I experimented with some zucchini and eggplant a few nights ago, and my meat-lover-husband LOVED what happened in the experiment!
I haven't posted the recipe in my blog yet, but here's what I threw together:
Ingredients:
1 eggplant
3 zucchinis
3 cloves of garlic, minced/finely crushed and chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 cup bulgur (medium grade. bulgur must be put into a bowl,and soaked in 1 cup warm water for about 1 hour, OR you can microwave it at 45 second intervals. It usually takes me 2- 45 second intervals to get it to the proper texture. Once soaked, drain the bulgur by taking small handfulls and squeezing out the water, and putting the squeezed bulgur in a seperate bowl.)
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese (not vegetarian, but you can substitute this obviously for vegetarian cheeses....)
extra virgin olive oil (1 tbsp, and 2 tbsp.)
dash salt and pepper
Method:
-cut the eggplant in half, then slice each half into 1/4 inch slices.
-lay out in large bowl/plate in layers, sprinkling a dash of salt over each layer to soak up any oils from the eggplant.
-put a frying pan over medium heat, and cook the eggplant slices on each side for about 5-10 minutes (until golden brown and shrivled)
-set aside in a bowl/plate lined with paper towel.
-peel and slice zucchini into 1/4 inch slices.
-slice and chop the red onion.
-place the first tbsp of extra virgin olive oil into the pan, and cook the zucchini and onion with 1/2 of the lemon juice until the onion turns golden.
-in a seperate bowl, mix the cheese, basil, garlic, salt & pepper.
-pour the zucchini mixture into the bowl with the cheese, and stir well.
-add the bulgur, add the other 1/2 of the lemon juice, and stir well again.
To serve:
-line 2 bowls with the sliced eggplant.
-pour the zucchini bulgur mix into each bowl.
-garnish with some freshly chopped basil.
-enjoy!