Congrats on the pound gone, Tara.

I love eggplant.  I usually grow a plant in the garden each summer.

Yeah, stir fry it with strips of red bell pepper,
some cumin, coriander, turmeric, a dash of
cayenne and some cilantro.  MMMM.

I use this quite a lot - we call it aubergine here in the UK.  If you
fry it, though, it really can soak up the oil, so I soften mine in the
microwave before using it for recipes.
Yummy.

janice

Yes, eggplant is delicious. :) Be sure to try doing ratatouille sometimes
(eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, green and red peppers all cooked in
olive oil and perfumed with garlic, thym and basil). You can find an
"Americanized" (original version is not strictly sauteed, but can taste like
a veggie stew where the vegetables melt in olive oil) version here
http://www.culturekiosque.com/chef/rherct3.htm. Mediterranea and Eastern
Europe also use eggplants in puree, not as a side dish, but as an appetizer.
It's pretty high in fat, but it's no worse than most of the common
appetizers, and probably healthier than doritos. Here is a recipe :
http://www.foodtv.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_23615,00.html.