Eggplant Bites

I am a huge fan of eggplant. This love affair began early on in my life. I remember we made this dish for special occasions and when we had guests when I was little. The only difference was is that we used to dip eggplant into egg mixture and fry it until it was too soft, mostly due to using too much oil. I had never lost the taste for this dish and decided that it was time to give it a vegan make-over. I was salivating while making it, and my taste buds were doing a happy dance... It was DELICIOUS!!! And the entire platter was gone before the night was over. You can see eggplant nutrition properties here.

EGGPLANT BITES

Ingredients
● 1 medium purple eggplant
● 4-5 tomatoes, depending on size
● 2 tablespoons vegan mayo
● 3 large cloves of garlic, crashed

Breading
● ½ zucchini, shredded
● ½ cup soy milk
● Sea salt to taste
● Seasoning to taste (optional)
● ½ cup unbleached organic white flour

Preparation
● Cut eggplant into 5 mm (3/16”) rings
● Place in a bowl and sprinkle each ring with salt to reduce bitterness. I placed my eggplant rings into a salad spinner, so I can later wash then and spin out extra water.
● Cover and let the rings sit while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.
● Cut tomatoes into thin rounds and set aside.
● To make breading: combine all ingredients and blend in a good processor until zucchini is well integrated in the dough.
● Preheat a skillet and set to medium-high.
● Rinse eggplant rings and either pat dry with a paper towel and use salad spinner to get rid of excess moisture.
● Dip each ring into dough.
● I use non-stick skillet, so less than a teaspoon of olive oil is needed for each round of eggplants. Use your judgment on how much you need, but DO NOT use too much.
● Place several eggplant rings on a skillet and fry until golden.
● I like my eggplant a bit on a raw side, so this process will leave the eggplant a bit raw inside. For those faint of heart (or taste-buds : ) ) fry eggplant on their own before breading for about a minute on each side, and then dip into breading and fry again.
● When all eggplant rings have been fried lay out on a large platter.
● Spread a little bit of vegan mayo on each ring and add a little bit of crashed garlic.
● Cover with a tomato and sprinkle with sea salt.
● Eggplant bites can be served immediately or refrigerated for later enjoyment.

ENJOY!!!