking gear that was so much the rage a couple of years ago, I do love my silicone basting brush.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES For more great every-day vegetable recipes from Jack Bishop, just type 'Bishop' in the Search Box at the top of the page.

See the Recipe Box for all the eggplant recipes but I especially recommend my recipe for ratatouille (isn't it cool that kids and grown-ups everywhere are learning that ratatouille is a recipe as well as a rat?!!) plus the Eggplant, Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwiches and the Thai Roasted-Eggplant Salad.

A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK King Hill Farms Simple & Sublime Beets ... "But this "recipe" ~ if you can call something so supremely simple such ~ has changed my beet-cooking habits forever."

TWO YEARS AGO I made Holy Slaw! for the first time. It was so good, in 2006 it appeared in a Kitchen Parade column.

GRILLED EGGPLANT with BALSAMIC HONEY SYRUP

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 25 minutes
Serves 4

1 pound eggplant (I used three of the thinner Japanese eggplant, each yielded three slices)

2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 - 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced (I used home-grown 'wet' garlic that yielded more garlic juice than flesh so two cloves was plenty)
Salt & pepper

SYRUP
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey

Fresh thyme (or other fresh herbs)

Heat grill. (If you're an experienced griller, you know how to do this. Me, I'm new, I set the gas grill on medium and let it heat up while I continue the prep. It's plenty hot by the time the eggplant is ready.)

Trim the eggplant, then slice lengthwise in half-inch thick strips. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and garlic. Brush the cut sides of the eggplant with oil/garlic mixture, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the grill for about 8 minutes, turning halfway through.

While eggplant grills, mix balsamic vinegar and honey in a small pan and bring to a boil. Let cook down til quite thick.

Layer the grilled eggplant on a platter, drizzle with the syrup. Sprinkle with fresh thyme.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 107 Cal (54% from Fat, 4% from Protein, 42% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 7 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 5 g Mono Fat; 12 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb8; 8 g Sugar; 15 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 3 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

SHORTHAND RECIPE
GRILLED EGGPLANT w BALSAMIC HONEY SYRUP Cut 1lb eggplant ½ “ thick, brush w 2Toil/2cl garlic, S&P. Grill 8min, turn once. B2B ¼ c balsamic, 1T honey, drizzle over, top w fresh thyme. VV07 WW=2

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TAGS
Food Recipes Cooking Vegetables Vegetable Recipes Weight Watchers Recipes Low Carb Recipes Eggplant Recipes Easy Vegetable Recipes Grilled Vegetable Recipes

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How to eat more vegetables? A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and the best source of free vegetable recipes with 700+ quick and easy favorite vegetable recipes, the Alphabet of Vegetables, Weight Watchers low-point recipes and microwave vegetable recipes.