Not Really Bruschetta

Good evening, y'all.

Are you going to A t h f e s t tonight?? 

Everyone will be there. I'll be there!

And aaaaall the townies,

 dressed to the nines in 

   homeless-chic.

Do you know how expensive it is to look this poor?

Ah,  A t h f e s t . The biggest party this town has to offer.

.....................................................Well.

Have you memorized your lines yet???

You gotta have something to say, baby.

All the hipsters are gonna wanna know what you thought of that new Reptar album. 

&isn't Atlas Sound just, like, so alluring and distinct these days?? M e l a n c h o l i c . . ..

I haven't settled on what to say.

Perhaps, "It was o k a y, but...

they missed their chance to do something surprising."

But I do know one thing for sure:

I'm sooo making breaded eggplant "bruschetta" again.

(Topped with garlic lemon "aioli".)

Breaded Eggplant "Bruschetta" topped with  garlic lemon "aioli", inspired by smitten kitchen 

Ingredients:::  
eggplant "bruschetta":

• 1 medium eggplant (sliced into 1/4 inch thick medallions, and with or without the skin removed per your own preference. YSK eggplant skin is very chewy and somewhat unpleasant.)
• breadcrumbs (I used about 1.5 pieces of bread worth, around 1/2 cup? eyeball it man)
• 1 egg

tomato topping:

• 1 medium tomato 
• 1/3 medium vidalia onion 
• fresh parsely, a few sprigs
• 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing)
• salt & pepper, to taste

garlic lemon "aioli":

• 1/3 cup greek yogurt 
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp dijon mustard 
• dash paprika 
• 1 tsp sweetened lemon juice (or simply lemon juice)

To begin, preheat your oven to 375F (190C).

If you please, you may de-bitter the eggplant using one of two methods. 

Though I've heard this step is unnecessary if you are using good and fresh eggplant??

Crack your egg into a small bowl or container of some sort, and dip your slices of eggplant into it.

Next, dredge the eggplant in your breadcrumbs.

I used homemade Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs, but use panko or anything you've got around....... 

Or you can grill them completely n a k e d!

With no breading.

Line them up on a greased baking pan, and bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes, then flip them all over and bake on the other side for another 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco....

Mix the garlic lemon "aioli" by stirring together your greek yogurt, minced garlic, dijon mustard, paprika, and lemon juice in a tiny container or tupperware of some sort.
Chill it in the refrigerator while the "bruschetta" is baking. 

Sidebar: this fake aioli is incredibly delicious, I recommend making it for sandwiches, wraps, tacos, &c.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco...

Make the topping: dice up your tomato and onion and parsley and toss with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

(Or balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing.)

Top each  Breaded Eggplant "Bruschetta" slice with a dollop of  garlic lemon "aioli"  & spoon a generous helping of vegetable mixture over top.

More generous of a helping than pictured.

Nutrition Information

Ingredient	Calories	Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Protein (g)
Total Recipe	494	13	77	27
Per Serving	247	7	39	14

Recipe makes two servings of ~4 medallions.*

*Will vary depending on the size of your eggplant & amount/type of breadcrumbs you use.