Broiled Eggplant with Capers and Mint

...with a side of baked macaroni and cheese.

Broiled Eggplant with Capers and Mint from Smitten Kitchen, of course. The mac-n-cheese also came from her. She's such a genius!

I really liked the 2:1 ratio of cheese to macaroni in this recipe. I also used 1% fat free cottage cheese, almond milk, and gluten free pasta to make it a little bit healthier.

Baked Mac-N-Cheese (original recipe from Smitten Kitchen.)
Ingredients: Yields 6-8

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups milk (or Almond Milk)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 pound elbow pasta, uncooked.


1. Heat oven to 375°F and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use one tablespoon butter to grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
2. In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together.* Reserve 1/4 cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Broiled Eggplant with Capers and Mint
(BTW-capers and mint are NOT a mistake, they went perfectly with the eggplant.)

(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Yields 4 appetizer-size portions

1-2 medium eggplants cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped mint
2 tablespoons small capers, drained
Preheat broiler. Arrange eggplant in 1 layer on a large baking sheet and brush both sides with 2 tablespoons oil (total). Broil about 4 inches from heat, turning once, until golden, 8 to 12 minutes total.
***Make sure you watch the eggplants, mine burned at 8 minutes.

Stir together vinegar, mint, capers, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil and toss with warm eggplant. Marinate at least 20 minutes.

These were great served with the zucchini-flecked dinner rolls I made the other night.