Grilled Eggplant Bruschetta

I discovered my love for eggplant when I tried eggplant parmesan for the first time in college.  I still enjoy eggplant parmesan, but I also enjoy it when my pants fit.  So, I indulge in eggplant parmesan sparingly and then make this recipe ALL THE TIME.  I honestly can't remember where I saw this recipe.  I found it a year or so ago and we happened to be going to Kansas City that weekend and my mom and I made it.  We both LOVED it.  While it does have a lot of cheese, it still is much healthier than a battered and friend serving of eggplant parmesan smothered in sauce on top of noodles.  I grill this outside on the grill when Josh is eating chicken breasts or a burger and treat it like a main entree.  Then, I save the rest and eat it for lunch the next couple days.  These pictures are from when I made it for a friend coming over and I didn't want to light the grill in the 100 degree heat just for this so I used my indoor electric grill.  Works great either way!

Grilled Eggplant Bruschetta

1/4 C. shredded parmesan

3 T. lemon juice

2 T. minced basil

5 t. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. minced oregano

1 large eggplant

tomato slices

1/2 C. shredded mozzarella or fresh mozzarella

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.  Grill eggplant, covered, over medium heat for 3 minutes (or until you can see grill marks).  Turn slices over and immediately spoon parmesan mixture evenly onto each piece.  Top with a slice of tomato and mozzarella cheese.  Cover and grill 2-3 minutes longer.  (It is done when he eggplant is tender)

I always slice portions of the skin off the eggplant like many people do on cucumbers.  I like the flavor of eggplant peel, but if you don't do this I think it's too chewy.  I had a smaller eggplant from the farmer's market when I made this so I used that one as well.  And, how yummy do my farmer's market tomatoes look?!

Here is all the eggplant spread out on the grill.

This is the mixture you top the eggplant with.  I even had fresh basil from my mom's garden this time!

Topped with cheese and tomato slices.  I always use fresh mozzarella.  You can buy it very affordable at Aldi.  It is also much easier to slice thinly if you put it in the freezer for a little bit to get it nice and cold and then I use a serrated bread knife.  Even though the instructions say to put the cheese on top of the tomato I switch it up.  This time, my tomatoes were so pretty I wanted them on display. :)