Eggplant Grill Cheese

A creative and lower carb take on the grill cheese..

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, sliced into ¼-1/2 inch thick rounds (about 8)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 one ounce slices of cheese (A white cheese works great like gouda, white cheddar, mozzarella, jack, Havarti, I used Trader Joes Yogurt Cheese)

Optional add ins: (chopped olives, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, tomato sauce)

Directions:

Wash, dry and cut the eggplant into rounds and place on a clean plate or cutting board. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a small dish and brush the slices lightly with the oil on each side. Coat a large pan with the other tablespoon of olive oil and put on medium high heat. Add the slices, cover and heat for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned, flip over and heat for another 4-5 minutes.  Remove four of the rounds and set aside. Put one slice of cheese on each of the four rounds (I break the slices up to layer the on the slice of eggplant to cheese does not hang off the sides.) Sprinkle on some of the additional add-ins if desired. Then, top them with the other four rounds, cover and heat for about 1 -2 minutes until the cheese is melted. You will likely have to eat these babies with a fork and a knife J

Makes 4 “sandwiches”, four servings

Serving size 1 “sandwich-2 slices of eggplant plus 1 slice cheese) Calories 160 Protein 7 g Carb 8 g Fiber 4 g Sugars  3 g Fat 12 g Saturated fat 6 g Sodium 140 mg

*results will vary based on cheese used. You can lower the fat and calorie content further by using low fat cheese and no oil/ cooking spray