Vegetable Gratin

1 large onion
1 head of garlic
1 small eggplant
1 zucchini
2-3 tomatoes
Oregano
Basil (dried or fresh)
Salt
Pepper
Grated cheese of choice

Roast garlic cloves in advance. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut onion in half and slice; saute with a dash of olive oil. Spray an 8"x8" glass pan, and spread the onions and garlic cloves on the bottom. Slice the eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes thinly, and arrange in layers on top. Sprinkle very generously with spices. Cover with a lid or foil, and bake for 1 hour. Check to make sure it isn't drying out, and if it is, sprinkle water on top until wetted.

Add the cheese and broil to finish. Serves 4.

Eggplant Pasta Sauce

3 medium-sized eggplants
1 head of garlic
2-3 T olive oil
28-oz good-quality can of tomatoes (I like TJ's whole plum tomatoes with or without basil)
2-3 sprigs of fresh mint
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
~2 T balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
salt & pepper
red chili flakes if desired
rigatoni pasta
Parmesan cheese

Cube the eggplant and remove the skins of the garlic. Pour the olive oil in a roasting pan or 9X13" baking pan, and mix the eggplant and garlic in. Roast at 375-400 degrees for approximately an hour until the eggplant is nicely browned. Remove from oven and pour in the can of tomatoes.

Chop the mint leaves and assemble the food processor or blender while waiting for the roasted veggies to cool a little. Start the pasta. Spoon in as much of the veggies and mint as will fit, and puree. Continue until all has been pureed, adding it back to the pan when finished. Season to taste. Mix in the Parmesan cheese, and then mix the pasta in. Serve, and sprinkle pine nuts on top.

Feeds approximately 4.

Notes: We didn't have any pine nuts, and it was fine without. You could puree them as well if you wanted.
I forgot the lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, and it would have been better with one of them, especially combining with the mint.
I didn't have red chili flakes, and it would have been good with a spicy kick.
I didn't have rigatoni pasta, although the point of this recipe is a vegetarian way of doing a ziti, since the eggplant looks sort of like ground meat, so I used linguini. It was good.
I had some fresh mozzarella balls I almost added in addition to the Parmesan, and I wished I had. It would have been good.

Christy's Baked Eggplant "Parmesan"

Ingredients: 1 eggplant bread crumbs or crushed Ritz crackers (this was really good) or Panko italian seasoning 1 lb ground turkey (optional) mozzarella cheese spaghetti spaghetti sauce Preparation: Preheat oven to 415 deg. Cut up eggplant into small pieces or thin slices. Spray or grease 9x13 pan. Throw eggplant in pan with some bread crumbs and italian seasoning (sorry, I don't measure). Put it in the oven for about 30 minutes and stir it every once in a while, until it is brown and the eggplant is kind of dried out. While that is cooking, start boiling water for the spaghetti, brown the ground turkey, and grate the cheese. When the eggplant is done, mix it all together or make layers. Put some cheese on top. Turn the oven temp down to 350 deg and cook for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted. You can put some Parmesan cheese on top.

Eggplant Quinoa (keen-wa)

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 large eggplant or 1 small eggplant
• olive oil

Chop and saute onion and eggplant (I usually leave skins on) in olive oil. Add quinoa and slightly less water than quinoa directions say. Cover and allow to cook at a low simmer until the quinoa is cooked. If excess water remains, drain off. Salt, and/or add cheese.