Eggplant Sandwiches Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Servings: 2 Ingredients - 1 large eggplant - 1/2 pound ground meat: beef, lamb, or turkey - 1/8 teaspoon allspice or cinnamon - 1/4 cup olive oil, divided (or as needed) - 1 cup pasta sauce, purchased or home-made (use more if you wish) - 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (about 4 oz.) - salt and pepper    Using eggplant in place of bread is colorful, tasty - and a great way to eat more veggies! Use chopped left-over meat in place of ground meat if you wish - ham is especially good. Or make a vegetarian version using 8 oz. sauteed mushrooms in place of meat. Improvise!   Directions Start grill. Slice unpeeled eggplant about 3/8" thick, lengthwise. Season ground meat with 1/2 teaspoon salt, a few grinds of fresh pepper and 1/8 teaspoon allspice or cinnamon. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet and cook the meat, stirring to break into small pieces, until no trace of pink remains, about 5 minutes. Pour off - or blot up - any accumulated fat, and add	1

	pasta sauce. Stir to mix well, taste for seasoning, and set aside. Brush or spray eggplant slices lightly with olive oil. Salt very lightly and grill 5 - 7 minutes per side, until done (soft inside, a bit crisp outside). See TIP To assemble the sandwiches: reheat the meat sauce if necessary; it should be quite warm. For each sandwich, put one eggplant slice for the bottom, add a generous layer of sauce and 1/4 of the cheese. Repeat. and top with an eggplant slice. Serve warm. TIP: you will need only the 6 largest center slices for the sandwiches, but grill all slices and reserve any extra for another use.	2