Grilled eggplant is just what the summer ordered

Grilled eggplant is just what the summer ordered By JIM ROMANOFF Associated Press

E ggplant is a versatile, healthy vegetable that combines so wellwith so many seasonings. It's a shame that it so often ends upbreaded, fried and loaded with cheese.
But the summer grilling season is the perfect time to takeadvantage of cooking with eggplant without adding gobs of unhealthysaturated fats.
This grilled eggplant sandwich with olive and sun-dried tomatotapenade makes an excellent vegetarian meal, yet it is substantialand "meaty" enough to satisfy even the most voracious carnivores.Plus, it is bursting with flavor and rich in nutrients and healthyfats.
Grilling slices of eggplant gives them a wonderful, smoky flavor aswell as a slightly chewy texture that makes them an idealsubstitute for meat in the sandwich.
A tapenade, made by blending savory olives and capers with tangysun-dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, is spread on slices ofcrusty bread to provide vibrant Mediterranean flavor.
Many markets sell bulk olives, sun-dried tomatoes and sometimeseven capers, which can be more economical, as it allows you to buyonly what you need for the recipe.
Rinsing olives and capers before using them removes much of thesalty brine and gives them a cleaner flavor.
This recipe calls for using olive oil cooking spray to coat thebread before grilling. Cooking sprays, which offer a great way tocontrol oil use, are an invaluable tool for the healthy cook andnow are available containing a variety of oils, including canola,olive, grapeseed and sunflower.
Start to finish: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
4 ounces pitted kalamata olives, rinsed
4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped (not oil packed)
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 slices crusty whole-grain bread
1 medium eggplant (about ¾ pound) ends trimmed, thinlysliced crosswise
2 large fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Olive oil cooking spray
To make the tapenade, in a food processor or blender, combine theolives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, garlic, vinegar and olive oil.
Process to a chunky puree, scraping down the sides as needed. Setaside.
Preheat a gas grill to medium or prepare a charcoal grill.
Spread the tapenade evenly over one side of each slice of bread.Set aside.
Place the eggplant slices on the grill and cook until golden brownand tender, about 5 to 6 minutes per side.
Divide the eggplant slices between four slices of bread, arrangingthe eggplant over the tapenade. Top the eggplant with tomatoslices, then sprinkle with chopped basil.
Firmly press a second slice of bread on top of each to makesandwiches.
Lightly spray each side of the sandwiches with cooking spray. Grillthe sandwiches until the filling is hot and the bread is brownedand crisp, turning them carefully with a spatula, 2 to 4 minutesper side.