Eggplant Fans

Wash, then cut the stem off the eggplants. Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise.

Lay the flat, cut, side down on your cutting board with the stem end away from you.

Using a sharp paring knife, start about 1⁄2 an inch toward you from the stem end and slice the rest of the length towards you in 1⁄4 inch wide strips. This creates a fan effect with all these narrow strips that are connected together at the far end of the eggplant half (see photo). Do the same with the other 3 halves.

Slice your tomatoes into 1⁄4 inch wide lengthwise strips.

Place the prepared eggplant half in a glass baking dish, flat side down.

Spread the strips apart and place the tomato slices upright between each strip. If the eggplant strip is longer than your tomato slice, use a couple of tomato slices.

Repeat until all the eggplant strips are stuffed with the sliced toma- to. They will look like fans with the alternating purple skin and red tomatoes.

Arrange them in the baking dish.

Top with the onion rings, garlic slices and sliced olives.

Sprinkle the whole dish with a little salt and a generous amount of the Italian seasoning. Drizzle with the olive oil and cover tightly with tin foil.

Bake for 1 hour at 350oF. The roasted vegetables will create their own delicious sauce and are great served with brown rice, over baked potatoes, or over whole grain couscous with a fresh green salad.