Roasted Eggplant

I already have a recipe for roasted eggplant on this blog, but this recipe is substantially different. It's very easy, but takes a lot of inactive prep time so be sure to plan ahead. I thought it was absolutely delish and had it for lunch, but the boys refused to even try it. Fine, that's more for me. :o)

1 large eggplant
2 T. olive oil
1 t. Thyme (more or less according to preference)
1/2 t. granulated garlic
1/2 t. Real Salt (plus more salt for prepping the eggplant)
1 T. Earth Balance or other non-dairy butter
2 T. non-dairy sour cream

Wash and dry eggplant. Trim stem and end. Cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half in thirds lengthwise, then cut into thin slices. Depending on the size of your eggplant, you may need to make more or fewer slices.

Place eggplant into a colander or strainer. Sprinkle with enough salt to lightly cover all the pieces, tossing to combine. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse well and continue with recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine eggplant, thyme, garlic and Real Salt in a large bowl. Toss eggplant until all pieces are completely coated with the olive oil and seasoning. Coat a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread eggplant evenly in the dish.

Bake for a total of 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Eggplant is done cooking when it is darker in color and soft. Add non-dairy cream and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 side dish servings.